Who is the best actor to play Lex Luthor ?
- Thread starter skytardis
- Start date
Michael rosenbaum is my number one Luther, I loved how he chanced from a good man to a evil man. I think if Clark didn't lie all those years to him and trusted him more, he wouldn't become so evil.
Not all Luthors are equal of course, (some of them were playing a Silver Age Lex) but I've quite enjoyed Hackman, Howard, Brown, and Rosenbaum. I also give Glover an honorary mention even though he wasn't playing Lex. His Luthor was fab. (Smallville's Lex and Lionel were often better than that show deserved.)
Every one of the live-action guys rocked it to one extent or other. (Yes, even the much-maligned Eisenberg; his eccentric performance at least adds some color and energy to the endless grimdark slog of BvS.) I don't have any strong opinion on the cartoon guys.
Rosenbaum, however, is in a class by himself. He elevated Smallville every time he appeared on screen, and the writers even seemed to up their game in response; the writing for Lex was so consistently excellent it was sometimes hard to believe it came from the same guys delivering the tepid Clark/Lana weekly melodrama. Rosenbaum should have been nominated for a damned Emmy every single year he was on that show.
Rosenbaum, however, is in a class by himself. He elevated Smallville every time he appeared on screen, and the writers even seemed to up their game in response; the writing for Lex was so consistently excellent it was sometimes hard to believe it came from the same guys delivering the tepid Clark/Lana weekly melodrama. Rosenbaum should have been nominated for a damned Emmy every single year he was on that show.
I have to go with Michael Rosenbaum as my number one choice I love how he developed over the course of the series,I think Clancy brown was a good voice for animated Lex deep booming . John shea was good for Lois and Clark ,Gene Hackman had great chemistry alongside christopher reeve in the superman films !
Last edited:
Hackman is the best actor to have played him, though Spacey is also a great actor (whatever about his abhorrent personal behaviour). However, I don’t think that either was a particularly great Lex, though I enjoyed the viciousness that Spacey brought to the role, when given a chance.
While Smallville descended into silliness after a few seasons, I think I probably like Michael Rosenbaum’s take on Lex best. I was hopin that the Jesse Eisenberg version would be something similar but while I can see what they were going for, it just didn’t work for me.
While Smallville descended into silliness after a few seasons, I think I probably like Michael Rosenbaum’s take on Lex best. I was hopin that the Jesse Eisenberg version would be something similar but while I can see what they were going for, it just didn’t work for me.
Jessie Eisenberg.
Yes, I said it.
I love the more " traditional " portrayals of Lex as embodied in people like Rosenbaum and Spacey too, but Eisenberg's Lex being this damaged manic genius Machiavellian who vacillates between being in complete control and then totally insecure and emotionally stunted was everything I didn't know I actually wanted until I saw it.
Yes, I said it.
I love the more " traditional " portrayals of Lex as embodied in people like Rosenbaum and Spacey too, but Eisenberg's Lex being this damaged manic genius Machiavellian who vacillates between being in complete control and then totally insecure and emotionally stunted was everything I didn't know I actually wanted until I saw it.
Yes, please.
I went with Rosenbaum and Clancy. The evolution of the character in Smallville was great, and Rosenbaum's performance was outstanding. Pretty much all of the casting for the DCAU shows was perfect, and Clancy was no exception.
I'd also give an honorable mention to Eisenberg, he did a great job with what he was given, but it just wasn't really my preferred version of Lex.
Just curious, why out of all of the animated versions of Lex did you only include Clancy and Marters? I'm especially surprised to see Marsters since Doomsday is not one of the better animated movies.
Here's the full list of animated Lex's from Wikipedia:
Ray Owens - The New Adventures of Superman
Stanley Jones - Super Friends
Micheal Bell - Ruby-Spears animated series
Clancy Brown - DCAU, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, LEGO Batman The Movie: DC Super Heroes Unite, The Batman, Batman: TB&TB (Rohtul)
Kevin Micheal Richardson - Batman: TB&TB
Mark Rolston - Young Justice
John DiMaggio - Lego Batman: Be-Leaguered
James Woods - Justice League: Action
Jason Isaacs - JL: Gods & Monsters
Steven Blum - JL: Throne of Atlantis
Anthony LaPaglia - All-Star Superman
Fred Tatasciore - JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time
I loved LaPaglia's performance in All-Star Superman, and I would have voted for him too if he was included in the poll.
Michael Rosenbaum. He rose above what was often a very silly show to deliver a nuanced, subtle, and compelling performance, and the strength of his friendship with Clark made his inevitable hostile turn all the more tragic and interesting to watch. He was the best part of the show.
Rosenbaum easily, especially when facing-off against Glover.
What's amazing is it was almost like the Lex/Lionel scenes were written for a different show by different writers. It wasn't just that they were so well acted; they were well written. There is veil of intelligence and wit that stands so far above the scope of the rest of the show.
It was also annoying because it demonstrated what the writing staff was capable of and made you wonder why the couldn't apply it elsewhere.
What's amazing is it was almost like the Lex/Lionel scenes were written for a different show by different writers. It wasn't just that they were so well acted; they were well written. There is veil of intelligence and wit that stands so far above the scope of the rest of the show.
It was also annoying because it demonstrated what the writing staff was capable of and made you wonder why the couldn't apply it elsewhere.
Stan Jones.
And I almost forgot:
"I am the villain of the story!" was the best on-the-nose line since "on some kinda star trek".
"I am the villain of the story!" was the best on-the-nose line since "on some kinda star trek".
You know, I'm not sure. Mods can do it in their own forums (this isn't one of mine, so I can't do it), but I'm not sure if you have the same ability. Try clicking edit on your original post and see if it will let you modify the poll. If it won't, PM @Neroon (you can find the link at the top of the SF&F forum page) and ask him if he can add them in for you.
Similar threads
