The Supie Awards

Superman is undoubtedly the most enduring superhero in the mythic pantheon of extraordinary individuals.  He has survived World War II, Lex Luthor, kryptonite, and Brandon Routh (barely).  In adapting the role to the silver screen, then the television screen, a variety of liberties have been taken; Lois and Clark was basically a rom-com for the two main characters, while the creators of Smallville promised “no tights, no flights” (how well they kept that promise is open to debate).

Given the many incarnations of Superman over the years (including some I have purposely overlooked like a syndicated TV series called Superboy way back when) it is time to reflect and acknowledge the actors who gave the best performances in the various roles.

role	Adventures of Superman	Superman The Movie (I-IV)	Lois & Clark	Smallville	Superman Returns	Man of Steel
Superman/Clark Kent	George Reeves	Christopher Reeves	Dean Cain	Tom Welling	Brandon Routh	Henry Caville
Lois Lane	Noel Neill	Margot Kidder	Teri Hatcher	Erica Durance	Kate Bosworth	Amy Adams
Jimmy Olsen	Jack Larson	Marc McClure	Michael Landes/Justin Whelin	Alan Ashmore	Sam Huntington
Perry White	John Hamilton	Jackie Cooper	Lane Smith	Michael McKean	Frank Langella	Laurence Fishburne
Lana Lang		Annette O’Toole	Emily Proctor	Kristen Kreuk
Lex Luthor		Gene Hackman	John Shea	Michael Rosenbaum	Kevin Spacey
Ma Kent		Phyllis Thaxter	K Callen	Annette O’Toole	Eva Marie Saint	Diane Lane
Pa Kent		Glenn Ford	Eddie Jones	John Schneider		Kevin Costner

Best Superman: Christopher Reeves

The catch phrase of the film was, “You will believe a man can fly.”  The main reason why that was true was not the special effects, but Reeves’ performance; he acted like he could fly.  He played Superman as an accessible ideal; powerful, caring, self-effacing, sincere but not humorless.  An unknown actor at the time, he immediately became Superman.  He returned to the franchise on Smallville, providing a nice coda to his work.

Best Clark Kent:  Dean Cain

Cain did something remarkable—he made Clark Kent more interesting than Superman.  While Christopher Reeves played up the “bumbling” Clark Kent persona, with over-large glasses and a goofy grin, Cain simply played him as a nice guy who was more than worthy of Lois even without super powers.  He reminded us that, as he put it, “Superman is what I can do; Clark Kent is who I am.”

Best Lois Lane:  Teri Hatcher

Easiest call of all.  Hatcher was perfect; she played Lois as gorgeous, intelligent, fearless to the point of reckless, and just messed up enough so it was credible that she didn't have a steady boyfriend when Clark showed up.  Hatcher subsequently got an Emmy nomination for Desperate Housewives but this role transformed her image from a buxom bimbo to something more (although it is easy to forget that one of the first internet sensations was a photo of Hatcher apparently wearing nothing but Superman’s cape).

Best Jimmy Olsen:  Jack Larson

A thankless role, Larson established the “gosh Mr. White, I’ll never be as good a reporter as Clark and Lois” personality.  He later revived the role on Lois and Clark (when Jimmy was exposed to something causing rapid aging) and had a cameo in Superman Returns.

Best Perry White:  Lane Smith

While John Hamilton made the phrase “Great Caesar’s Ghost!” legendary, Smith updated and supplanted it with his, “Great shades of Elvis!”  Smith was more caring, less blustery than the other Perry Whites, one who cared about Lois and Clark and didn't just yell at them to get their copy in.  He’s been portrayed by fine actors in the movies, but the role has been made smaller.

Best Lex Luthor:  Michael Rosenbaum

Luthor has been played by two Oscar winners (Gene Hackman and Kevin Spacey) and was given a star turn by John Shea, but I am picking Rosenbaum.  He had the advantage of playing young Lex Luthor, and so played the tug-of-war within him as he tries to do good but ends up making decisions with bad consequences.  Lex Luthor as Clark’s friend gave Rosenbaum more chance for nuance than the other actors in the role had.

Best Ma Kent:  Annette O’Toole

I pick O’Toole over K Callen mostly because she also played Lana Lang in Superman III.  Callen redefined the role, making her an avant-garde artist in addition to Clark’s mom, but O’Toole was the model of motherly support (until she was written out of the series by being elected Senator).

Best Pa Kent: Glenn Ford

Eddie Jones and John Schneider were both excellent, but Glenn Ford is the essence of fatherly wisdom when he tells his teenaged son, “You were sent here for a reason, and it wasn't to score touchdowns.”  Ford imbues his brief role with such humanity that his death is painful, even after only a limited amount of screen time.

Finally, a special award to Allison Mack in Smallville for Best Non-canonical character.  She was the heart and soul of that show; I've always liked the fact that in the episode featuring the nascent Justice League she functioned as Watchtower despite the fact that she had no super powers, she was just Chloe Sullivan.  Why young Clark Kent preferred Lana Lang over Chloe is a mystery to me.