Michael Rosenbaum
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Michael Owen Rosenbaum (born July 11, 1972) is an American actor and podcaster. He is known for portraying
Lex Luthor Alexander Joseph "Lex" Luthor () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Lex Luthor originally appeared in ''Action Comics'' #23 (cover dated: Apr ...
on the
Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
television series ''
Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produced by Millar Gough ...
'', a role that ''
TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...
'' included in their 2013 list of "The 60 Nastiest Villains of All Time". Rosenbaum is also known for portraying Martinex in ''
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 ''Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2'' is a 2017 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team Guardians of the Galaxy, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the sequel to ' ...
'', Parker in ''
Urban Legend An urban legend (sometimes contemporary legend, modern legend, urban myth, or urban tale) is a genre of folklore comprising stories or fallacious claims circulated as true, especially as having happened to a "friend of a friend" or a family m ...
'', Adam/Adina in ''
Sorority Boys ''Sorority Boys'' is a 2002 American comedy film directed by Wallace Wolodarsky, about a group of college boys who dress up as girls in order to prove their innocence for a crime they did not commit. The film starred Barry Watson, Michael Ro ...
'' and Dutch Nilbog on
Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...
's '' Breaking In''. He also has an extensive voiceover career in animation, such as his role of Wally West / The Flash in the
DC Animated Universe The DC Animated Universe (DCAU; also referred to as the Timmverse or Diniverse by fans referring to the creators and producers Bruce Timm and Paul Dini respectively) is a shared universe consisting primarily of superhero-based animated televis ...
series ''
Justice League The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived ...
'' (2001–04) and its sequel ''
Justice League Unlimited ''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is a 2004–2006 American superhero animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and ...
'' (2004–06). Between 2015 and 2016, he played the lead role and was an Executive Producer in the
TV Land TV Land is an American pay television channel owned by Paramount Global through its networks division. Originally a spinoff of Nick at Nite consisting exclusively of classic television shows, the channel now airs a combination of recent and cla ...
comedy series ''
Impastor ''Impastor'' is an American sitcom created by Christopher Vane. The series stars Michael Rosenbaum, who also serves as executive producer alongside Vane, Eric Tannenbaum and Kim Tannenbaum. ''Impastor'' premiered on July 15, 2015, on TV Land. ...
''. He is also the lead singer of the band Sun Spin with his friend, guitarist Rob Danson. The band's first album, ''Best Days'' was released on February 9, 2021. Their new album, ''Never is what it is,'' will be released in January, 2023.


Early life

Rosenbaum was born in
Oceanside, New York Oceanside is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in the southern part of the town of Hempstead, Nassau County, New York, United States. The population was 32,109 at the 2010 census. History Originally known as South Bay, the En ...
and raised in Newburgh, Indiana. His mother, Julie (née Eckstein), is a writer who published the book "Journey of a Lifetime." His father, Mark Rosenbaum, worked in pharmaceuticals. He is one of six children with two brothers, Eric and Adam, and a sister, Laurie. After his parents' divorce, his mother remarried sports reporter Gordon Engelhardt. His father remarried Alexis Pelegrino, with whom he had two daughters, Rosenbaum's half-sisters Ava and Lia. Lia died in 2020. His uncle is pet behaviorist
Warren Eckstein Warren Eckstein (born April 6, 1949) is an American "pet behaviorist", animal trainer, animal rights activist, humorist, author, director of the Hugs & Kisses Animal Fund, and broadcaster in the United States who hosts ''The Pet Show'', a radio t ...
. Rosenbaum is
Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
, and says he was "closer to religion" in New York than in Indiana. He graduated from Castle High School in Newburgh, Indiana and from
Western Kentucky University Western Kentucky University is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It was founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a quarter-century earlier. It operates regional campuses in Glasgow, Elizabethtow ...
in
Bowling Green, Kentucky Bowling Green is a home rule-class city and the county seat of Warren County, Kentucky, United States. Founded by pioneers in 1798, Bowling Green was the provisional capital of Confederate Kentucky during the American Civil War. As of the 2 ...
, where he was a member of
Sigma Alpha Epsilon Sigma Alpha Epsilon (), commonly known as SAE, is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity. It was founded at the University of Alabama on March 9, 1856. Of all existing national social fraternities today, Sigma Alpha Epsilon is t ...
fraternity, with a degree in
theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...
arts. Immediately after, he moved to New York City to pursue an acting career.


