Kirk Alyn
Date of birth: 1910-10-08
Place of birth: Oxford, New Jersey, USA
Known for: Acting
Also known as:
Biography
Kirk Alyn (1910–1999) was an American actor, best known for being the first actor to play Superman in live-action in Superman serial and Atom Man vs. Superman as well as Blackhawk in the Blackhawk serial, and Sam Lane in Superman: The Movie. Alyn started as a chorus boy for Broadway plays, appearing in notable musicals such as Girl Crazy, Of Thee I Sing, and Hellzapoppin' during the 1930s. He also worked as a singer and dancer in vaudeville before relocating to Hollywood during the early 1940s to act for feature movies, but he was successful only in gaining bit parts for low-budget movies before obtaining the role of Superman in 1948. During World War II he served in the United States Navy. Alyn also featured in movie serials, including Federal Agents Vs. Underworld Inc., Radar Patrol Vs. Spy King and Blackhawk. Alyn played Superman for the first live-action Superman movie serial, released in 1948. The serial consisted of 15 episodes which recounted Superman’s arrival on Earth, getting a job as a reporter at the Daily Planet newspaper, and meeting Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen. After playing Superman, he again suffered casting problems. Apart from featuring in some similar comic book-type serials, he had few roles in television series and movies, some even uncredited, until he retired.
Movie Credits
Scalps
1983-12-03
Silly group of college science students go an dig around in an indian burial ground for artifacts. U
The Trap
1946-11-30
When a troupe of showgirls with their impresario and press agent vacation at a Malibu Beach resort,
No Time to Be Young
1957-08-01
A melodrama about young adults growing up and facing the pressures of life.
The Eddy Duchin Story
1956-05-02
The life story of the famous pianist and band-leader of the 1930s and 1940s.
Atom Man vs. Superman
1950-07-20
Superman battles Lex Luthor, who is using a teleportation device and a new identity as Atom Man in h
The Three Musketeers
1948-10-20
In 17th century France, young D'Artagnan wants to join the King's Musketeers, but instead befriends
Superbman: The Other Movie
1981-01-01
Facing impending doom on the planet Krapton, Kid-O, infant son of Jel-O, is sent to earth where he i
Superman
1948-07-15
Superman comes to Earth as a child and grows up to be his home's first superhero with his first majo
Gambling House
1950-12-27
A gambler faces deportation when he gets mixed up with murder.
Fast and Loose
1930-11-08
A wealthy family is thrown into turmoil when the daughter falls for the family chauffeur and the son
Mystery Broadcast
1943-11-23
A radio detective sets out to solve an old murder case, with the help of her sound man and another r
Aerial Gunner
1943-03-20
Old rivals are pitted against each other in basic training and fight for the same woman.
The Girl Who Dared
1944-08-05
A group of people are invited to a party at a creepy mansion where legend has it a ghost appears onc
Private Lessons
1934-05-04
Hal LeRoy is hired as a tap teacher at Dawn O'Day's dancing school to give private lessons to female
Blackhawk
1952-07-24
Based on a successful comic book that began in 1941, the Blackhawks were seven flyers who banded tog
Time Warp
1981-01-01
After a long space journey, an astronaut returns home to his family only to discover that he has som
Pistol Packin' Mama
1943-12-15
Two tuneful gamblers gambol across the country in a struggle for the money they need to run their re
Call of the Rockies
1944-07-14
Cowboy Sunset Carson teams up with Frog Millhouse on a routine supply trip to Placer City. Before lo
Forty Thieves
1944-06-23
When he runs for sheriff, Hoppy is beaten by Jerry Doyle, the gutless wonder voted for by every croo
Radar Patrol vs. Spy King
1949-11-23
The war lords of a potential enemy of the US has the spy ring, led by John Baroda, the Spy King and
The Story of Superman
1989-06-01
This is the complete story of the origin of Superman, his career in comics, cartoons and film. Every
You Were Never Lovelier
1942-11-19
An Argentine heiress thinks a penniless American dancer is her secret admirer.
Federal Agents vs. Underworld, Inc.
1949-01-29
The female leader of an international crime ring steals a valuable artifact that can give her the po
The Man from the Rio Grande
1943-10-18
The suspicious death of Henry King during a hunting trip with his brother John leaves the inheritanc
Overland Mail Robbery
1943-11-20
The Hartley--Goodrich stage line suffers a double blow when its founders, Frank Hartley and Marcus G
Daughter of Don Q
1946-06-27
When the unscrupulous Carlos Manning discovers that an old Spanish land grant recently unearthed wil
The Making of 'Superman: The Movie'
1982-01-24
Ernie Anderson narrates this look at the making of Richard Donner's blockbuster 1978 film. Behind-th
Beginning of the End
1957-06-28
An attractive reporter investigating the mysterious destruction of an Illinois town stumbles upon a
Superman's 50th Anniversary: A Celebration of the Man of Steel
1988-02-29
A humourous telling of the history of the comic book superhero.
When Worlds Collide
1951-09-14
When a group of astronomers calculate a star is on a course to slam into Earth, a few days before, i
Superman
1978-12-14
Mild-mannered Clark Kent works as a reporter at the Daily Planet alongside his crush, Lois Lane. Cla
The Halloween Planet
1981-01-01
When the boy genius, Zebulon, decides to run away from home in his hand-made spaceship he fails to d
Action in the North Atlantic
1943-06-12
Merchant Marine sailors Joe Rossi (Humphrey Bogart) and Steve Jarvis (Raymond Massey) are charged wi
A Guy Named Joe
1949-01-08
A cocky U.S. Army Air Force pilot stationed in England during World War II falls for a daring female
Lucky Jordan
1942-11-16
Lucky Jordan is a gangster living in New York City and when he's drafted into the army, he tries to
Little Miss Broadway
1947-06-19
Upon leaving finishing school, Judy Gibson goes to meet her presumed wealthy and socially prominent
The Time of Their Lives
1946-08-13
Two ghosts, who were mistakenly branded as traitors during the Revolutionary War, return to 20th cen
Swing Shift Maisie
1943-10-01
Street-smart Maisie from Brooklyn lands a job at an airplane assembly plant during WWII and falls in
Banning
1967-12-13
A playboy golf pro, kicked off the circuit for alleged cheating, is forced to hustle for a living.