The Not-So Secret Gay Life of 'Superman' TV Actor Jack Larson: 9 Years After His Demise at 87

Photo byPinterest.com

It's been nine years since actor/writer/producer Jack Larson died of unknown causes at 87 in 2015. He initially found fame with his portrayal of the original Jimmy Olsen in classic TV's syndicated sci-fi superhero series, Adventures of Superman (1952-1958). Larson also happened to be openly-gay in the sometimes closeted-world of Hollywood. This is his story.

A Closer Look

As Jimmy Olsen, Jack Larson appeared opposite senior journalist Clark Kent, a.k.a. Superman, played by George Reeves. Larson was initially reticent about accepting the part; he thought the role would have pidgeon-holed him, which it ultimately did.

Following the show's cancelation, Larson appeared in a few small roles. That included a brief stint as Tommy, assistant to Frank Sutton's Sargent Carter on TV's Gomer Pyle - USMC sitcom. The lead for that series was Jim Nabors, who was also gay, but unlike Larson, kept that aspect of his life a secret.

Larson never believed being being honest about his homosexuality would ever have damaged his career. As he noted in 2000, "We never made a fuss about being gay, but we never hid anything. Maybe I was naive, but I never felt oppression."

Larson eventually returned to playing Jimmy Olsen, albeit an older rendition of the role, in a 1996 segment of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. He played other characters in a 1991 episode of the syndicated TV series Superboy and the Superman Returns feature film (releaed in 2001).

Behind the Camera

In the 1950s, Jack Larson was romantically-linked with actor Montgomery Clift, who suggested he explore other career paths.

Larson took heed of Clift's advice, and began producing and writing. He teamed both professionally and personally with screenwriter-director James Bridges (The Paper Chase, The China Syndrome, and Urban Cowboy). Larson was a producer on several of Bridges's films, including Perfect and Bright Lights Big City. They had known each other since the late 1950s, when both appeared in Johnny Trouble (starring Ethel Barrymore).

In 1966, Larson penned the play The Candied House, a remagning of the classic Hansel and Gretl tale, which he produced in Los Angeles. Six years later, Larson was the libretto for gay composer Virgil Thomson's opera Lord Byron, which opened in New York City.

For the 2000 CD More Than a Day, composer Ned Rorem, who also happened to be gay, created music for many love poems that Larson wrote to Bridges.

In the End

For Jack Larson, his sexuality was never an issue, certainly when it came to his 35-year-long relationship with James Bridges (who died in 1993). As Larson once concluded, "It was obvious to anyone that since we lived together, we were partners. We always went places together. We never pretended. I always did what I felt like doing."