Career

Once in New York, Vincent Letizia, an
MTV Networks Paramount Media Networks (formerly known as Warner Cable Communications, Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, MTV Networks, Viacom Media Networks, and ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks) is an American mass media division of Paramount Global tha ...
intern spotted his 8×10 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 Rosenbaum with the working title of ''The Michael Rosenbaum Project''. The project later became known as "Working Stiff" and covered Rosenbaum in a
reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
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. In 2001, Rosenbaum received a
Saturn Award The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films be ...
for his portrayal of Lex Luthor on ''Smallville''. Continuing in the superhero genre, he played
Wally West Wallace Rudolph "Wally" West is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics as the original Kid Flash and the third Flash (DC Comics character), Flash. His power consists mainly of speedster (fiction), superhuman speed. ...
(a.k.a.
the Flash The Flash (or simply Flash) is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date ...
) in the
DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
animated series ''
Justice League The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived ...
'', ''
Static Shock ''Static Shock'' is an American superhero fiction, superhero List of animated television series, animated television series based on the Milestone Media/DC Comics superhero Static (DC Comics), Static. It premiered on September 23, 2000, on the W ...
'', and ''
Justice League Unlimited ''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is a 2004–2006 American superhero animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and ...
'' as well as portraying a younger version of Wally West as
Kid Flash Kid Flash is the name of several fictional superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, originally created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, as a junior counterpart to DC Comics superhero The Flash. The first version of the c ...
in ''
Teen Titans The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC ...
''. In the third season ''Justice League Unlimited'' episode "Great Brain Robbery", Rosenbaum reprised his role as Lex Luthor when his character was trapped in
Clancy Brown Clarence John "Clancy" Brown III (born January 5, 1959) is an American actor. Prolific in film and television since the 1980s, Brown is often cast in villainous and authoritative roles. Brown's film roles include Viking Lofgren in ''Bad Boys'' ...
's Lex Luthor's body. In February 2008, Rosenbaum confirmed that he would be leaving ''Smallville'' after the seventh season of the show. After many months of speculation and him first turning down the contract to return, it was announced on February 11, 2011 that Rosenbaum would return to ''Smallville'' for the two-hour series finale, which aired on May 13, 2011, with Rosenbaum reprising his role as Lex Luthor. In 2012, Rosenbaum appeared in ''Hit and Run'', a movie that he made with his friends Dax Shepard and
Kristen Bell Kristen Anne Bell (born July 18, 1980) is an American actress. Beginning her acting career by starring in stage productions while attending the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, she made her Broadway stage debut as Becky That ...
. Michael portrayed the character Gil, a jealous ex-boyfriend from Annie's (Bell's character) past. Rosenbaum has a few notable vocal impressions in his repertoire, Christopher Walken, Keanu Reeves, Rodney Dangerfield, Dudley Moore, John Malkovich, Harry Carey and
Kevin Spacey Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor. He began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, obtaining supporting roles before gaining a leading man status in film and television. Spacey has received various accolade ...
. The makers of the
DCAU The DC Animated Universe (DCAU; also referred to as the Timmverse or Diniverse by fans referring to the creators and producers Bruce Timm and Paul Dini respectively) is a shared universe consisting primarily of superhero-based animated televi ...
have used these impressions in their work, having Rosenbaum do his Walken voice for
Ghoul A ghoul ( ar, غول, ') is a demon-like being or monstrous humanoid. The concept originated in pre-Islamic Arabian religion, associated with graveyards and the consumption of human flesh. Modern fiction often uses the term to label a cert ...
