Michael Rosenbaum

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Michael Rosenbaum

Rosenbaum at the BE Blow Out, August 2006
Born Michael Owen Rosenbaum
July 11, 1972 (1972-07-11) (age 35)
Oceanside, New York
Official website

Michael Owen Rosenbaum (born July 11, 1972) is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for portraying Lex Luthor on Smallville. Rosenbaum has also done film and other voiceover work.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Rosenbaum was born in Oceanside, New York and raised in Newburgh, Indiana.[1] He is Jewish and was "closer to religion" in New York than in Indiana.[2] Rosenbaum graduated from Castle High School in Indiana and from Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky, where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, with a degree in theatre arts. Immediately after, he moved to New York City to pursue an acting career.

[edit] Career

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Once in New York, an MTV Networks intern named Vincent Letizia spotted his 8 x 10 black and white photo in a batch of other casting submissions for a pilot called "Talk Girl." The pilot was never green-lighted, but Rosenbaum stood out as a newly discovered talent. A new MTV pilot was conceived specifically for Michael with the working title of "The Michael Rosenbaum Project." The project later became known as "The Temp" and covered Rosenbaum in a reality TV setting as a temp, who would walk into a different job each day. The pilot featured Rosenbaum as a Cat filling in on Broadway's "Cats" musical, and as a zoo keeper filling in at the zoo, sweeping animal manure and the like. The pilot never took off with MTV Executives. It was the mid 1990s before the mega boom of Reality TV and though the show was good, it was possibly before its time. This turned out to be a good thing for Rosenbaum who shortly thereafter left for Los Angeles where his talents could be showcased to a wider audience.

In 2001, Rosenbaum received a Saturn Award for his portrayal of Lex Luthor on Smallville. Continuing in the comic book genre, he voiced Wally West (a.k.a. The Flash) in the DC Comics animated series Justice League. In February of 2007, Rosenbaum confirmed that he would be leaving Smallville after the show's seventh season. However, he may return as an occasional special guest star, as the show has been picked up for an eighth season on the CW Network.

Rosenbaum has a few notable vocal impressions in his repertoire, including Christopher Walken, Keanu Reeves, and Kevin Spacey. The makers of the DCAU have used these impressions in their work, having Rosenbaum do his Walken voice for Ghoul in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker and his Spacey voice for Deadshot; coincidentally, Spacey portrayed Lex Luthor in the film Superman Returns.

[edit] Personal life

Rosenbaum is an ardent New York Rangers fan and often plays in charity hockey games. His favorite band is Guns N' Roses. His favorite animal is a wolf. In an episode of MTV Cribs, Rosenbaum shows his love of singing, karaoke, exercising and Captain Crunch. He is left-handed.

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Television series

[edit] Films

[edit] Television

[edit] Movies

[edit] Video games

[edit] Cameos In Animation/Comic

[edit] References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
  1. ^ Michael Rosenbaum Biography (1972-)
  2. ^ michaelrosenbaum.com
  3. ^ Superman Homepage
  4. ^ http://www.shearlovemovie.com
  5. ^ FREEZE
  6. ^ http://jl.toonzone.net/trophyroom/season2/003.jpg

[edit] External links

Preceded by
John Shea
for Lois and Clark		 Actors portraying Lex Luthor
2001 –
for Smallville		 Succeeded by
Kevin Spacey
for Superman Returns
Persondata
NAME Rosenbaum, Michael Owen
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION American actor
DATE OF BIRTH July 11, 1972
PLACE OF BIRTH Oceanside, New York
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH