Served in the Navy during WWII and became involved in stage acting in
Santa Monica after his discharge.
On the October 19, 1958, episode of his TV series
Northwest Passage (1958), Larsen was relieved of his
shirt, stood against a post and flogged. During the "Golden Age" of
the TV western, many of its heroes were subjected to similar
"stripped-and-whipped" scenes, (Robert Horton in
Wagon Train (1957), Ty Hardin in
Bronco (1958), Lee Majors in
The Big Valley (1965), etc.), but Larsen was the first
to feel the lash across his bare back.
Strapping, dark-haired, ruggedly handsome actor who appeared in mostly
secondary roles in a number of 1950s film actioneers. Later produced,
directed and wrote his own adventure vehicles.