A few weeks ago here, we had a discussion of the not-sure-who-he-was actor who filled the costume of Superman in a live appearance at the 1940 World's Fair. Whoever he was, he was probably the first person to ever "play" The Man of Steel in public. He's usually identified as a Broadway performer named Ray Middleton…and he may well have been Ray Middleton. Or he may not have been.
The discussion here went on way past my level of interest in this topic but it's still being discussed. Here, Brad Ricca weighs in. Mr. Ricca is the author of a new book on Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster which I have yet to see but which has received some very favorable coverage. He sheds a bit more light on a question which may never be fully illuminated.