2. Christopher Reeve
The late, great Christopher Reeve’s contributions to superhero genre are, like the actor, nothing short of incomparable. Taking on the role of Clark Kent/Superman in Richard Donner’s game-changing 1978 Superman, he set the bar impossibly high for both subsequent comic book-inspired films and any actor that had to play the Man of Steel after him. He would reprise the role in Superman II, Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest For Peace.
Like his Superman successor Brandon Routh, Reeve was an actor that was recognized for his gentle-natured, good-hearted and heroic performances. Ironically, also like Routh, his first significant TV role came in the form of a more antagonistic soap opera character.
Following his graduation from Julliard, Reeve landed a significant role on Broadway in the play A Matter of Gravity, appearing as Katharine Hepburn’s grandson. During that time, he also made his TV debut, appearing as Ben Harper in CBS’ long-running soap opera Love of Life.
With a lot of villainous tendencies, Ben was a vile character who was married to two women at the same time. Naturally, this ended with him serving a prison sentence for bigamy – a storyline which saw Reeve depart the show after two years.