There are certain expectations that come with playing Superman. They aren’t necessarily fair or easy ones. But a character with a history that spans more than 75 years means that every audience has their own idea of how the Last Son of Krypton should look, sound, and act. The good news is that every major actor to wear the cape in the movies or on TV has been worthy of the role, with each bringing some essential component of the character to the forefront.

Before we get started, I should point out that this list is not intended to be a comprehensive listing of Superman actors (sorry John Rockwell and Bob Holiday…I’ll get to you in future articles, I promise). Instead, these are the guys who made the most impact in the cape. A list of Superman voice actors would be far too long for this piece, too, but I had to make an exception for one guy (our first entry!) because he’s far too important to leave off.

Up, up, and away…

Bud Collyer

Adventures of Superman radio show (1940-1951)