Birthdate: 8 February 1933, Los Angeles, California, USA
Biography
Raised in Pasadena, California, and attended Pasadena Junior College
(by coincidence, exactly like his Superman co-star, 'George Reeves' ). Contract
player at Warner Bros. Severely typecast as Jimmy Olsen, Larson retired
from acting a few years after the end of the series and concentrated on
writing. His plays have been highly acclaimed and he has had works
performed in theatres and opera houses around the world. Longtime
companion of the late director 'James Bridges (I)' , with whom he co-produced a
number of popular films of the Seventies and Eighties. An erudite and
charming man who seems to have been close friends with many of the more
prominent figures of the arts in the latter half of the twentieth
century, including Virgil Thomson, 'John Houseman' , 'Leslie Caron' , Libby Holman,
'Montgomery Clift' , 'George Reeves' , 'Salka Viertel' , 'Christopher Isherwood' , and 'James Dean' Author: Jim Beaver
Filmography
About Mrs. Leslie (1954) [Buddy Boyd] Battle Zone (1952) [Cpl. James O'Doole] <6> Fighter Squadron (1948) [Lt. 'Shorty' Kirk] <10> Flame of Youth (1949)Flat Top (1952) (uncredited) [Sailor with Scuttlebutt] Greta Garbo: A Lone Star (2001) (TV) (uncredited) [Himself] James Dean, the First American Teenager (1975) [Himself] Johnny Trouble (1957) [Eddie] Kid Monk Baroni (1952) [Angelo] <6> Man Crazy (1953) [Bob] <8> Montgomery Clift (1983) [Himself] Nothing in Common (1986) [Max's Doctor] <52> On the Loose (1951) (uncredited) [Charleston Bit] Redwood Forest Trail (1950) [Dusty] <13> Stamp Day for Superman (1954) [Jimmy Olsen] Star of Texas (1953) [John Jenkins] <5> Starlift (1951) [Will] Superman (1973) [Jimmy Olsen] <3> Superman 50th Anniversary (1988) (TV)Superman and the Jungle Devil (1954) [Jimmy Olsen] <3> Superman Flies Again (1954) [Jimmy Olsen] Superman in Exile (1954) [Jimmy Olsen] <3> Superman in Scotland Yard (1954) [Jimmy Olsen] Superman's Peril (1954) [Jimmy Olsen] <3> Teenage Millionaire, The (1962) [Performer] Three Sailors and a Girl (1953)Trial Without Jury (1950) (uncredited) [Tommy] Young Swingers, The (1963) [Pete Mundy] <4> "Adventures of Superman" (1952) [Jimmy Olsen] <4>
Guest apperance(s)
'"Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman" (1993)' , as old Jimmy Olsen (episode 4.5 'Brutal Youth (10/20/1996)')
'"Superboy" (1988)' , as Lou (episode 4.6 'Paranoia (11/10/1991)')
'"Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C." (1964)' , as Tommy (episode 2.1 'PFC Gomer Pyle (9/17/1965)')
'"Adventures of Superman" (1952)' , as Kid Collins (episode 4.6 'Jimmy the Kid (4/28/1956)')
Trivia
Famed as Jimmy Olsen on TV's "Adventures of Superman", 'Jack Larson' is also
a well-respected playwright and opera librettist whose collaborators
include 'Virgil Thomson' .
Home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Participates in UCLA scholarship program established in the name of the
late James Bridges for young directors.
Interview(s)
"The Advocate" (USA), 12 September 2000, pg. 53, by: Robert Hilferty, "Jack & Jim"
Other work(s)
TV commercial (w/ Jerry Seinfeld) for American Express ("Superman
cartoon") (1998) (1998)
In 2000, a CD has been released of Larson's poems to his partner, the
late director James Bridges, set to music by composer Ned Rorem. The CD
is called 'More Than a Day'.
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