Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagicJack Larson, who is most famous for his role as photographer/cub reporter Jimmy Olsen on TV's The Adventures of Superman, died Sunday at his home in Brentwood, Calif., The New York Times reports. He was 87.
Born in Los Angeles and raised in Pasadena, Larson was offered the role as Clark Kent's sidekick in 1951, although Larson, who aspired to be a Broadway actor, was reluctant to accept the part for fear of being typecast, per the NYT. However, he agreed to film 26 episodes after his agent told him the show had no sponsor and would likely never be picked up.
The series premiered in 1952 and enjoyed a six year run, ending in 1958 after George Reeves's (Clark Kent/Superman) death, which was officially ruled a suicide.
After the series went off the air, Larson's typecasting fears were seemingly confirmed and he spent the remainder of his career focusing on behind-the-scenes work, such as writing and production.
Larson was an esteemed playwright, and his works include 1966's "The Candied House," 1968's "Chuck," 1997's "The Hyacinth From Apollo" and 1998's "Astronaut's Tale." He also wrote librettos for operas such as Virgil Thomson's "Lord Byron."
Larson's longtime partner, James Bridges, passed away in 1993. The two, who were together for 35 years, produced and directed a number of films, including 1970's The Baby Maker, 1984's Mike's Murder, 1985's Perfect and 1988's Bright Lights, Big City.
The late actor's more recent work paid tribute to his Superman roots. He had a guest spot on the TV series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman in 1996 and he played Bo the Bartender in 2006's Superman Returns.
In 2010, Larson also guest-starred on a episode of Law & Order: SVU.
Speaking of his role as Jimmy Olsen, Larson previously said, "I feel completely at peace with that. You are blessed in life if you can give people pleasure and happiness. That's all I've ever tried to do with my work. If I've learned anything from my career, it's that you don't really know the value of what you're doing. So, you had better do your best with whatever is at hand. You never know what will outlive you."