in '' Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker'' and his Spacey voice for
Deadshot Deadshot (Floyd Lawton) is a supervillain and antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by David Vern Reed, Lew Schwartz and Bob Kane, the character made his first appearance in '' Batman'' #59 (June–July 1950). ...
; Spacey coincidentally portrayed Lex Luthor in the film ''
Superman Returns ''Superman Returns'' is a 2006 American superhero film directed by Bryan Singer and written by Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris from a story by Singer, Dougherty and Harris based on the DC Comics character Superman. It is the sixth and fina ...
'', and Walken played Max Shreck in ''
Batman Returns ''Batman Returns'' is a 1992 American superhero film directed by Tim Burton and written by Daniel Waters. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, it is the sequel to ''Batman'' (1989) and the second installment in the 1989–1997 ''Batman ...
''. He wrote the original
SyFy Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...
comedy series ''Saved By Zeroes''; yet was never picked up to series. He was also a regular in
Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...
's original sitcom '' Breaking In'' with Christian Slater. In 2014, Rosenbaum made his feature-film directorial and writing debut with the comedy '' Back in the Day'', where he stars as an actor who returns to his hometown in Indiana for a class reunion. The movie was filmed in Newburgh and Evansville, Indiana and also starred Morena Baccarin, Nick Swardson and Harland Williams. Prior to the production of ''Back in the Day'', Rosenbaum planned to direct another comedy film, titled ''Sorry is For Sissies''. The film had a cast including
Jon Heder Jonathan Joseph Heder (; born October 26, 1977) is an American actor, best known for his role as the title character of the 2004 comedy film ''Napoleon Dynamite''. He has also appeared in the films '' Just Like Heaven'', ''The Benchwarmers'', ''S ...
,
Colin Hanks Colin Lewes Hanks (born November 24, 1977) is an American actor. He has starred in films including '' Orange County'', ''King Kong'', '' The House Bunny'', '' The Great Buck Howard'', and the ''Jumanji'' film series. His television credits includ ...
, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Seth Green and Nick Swardson, however, at least half of the film's budget was lost, and the film was scrapped. On June 17, 2014, Rosenbaum was cast as the lead in the
TV Land TV Land is an American pay television channel owned by Paramount Global through its networks division. Originally a spinoff of Nick at Nite consisting exclusively of classic television shows, the channel now airs a combination of recent and cla ...
original sitcom ''
Impastor ''Impastor'' is an American sitcom created by Christopher Vane. The series stars Michael Rosenbaum, who also serves as executive producer alongside Vane, Eric Tannenbaum and Kim Tannenbaum. ''Impastor'' premiered on July 15, 2015, on TV Land. ...
''. The plot has been summarised as a "low-life who hides out in a small town by conning the residents into thinking he is their newly hired gay pastor". Rosenbaum was also an Executive Producer. In 2017, Rosenbaum served as narrator for the
reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
show '' Hunted'' which pitted investigators against teams of ordinary citizens trying to evade capture as fugitives. In 2018, Rosenbaum debuted his casual celebrity interview-based podcast called ''Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum''. His first guest was his ''Smallville'' co-star Tom Welling. Since then his guests have included many celebrities such as Bob Odenkirk, Henry Winkler, Kiefer Sutherland, Judd Apatow, Kristin Bell and more. In July, 2022, Rosenbaum and Tom Welling launched the podcast ''Talkville,'' where they re-watch every episode of ''Smallville.'' On August 5, 2022, Rosenbaum confirmed that he will reprise the role of Martinex in '' Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3'' which will be released in May 2023.


Filmography


Film


Television


Video games


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rosenbaum, Michael 1972 births 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors 21st-century American Jews Living people Male actors from Indiana American male film actors American male television actors American male video game actors American male voice actors Jewish American male actors People from Newburgh, Indiana Actors from Evansville, Indiana Writers from Evansville, Indiana Western Kentucky University alumni