Phyllis Povah was born on July 21, 1893, in Detroit, Michigan, and she made her Broadway theatre debut in 1921 with "Mr. Pim Passes By."

Over the next two decades, she acted in minor roles in several productions and achieved notable success in the 1923 play "Icebound." Her career gained significant recognition when she featured in the stage production of "The Women," which ran for 18 months from 1936 to 1938.

When a film version was planned, she and Marjorie Main were the only members of the cast chosen to reprise their roles in the 1939 film directed by George Cukor.

Phyllis Povah continued to work steadily in theatre and appeared in the film "Let's Face It" (1943) with Bob Hope and Betty Hutton. She starred in "Dear Ruth" on Broadway from 1944 to 1946, which provided her with a substantial role and her biggest success during the 1940s.

In 1952, she made two films, "The Marrying Kind" with Judy Holliday and Aldo Ray, and "Pat and Mike" with Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, both directed by George Cukor.

Her final Broadway role was in "Anniversary Waltz" with MacDonald Carey and Kitty Carlisle in 1954 and 1955. The film version, retitled "Happy Anniversary" (1959), was her final film.

Phyllis Povah was married to Henry E. Drayton in 1930, and they had two children. She passed away from a heart attack on August 7, 1975, in Port Washington, New York, and her cremains are buried at Nassau Knolls Cemetery in Port Washington.