13. Christopher Reeve as Superman
A lot of guys wanted to wear that iconic “S” on the big screen from Sylvester Stallone toChristopher Walken before Richard Donner decided it was better to go for an unknown.Christopher Reeve impressed first in his audition and then by bulking up with weightlifting rather than wearing a muscled suit.
He nails the presence of Superman, the other-worldly power and the down-to-earth attitude that makes you want to trust and admire him. Reeve is also genius with his Clark Kent, changing his voice and posture, making the bumbling so natural that for the first time, you could buy people not looking past the glasses to see the truth.
Thanks to Reeve, the first two movies were huge successes and the last two may have been poor but you couldn’t blame it on him. The role would follow Reeve for the rest of his life but he turned to be a real superhero following his horse riding accident and why he’s still cited as one of the best super-hero performances of all time.
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