Phyllis Fraser
Toronto Daily Star, March 2 1932
When Phyllis Fraser (1916-2006), born Helen Brown Nichols, arrived in Hollywood, one of the first things that her cousin Ginger Rogers gave her was her stage name. While Ms. Fraser never became a star, she appeared regularly in movies in the 1930s.
In 1939, she left movies for a career in advertising. In 1940, she married publisher Bennett Cerf, who later became a panelist on the TV show What’s My Line. After Mr. Cerf passed away, she married former New York mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr.; she eventually outlived him too.
Created August 26, 2025.