12. John Haymes Newton
Appeared in: Superboy (season 1)
Superboy might refer to Conner Kent (the clone of Superman and Lex Luthor who becomes one of DC’s young superheroes) today, but back in 1988, it was simply young Superman. That’s where Superboy came in, as the syndicated TV series was essentially what Smallville would do better over a decade later; a show that spotlighted Clark Kent’s early days as a hero with superpowers.
Newcomer John Haymes Newton played the role in the first season, and he had a pretty hard time making the show look good. And you can’t really blame him, because the first season was not good. The special effects were poor, the dialogue bad, and it was corny without much of the heart that made Superman, well, Superman.
Newton certainly looked the part as the young Man of Steel, with his good looks and he did offer up some of that Clark Kent charm. Unfortunately, it just didn’t all come together in that first season as the whole thing was very rough. A new direction would be taken for the second that would see some improvement. Newton would not be around to benefit from that improvement as he was recast in the role after the season 1 finale.
11. Kirk Alyn
Appeared in: Superman (1948), Atom Man vs. Superman (1950)
Kirk Alyn has gone down in history for being the very first actor to ever bring Superman to life in live-action on any screen. A singer and dancer on vaudeville prior to his screen days, he starred in the 1948 movie serial Superman and the 1950 sequel Atom Man vs. Superman. While the low quality production values of the time haven’t aged well, Alyn did very well with what he was given, establishing that Superman could transcend the comic books he was born in and make his way to the silver screen.
We also must commend the actor for portraying the two different sides of Kal-El, with differing performances as Clark Kent and Superman – something that would become pivotal to the character’s future in live-action.
Alyn would reportedly turn down the chance to reprise the role in the 1950s TV series Adventures of Superman (which would be played by George Reeves) but his contributions to the legacy of the Man of Steel were not forgotten, as he played Sam Lane (the father of Lois Lane) in 1978’s game-changing Superman: The Movie. His own Lois Lane, Noel Neill, would join him as Lois’ mother in the scene.