X-Men: All 4 Jean Grey actresses ranked from worst to best

1. Famke Janssen

Appeared in: X-Men film series

Jean Grey made her long-awaited live-action debut in 2000's X-Men. Famke Janssen was the star who brought her to life, and she was absolutely wonderful in the role. There was a gentle, reserved, and respectful nature to the character that made you feel at ease right away whenever she was on-screen; the perfect contrast to the Phoenix Force she would become. And Janssen was spectacular at both sides of Jean's personality.

She didn't have that much to do early on in the saga, and that was intentional as the film series built towards her big moments in the second and third movies. Nevertheless, there was an aura to Jean that made you want to be around her (almost as much as Scott and Logan did). And speaking of Logan, the chemistry between the two was off-the-charts - as was the chemistry between Janssen and James Marsters' Cyclops.

While audiences weren't always receptive to everything that happened with Jean in the X-Men movies, there is no denying that Famke Janssen set a high bar with her portrayal of Jean Grey through her layered performance. And she remains the definitive portrayal of the character to this day.