Jack Edward Larson

ack Edward Larson (February 8, 1928 – September 20, 2015) was an American actor, librettist, screenwriter and producer. He is best known for his portrayal of photographer/cub reporter Jimmy Olsen on the TV series Adventures of Superman.

Biography

Larson was born in Los Angeles on February 8, 1928 of Swedish and Russian descent,[3] and reared in Pasadena. He graduated fromMontebello High School in 1945, aged 17, and at times claimed 1933 as his birth year.

Larson found the role of cub reporter Jimmy Olsen on The Adventures of Superman to be a handicap because he became typecast as a naive young man. This caused him to do little acting since the show ended in 1958, and instead focusing on behind-the-scenes work such as writing and production. Larson has always been willing to sit for interviews about the Superman series and his connection to it, and in recent years has had a number of cameos that pay subtle tribute to his character and the series, including a 1991 episode of the TV series Superboy, alongsideNoel Neill, who played Lois Lane in Adventures of Superman, and an episode of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman as an aged Jimmy Olsen in the episode "Brutal Youth", first telecast on October 20, 1996.

Larson had a cameo in a late-1990s American Express card commercial with Jerry Seinfeld and an animated Superman, directed by David Kellogg. He and Neill provided commentary on several Adventures of Superman episodes for the January 2006 DVD release of the 1953 season, and in 2006, he appeared in Bryan Singer's film Superman Returns in a cameo role as "Bo the Bartender". Larson and Neill appeared together at the premiere of Superman Returns.

Larson most recently appeared in an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, which aired on the NBC network on January 6, 2010. In this episode, entitled "Quickie", Larson portrayed 'Dewey Butler', grandfather to a young suspect who was allegedly having unprotected sexual relations with women.

Among his other work, Larson wrote the libretto to the opera Lord Byron to music by Virgil Thomson.

Personal life

Larson was the life partner of director James Bridges from 1958 until Bridges' death on June 6, 1993. Prior to that, he was the companion of actor Montgomery Clift. He died on September 20, 2015 at the age of 87.

Larson owned and resided in to his death in the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed George Sturges House in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles, California.

Filmography

Film

• 1948 Fighter Squadron
• 1949 Flame of Youth
• 1950 Redwood Forest Trail
• 1950 A Wonderful Life (short)
• 1950 Trial Without Jury
• 1951 Starlift
• 1951 On the Loose
• 1951 Fighting Coast Guard
• 1952 Flat Top
• 1952 Battle Zone
• 1952 Belles on Their Toes
• 1952 Kid Monk Baroni
• 1953 Man Crazy
• 1953 Three Sailors and a Girl
• 1953 Star of Texas
• 1954 About Mrs. Leslie
• 1954 Stamp Day for Superman (short)
• 1957 Johnny Trouble
• 1963 The Young Swingers
• 2006 Superman Returns
• 2009 Bob's New Suit

Television

• 1952 Adventures of Superman (1952–1958)
• 1955 Navy Log (1955–1957)
• 1960 The Millionaire
• 1965 Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
• 1991 Superboy
• 1996 Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
• 2010 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit