Lois Lane is a fixture of the big and small screens but which actress portrayed the legendary Superman character the best?
Few characters are as important to the DC comic book lore as Lois Lane. The intrepid reporter has stood the test of time as one of the most recognizable comic book figures of all time, and it’s easy to see why.
Lois first made her DC Comics debut back in 1938. A reporter for the Daily Planet, she reported on the escapades of Superman, all while unknowingly working alongside him in his disguise as mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent. She fell for both sides of him, eventually realizing that the two men in her life were one and the same.
Her determination to get to the truth and her integrity as a reporter have seen her endure over the years, making her one of the most popular female figures in comic book history. She also endeared herself to mainstream audiences through the years through the character’s multiple appearances on television, film, animation, and more.
Lois is currently headlining her own TV series in Superman and Lois, she plays a main role in Adult Swim animated series My Adventures with Superman, and a new chapter for Superman on the big screen in the DC Universe’s Superman: Legacy is undoubtedly going to give us another version of the character to enjoy as well. We now know that the brilliant Rachel Brosnahan will play her in the DCU movie.
But who has played the best version of Lois Lane thus far? Let’s take this opportunity to reflect on all the actresses who have brought her to life over the years.
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10. Kate Bosworth
Appeared in: Superman Returns
Considering Superman Returns was actually a pretty well-received movie when it was released in 2006, it’s rather disappointing that it and its cast members often find themselves near the bottom of any Superman-related rankings. Sadly, Kate Bosworth’s interpretation of Lois Lane can’t break the trend.
Like the movie, Bosworth was fine in the role as Lois, showcasing the character’s passion for her job while also her connection to the Man of Steel. She’s also a mother to unwell child Jason and has a new fiancee. The problem is that she’s meant to be playing the same version of Lois that Margot Kidder made iconic decades before her (Superman Returns functioned as both a sequel and reboot) and the material struggles to get that across, leaving Bosworth to do the heavy lifting.
She’s good at what she does, but she could have been served well by a stronger script and a better-written Lois. Considering reconnecting with Superman was part of Lois’ role in this movie, she just needed more to do, and she didn’t have it. It’s a shame, because Superman Returns had potential to revive the franchise, but its multiple missteps (including Bosworth’s Lois) made it just, well, fine.
9. Amy Adams
Appeared in: Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League, Zack Snyder’s Justice League
Amy Adams is truly one of the greatest actors of our generation. The fact that someone of her caliber was set to portray Lois Lane in Man of Steel and the DC Extended Universe should have been a much bigger deal than it actually was. Heck, the fact that she once had a minor role on Smallville a decade prior made it feel like the stars were aligning in the right places. Unfortunately, this sensational actress was let down by some pretty mediocre material.
We saw the beginnings of greatness in her performance as Lois in Man of Steel, and that felt right given that this was the beginning of her and Superman’s story. We saw that fierceness, that determination, and that brilliance that Lois Lane is renowned for, as she fought her way to the truth and delivered the stories we’re used to seeing Lois give us.
If we were ranking the DCEU Lois Lane based on just Man of Steel, she would have ranked higher. But subsequent movies like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League just didn’t know what to do with her and she felt like little more than a damsel in distress. We will say this, though, her chemistry with Henry Cavill’s Superman was off-the-charts, and we just wish we got a second Man of Steel movie to fully explore that, because they were great together.
Adams was better than the material she was given, and that’s a testament to her skills as a performer. Unfortunately, it just didn’t come together or allow her to become the definitive Lois Lane she was more than capable of being.
8. Joan Alexander
Appeared in: The Adventures of Superman (radio serial), Fleischer Superman short films
Joan Alexander holds the honor of being the first ever actress to portray Lois Lane. She also holds the honor of having spent the longest period of time consistently playing the character in a main capacity. Now that’s something to be proud of!
Without a doubt the voice of Lois Lane for a whole generation, Alexander voiced the intrepid reporter in the long-running radio serial The Adventures of Superman from 1940 to 1951. She reprised the role for the equally legendary Fleischer animated shorts in the early ’40s, making her the first actress to voice Lois in an animated project, too.
That legacy speaks for itself, but Alexander’s performance also went a long way in forming the original version of the character. She approached the role with that firm, direct nature that the early Lois was subsequently known for, stopping at nothing to get a story. She was also incredibly polite and well-spoken in her delivery (as most actors were in those days), making her the perfect choice to capture the Lois Lane character for radio audiences.
While some of the Superman stories never made full use of Lois, Alexander’s performance shined through nonetheless. Just as Dana Delany was for the ’90s kids who grew up watching Superman cartoons, Alexander was the definitive voice of Lois Lane for a whole generation – and we’re thankful that we can look back and enjoy her iconic performance.
7. Noel Neill
Appeared in: Superman (1948), Atom Man vs. Superman, Adventures of Superman (seasons 2 – 6)
Noel Niell holds the honor of being the first actress to ever portray Lois Lane in live-action, as she starred in the 1948 movie serial Superman and the 1950 sequel Atom Man vs. Superman alongside Kirk Alyn’s Man of Steel. But that would not be the end of her run as the character, as she reprised the role in the iconic Adventures of Superman TV series from its second season onwards, replacing Phyllis Coates who played her in the first season.
Neill’s performance brought many of the qualities we know in Lois Lane to life for the first time, with her determination to get to the truth and her wicked personality standing out. While some of the later seasons of the TV show didn’t always do its cast the most justice (due to its sillier less-serious approach after its move to broadcasting in color), Neill remains one of the show’s finest qualities.
In both her portrayals of the character, she set a high bar, giving life to a woman that was revolutionary for TV and the movies at the time. And her charm made viewers fall in love with her many, many times (although maybe not as much as Superman fell in love with her). As Clark Kent told her in one episode, she was “pretty wonderful”.
6. Phyllis Coates
Appeared in: Adventures of Superman (season 1)
Phyllis Coates was TV’s first ever Lois Lane, which meant she was the one who had to prove why she was such a formidable and beloved character when she was welcomed into the homes of millions of people each week on Adventures of Superman. And formidable really is what she was, because Coates added a layer of grit to the character that wasn’t just unique to her portrayal at the time, but female characters on television. It was a major step forward for the genre, yes, but a major step forward for TV in general.
The first season of the classic show was a lot grittier than its future seasons would be, helped largely by the fact that it was filmed in black and white and allowed to function as a noir thriller (something the show lost when it began filming in color). Lois was an integral part of why that approach worked, as she never wavered in the face of threatening circumstances (of which there were plenty) and was determined to get to the truth by any means necessary – a trait Lois Lane is now renowned for.
Coates was more stern than many of her successors, with her no-nonsense approach benefiting those early chapters of the show incredibly well. It’s just unfortunate that she had already committed to another project by the time the show returned for a second season, because it would have been so interesting to see how she would have tackled some of the later storylines.
Nevertheless, TV’s first Lois set such a high bar that only the first ever Lois Lane could take over from her.
5. Teri Hatcher
Appeared in: Lois and Clark: The Adventures of Superman
Lois and Clark: The Adventures of Superman was very much a Superman story for a new, younger generation (a trend that would continue with the Man of Steel’s small-screen adventures), and a large part of that was down to the fact that it prioritized his relationship with Lois Lane. As a result, Lois wasn’t an observer like us watching Superman’s story play out before her eyes, she was equally as important to that story as the superhero himself.
Teri Hatcher was tasked with playing the iconic role and wasted little time making it her own. At this point, Lois Lane already had an iconic TV history, so there was pressure on Hatcher to succeed, but she quickly did so, offering up a version of the character throughout the show’s four seasons that defined Lois for a whole generation. She was determined like the Lois we knew at that point, but she was also a little sassier, funnier, and for lack-of-a-better-term human, like many of the female icons of the ’90s. The balance was perfection.
All eyes were on the show that almost felt too big for television, and Hatcher was the strongest aspect of that. While elements of Lois and Clark haven’t stood the test of time, Hatcher’s performance is not one of them. It’s easy to see why it’s held in such high regard whenever you watch an episode of the show, and that’s a testament to her endearing and authentic turn as a larger-than-life character.
4. Dana Delany
Appeared in: Superman: The Animated Series, Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, The Batman, Superman: Brainiac Attacks, Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox
Whenever you read Lois Lane’s dialogue in the pages of DC Comics, there’s a pretty good chance that you hear Dana Delany’s voice in your head. I know I do!
Yes, we’re taking a rare break from ranking the live-action Lois Lane actresses to celebrate the woman who voiced the character on Superman: The Animated Series and became the voice of Lois Lane for a whole generation of kids who watched that show growing up. It just wouldn’t have felt right looking at best versions of Lois without acknowledging her performance.
That performance is rather pivotal in highlighting what a modern day Lois could look like. While Lois has always been an unapologetic and independent reporter, Delany adds a sense of fierceness, wit, sarcasm, and charm to the character we hadn’t seen much of before. You know whenever she speaks it means something, and she isn’t afraid to talk her way to the truth. So if you found yourself in a verbal altercation with her, good luck to you.
Lois Lane is a force to be reckoned with, and that was never clearer than it was in Superman: The Animated Series. Delany doesn’t get enough credit for her performance and we’re making sure she gets it today.
3. Margot Kidder
Appeared in: Superman: The Movie, Superman II, Superman III, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
If you’re one of the countless people who see Christopher Reeve as the definitive Superman, then you probably see Margot Kidder as the definitive Lois Lane. Honestly, it’s hard to argue with that, because Superman: The Movie and the movement it started is nothing short of game-changing, and that success starts and ends with the sheer quality of performers bringing the iconic pair to life.
Margot Kidder was very much the first modern version of Lois Lane, redefining the character for a new generation on a much bigger stage than ever before. That radiated through her performance, because she brought everything that made the character so revered in the first place, while also adding to that in her own way. She could be relentless in her reporting and inquisitive in her nature, but she could also be gentle, funny, even a little silly at times, and it all came together to produce what you could very much call the perfect Lois Lane.
Like Reeve’s Man of Steel, the later movies in the franchise did not serve Lois well, but Kidder remained a shining light throughout the franchise, and the pair’s chemistry ensured that they will remain one of the finest examples of the Clark Kent and Lois Lane relationship for all of time. What a pair. What a Lois.
2. Erica Durance
Appeared in: Smallville, Crisis On Infinite Earths (Arrowverse crossover)
When you think of Lois Lane, you think of qualities like determination, ambition, heart, independence, nobility, and bravery. Every single one of those qualities (and more) are on show in Smallville during Erica Durance’s performances as Lois. There are no backdoors with Lois, she’ll tackle you with the direct approach and walk straight into danger if she thinks it will get to the truth, and that was never more evident than it was in Durance’s performance.
Debuting in the show’s fourth season as the cousin of the show’s popular original character Chloe Sullivan, she breathed new life into Smallville, changing up the dynamics in a heartbeat with her no-nonsense attitude and overall bemusement of Clark Kent. She loved to playfully get under his skin with her stern observations but what it took her a long time to realize was that he had found his way under skin as well, as she had fallen head-over heels in love with him by the time the show concluded in its tenth season.
Durance approached the role with charm and humor as well, and even though Lois evolved into her comic-accurate self throughout Smallville‘s run, she never lost that charm. She was, in many ways, the personification of Dana Delany’s animated Lois, and by extension, the personification of Lois Lane herself. A force through-and-through, this is what Lois Lane should be, and so much more.
1. Elizabeth Tulloch
Appeared in: Superman and Lois, Supergirl, Arrow, The Flash, Batwoman
When Elizabeth Tulloch was first cast as Lois Lane in Supergirl (and subsequent Arrowverse crossovers), she did a great job playing a very traditional Lois Lane. She was charming, direct, funny, and enjoyable in the role. But not even that could have prepared us for when she and Tyler Hoechlin’s Man of Steel took center in stage in Superman and Lois.
A completely different type of show, it called for a completely different type of Lois, and Tulloch wasted little time in showcasing what she was truly capable of with this unique opportunity. What sets her apart from her predecessors is that she plays a Lois after the renowned chapters of her career have played out. She’s already an award-winning journalist, she already knows who Superman is, and she’s married to him with two teenage boys to continue raising after they move back to Smallville.
This is a more grounded Lois; a veteran who experiences a very real life with a very unreal husband. And that’s pretty ironic, because what Elizabeth Tulloch accomplishes with that role is nothing short of unreal in and of itself. She puts a great deal of care into the character, and you can see that in every single scene she appears in, whether it’s reflected in the quintessentially Lois wardrobe she has a hand in picking or the conviction with which she delivers her performances. She is this generation’s Lois Lane – and nobody does it better than her.
Her performance in the show’s third season is her finest work yet as Lois battles cancer in a storyline that has moved audiences to tears. Tulloch is incredible, and audiences just love watching her go from strength-to-strength every time she’s on our screens. This is a Lois Lane for a new generation, and she’s quite frankly the best of them all.
Which version of Lois Lane is your favorite? Are you looking forward to seeing Rachel Brosnahan take on the role in Superman: Legacy?