George Bessolo

Medic has obtained the Official Military Personnel Records of Superman from the National Archives and Records Administration. Unfortunately most of the original documents were destroyed in the 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center in Saint Louis.  The remaining records sent by NARA are here.

George Reeves (1914 – 1959) was an American actor best known for his role as Superman in the 1950s television program Adventures of Superman. He was drafted into the Army in 1943 and was assigned to the US Army Air Force and performed in the USAAF’s Broadway show Winged Victory. The long Broadway run was followed by a national tour and a movie version. Reeves was then transferred to the Army Air Forces’ First Motion Picture Unit, where he made training films. Discharged at the war’s end, he returned to Hollywood, eventually landing the role of Superman, whose one dimensionality soon frustrated him. His death at age 45 from a gunshot remains controversial; the official finding was suicide, but some believe he was murdered or the victim of an accidental shooting.

1973 Fire at NPRC

Wikipedia on George Bessolo