Jack Larson - wikipedia Jack Larson For the textile designer, see Jack Lenor Larsen Jack Larson Jack Edward Larson ( 1928 - 02 - 08 ) February 8, 1928 Los Angeles, California, U.S. September 20, 2015 ( 2015 - 09 - 20 ) ( aged 87 ) Brentwood, Los Angeles, California Occupation Actor, librettist, screenwriter and producer Years active 1948 -- 2011 Partner ( s ) James Bridges ( 1958 -- 1993 ; his death ) Jack 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 television series Adventures of Superman. Contents 1 Life and career 2 Personal life 3 Filmography 3.1 Film 3.2 Television 4 References 5 External links Life and career Larson was born on February 8, 1928 in Los Angeles, the son of Anita ( Calicoff ), a Western Union clerk, and George Larson, a milk truck driver. His father was of Swedish and English descent, and his mother was from a Jewish family ( from Russia and Germany ). He was reared in Pasadena. He graduated from Montebello 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 after the show ended in 1958, and instead he focused on behind - the - scenes work, such as writing and production. Larson was always willing to sit for interviews about the Superman series and his connection to it, and in recent years had a number of cameos that paid subtle tribute to his character and the series, including a 1991 episode of the TV series Superboy, alongside Noel 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, titled `` Quickie '', Larson portrayed `` Dewey Butler '', grandfather to a young suspect who was taking revenge on women by knowingly spreading AIDS to them. 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. Larson owned and resided in the Frank Lloyd Wright - designed George Sturges House in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles, California until his death. He died on September 20, 2015 at the age of 87. His interment was at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier, California. Filmography Film 1948 : Fighter Squadron - Lt. ' Shorty ' Kirk 1949 : Flame of Youth - Boy ( uncredited ) 1950 : Redwood Forest Trail - Tommy ( uncredited ) 1950 : A Wonderful Life ( short ) - Richard Wood ( age 16 ) 1950 : Trial Without Jury - Dusty 1951 : Fighting Coast Guard - Newsboy ( uncredited ) 1951 : On the Loose - Charleston Bit ( uncredited ) 1951 : Starlift - Will ( uncredited ) 1952 : Kid Monk Baroni - Angelo 1952 : Belles on Their Toes - Packy Talbot ( uncredited ) 1952 : Battle Zone - Cpl. James O'Doole 1952 : Flat Top 1953 : Star of Texas - Henchman John Jenkins 1953 : Three Sailors and a Girl - Sailor ( uncredited ) 1953 : Man Crazy - Bob 1954 : Stamp Day for Superman ( short ) - Jimmy Olsen 1954 : About Mrs. Leslie - Buddy Boyd 1957 : Johnny Trouble - Eddie Landis 2006 : Superman Returns - Bo the Bartender 2009 : Bob 's New Suit - Edward McIntyre 2016 : Surge of Power : Revenge of the Sequel - Uncle Jimmy Williamson ( final film role ) Television 1952 : Adventures of Superman - Jimmy Olsen / Collins 1955 : Navy Log - Gordon / Freddie / John Crawford / Herbie 1960 : The Millionaire - Buzz 1965 : Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - Tommy 1991 : Superboy - Lou Lamont 1996 : Lois & Clark : The New Adventures of Superman - Old Jimmy Olsen 2010 : Law & Order : Special Victims Unit - Dewey Butler References Jump up ^ Joe Rhodes ( July 13, 2006 ). `` The Continuing Adventures and Movie Cameos of Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane ''. The New York Times. Retrieved February 14, 2015. Jump up ^ California Birth Index, 1905 -- 1995. Sacramento, CA, USA : State of California Department of Health Services, Center for Health Statistics. Jump up ^ https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/jack-larson-actor-who-played-jimmy-olsen-to-george-reeves-superman-but-gave-up-his-career-to-write-10517468.html-0 Jump up ^ Jack Edward Larson Jump up ^ Hall, Ken ( 2000 -- 2014 ). `` Jack Larson played `` Jimmy Olsen '' on the hit ' 50s TV show The Adventures of Superman ``. Southeastern Antiquing and Collecting Magazine. McElreath Printing & Publishing, Inc. Retrieved August 27, 2014. Jump up ^ Mike Barnes. `` Jack Larson Dead : Jimmy Olsen on ' Superman ' TV Show Was 87 ''. The Hollywood Reporter. Jump up ^ Tommasini, Anthony ( August 13, 2014 ). `` They Heard America Playing ''. The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved August 27, 2014. Jump up ^ Stern, Keith ( 2006 ), Queers in History, Beverly Hills, California : Quistory Publishers, p. 64, ISBN 1 - 84728 - 348 - 9 Jump up ^ `` Overview for Montgomery Clift : Companions ''. TCM Turner Entertainment Networks. 2011. Retrieved July 29, 2011. Jump up ^ New York Times, Jack Larson, a playwright better known as Jimmy Olsen in Superman dies at 87 Jump up ^ Wilson, Scott. Resting Places : The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. : 2 ( Kindle Location 26803 ). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition. External links Jack Larson on IMDb Jack Larson at AllMovie Superman fan site Jack Larson interview video at the Archive of American Television VIAF : 7811921 LCCN : n84044261 ISNI : 0000 0000 7982 4301 MusicBrainz : 3590720e - c444 - 4caa - 85b9 - afa5b1d9f13a IATH : w6xf3rrs Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jack_Larson&oldid=799696584 '' Categories : American male film actors American male television actors Gay actors Male actors from Los Angeles Male actors from Pasadena, California American people of Swedish descent American people of Russian descent LGBT entertainers from the United States American opera librettists American male screenwriters 20th - century American male actors 21st - century American male actors 20th - century American writers Writers from Los Angeles 1928 births 2015 deaths LGBT people from California People from Brentwood, Los Angeles Burials at Rose Hills Memorial Park Hidden categories : Articles with hCards All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from February 2015 Articles using Template : EmmyTVLegends name Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers Wikipedia articles with SNAC - ID identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Español Français Nederlands Simple English Edit links This page was last edited on 9 September 2017, at 08 : 38. 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Question: who played jimmy olsen in the original superman
Answer: Jack Edward Larson