The Actors Who Have Played Superman

Arguably the best known and most beloved portrayal of Superman belongs to Christopher Reeve, and with good reason. Despite only wearing the cape for four films, most of which were marred by uneven direction, scripts, and special effects after 1978’s unmatched Superman: The Movie, the stage-trained Reeve embodied both a convincing physicality and the altruistic sincerity of the character like nobody before or since.

Reeve made audiences believe a man could fly thanks to what appeared to be his own absolute belief that he could do so, while his training as a pilot allowed him to turn his wire-and-blue-screen flight sequences into convincing displays. Even more impressive, Reeve hid his 6’4, 225 pound frame as Clark Kent with changes in posture, voice, and mannerisms that might actually make you believe that folks could be fooled by a pair of glasses and an ill-fitting suit. That’s no easy task.

Having gotten his start on stage and on daytime soap operas, Reeve threw himself into the role of Superman, adding 50 lbs of muscle to his tall, thin frame in order to play the Man of Steel (he was assisted in his training by none other than David Prowse, the powerlifter who filled out Darth Vader’s suit in the original Star Wars trilogy). In the days before sculpted muscle suits became de rigueur for superhero costumes, Reeve had to cut a convincing figure in blue spandex, playing the Last Son of Krypton as a gentle, soft-spoken friend to humanity and his Clark with the affable charm of Cary Grant.

Like many Superman actors, Reeve feared being typecast in the role, and that did indeed play into his career throughout the ’80s, despite notable starring turns in gems like 1980’s Somewhere in Time (opposite Jane Seymour) and Sidney Lumet’s Deathtrap (alongside Michael Caine). A 1995 horseback riding accident left Mr. Reeve a quadriplegic and he spent the rest of his life as an advocate and activist, making public appearances and giving inspirational speeches. This author was lucky enough to attend one, and it was incredibly moving. During this period , Reeve tried his hand at directing, and even returned to the Superman world as Doctor Virgil Swann on Smallville. Reeve died in 2004, but to many fans, he remains the definitive Superman.