JACK LARSON, TELEVISION'S FIRST JIMMY OLSEN, DIES AT 87


 SEPTEMBER 21, 2015

Unlike modern depictions of the Kryptonian hero, Jimmy Olsen was more than a small side character. The series clicked. Over six seasons, Larson's Olsen would become a major character of the series, often taking the lead in episodes. Larson was so linked with the cub reporter from 1952 to 1958, he became typecast. While that may have hindered his career outside of the DC Comics universe, the actor did continue to appear in Superman tales throughout his life. In the 1990s, he has cameos in both the Superboy and Lois and Clark television shows. Jerry Seinfeld, a devout Superman fan, had Larson in a Superman-centric American Express commercial. InSuperman Returns, the 2006 big screen reboot, Larson popped up as a bartender.

At the age of 14, he became the state bowling champion of California, and in college delevoped a passion for playwriting. Yesterday, Larson passed away in his home in Los Angeles, the city of his birth.