Phyllis Brooks

Phyllis Brooks (July 18, 1915 – August 1, 1995) was an American actress and model. Brooks was born Phyllis Weiler in Boise, Idaho. (Other sources give her birth name as Phyllis Steiller and her birth year as 1914, rather than 1915.)

Early years

Although she was born in Boise, Brooks also lived in "many places, including Grand Rapids, Mich., Miami, Fla. and Chicago."

Modeling

Brooks was a model for two years before going to a career in film. She said, "I started posing for photographers as a lark, and it was a lot of fun." She had been known as the "Ipana Toothpaste Girl" due to her work for that product.

Film

Initially known as Mary Brooks, she began her career in films in 1934 at age 20, in I've Been Around. Brooks, who had about 30 performances in films, was a B-movie leading lady during the 1930s and 1940s, with roles in such films as In Old Chicago (1937), Little Miss Broadway (1938) and The Shanghai Gesture (1941). She appeared in Sidney Toler's Charlie Chan series and the Shirley Temple films Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm and Little Miss Broadway."