For seven seasons on Smallville, The WB's re-invention of the Superman mythology, Michael Rosenbaum gave some of the most intense performances you could ever hope for in an actor playing Lex Luthor. As the Smallville version of the character had similarities to the Silver Age and Golden Age versions of Luthor, Rosenbaum was tasked with moulding a wonderfully unique outlook on him. He maintained his childhood friendship with Clark Kent, as played by Tom Welling, yet retained the penchant for villainous scientific doings that his comic counterparts had. Rosenbaum felt so at home in the role, as if he was born to play the character, and it showed. He had exciting chemistry with both Welling and his on-screen father, Lionel Luthor, played by John Glover. There's been numerous men that have played a Lex Luthor to another actor's Superman, including Gene Hackman and Jesse Eisenberg in the upcoming Man of Steel sequel. But Rosenbaum captured all the best aspects of the character through his seven-season run, cementing himself as the greatest Luthor of all time, and one of the greatest villains of this TV generation.
