Phyllis Fraser American actress, journalist and children's book publisher Date of Birth: 13.04.1916 Country: USA

1. Phyllis Frazer: Actress, Journalist, and Children's Book Publisher
2. Early Life and Career
3. Transition to Publishing and Family Life

Phyllis Frazer: Actress, Journalist, and Children's Book Publisher

Phyllis Frazer, born as Helen Brown Nichols on April 13, 1916, in Kansas City, Missouri, USA, was an American actress, journalist, and children's book publisher. She was the daughter of Verda Virginia Owens. Verda Owens was the daughter of William McMath Eddins and Lela Imogene Owens, granddaughter of Walter Winfield Owens and Safronia Boll, and great-granddaughter of Clinton Manross Boll and Cynthia T. Dale. Phyllis had a maternal aunt named Jean Owens, who was married to actor Winton Hayworth, and another aunt named Lila Owens MacMat, who was the mother of Ginger Rogers, a famous American actress, singer, and dancer.

Early Life and Career

After Phyllis's birth, her mother moved to Oklahoma, where she lived until she was 16 years old. She then settled with her aunt Lila and cousin Ginger in California. It was her sister who named her Phyllis Frazer and introduced her to Hollywood. From 1932 to 1939, Phyllis appeared in several films, including the 1936 Western "Winds of the Wasteland" with John Wayne and the 1934 drama "Little Men" directed by Phil Rosen. In 1932, she played the role of the "twelfth woman" in the detective drama "Thirteen Women" alongside iconic classic actresses Irene Dunn and Myrna Loy.

Phyllis's filmography includes J. Walter Ruben's drama "No Other Woman" with Irene Dunn and Charles Bickford, and another dramatic film, Ralph Ince's "Lucky Devils." She then appeared in Roy William Neill's horror film "The Black Room," starring Boris Karloff and Marian Marsh; played Dodo Gates in the drama "Fighting Youth" with Charles Farrell, and portrayed a spirited teenage girl in Lewis Seiler's film "Star for a Night." Towards the end of her acting career, she took on episodic roles, including a "stenographer" in the sports melodrama "Change of Heart" with Gloria Stuart, a "woman" in George Stevens' comedy "Vivacious Lady" with Ginger Rogers, a "secretary" in the comedy "Keep Smiling" with Jane Withers, and a "theater cashier" in Herbert A. Litz's romantic comedy "Herbert A. Litz." Finally, Phyllis made her last appearance on the big screen as Millie in Malcolm St. Clair's comedy film "Everybody's Baby."

Transition to Publishing and Family Life

In 1939, Phyllis left Hollywood for New York, eager to pursue her advertising career with the global agency network McCann Erickson. Shortly after her arrival, she was introduced to Harold Ross, the editor of The New Yorker, by Bennett Cerf, one of the founders of the major publishing house Random House. Phyllis married Bennett Cerf on September 17, 1940. The couple had two sons, Christopher Cerf, an author and lyricist responsible for creating numerous songs for the children's show "Sesame Street," and Jonathan Cerf, the author of "Big Bird's Red Book" and the 1980 world champion of the board game "Othello" (Reversi). Phyllis also became the author of the children's book "The ABC and Counting Book" and one of the founders of the children's imprint "Beginner Books" at Random House, alongside Ted Geisel (known as Dr. Seuss) and his wife, Helen Palmer Geisel.

After Bennett Cerf's death in 1971, Phyllis remarried, this time to Robert F. Wagner Jr., the former mayor of New York City, on January 30, 1975. Their union was cut short by Wagner's death on February 12, 1991. Phyllis Frazer passed away at the age of 90 in Manhattan on November 25, 2006.