Kirk Alyn, first Superman, born 1910

Kirk Alyn, born October 8, 1910 in Oxford, New Jersey, was the first actor to play the live version of Superman.  He starred as the Man of Steel in serials from 1948 to 1950 with Noel Neill as Lois Lane.  She would go on to reprise the role in Adventures of Superman with George Reeves in the title role.

He passed away in March 1999.

Superman comes to the big screen 1948

"Superman" the first movie starring the super hero, was released July 15, 1948.  It starred Kirk Alyn in the title role and Noel Neill (who passed away just days ago) as Lois Lane.  Alyn and Neill had cameos in the 1978 "Superman" movie as Lois Lane's parents, riding on a train when a teen-aged Clark Kent outruns it.

Special effects being what they were in the late 1940's were costly so Superman's flying sequences were animated to make them seem more realistic.