Michael Rosenbaum | |
|---|---|
 Rosenbaum at the 2022GalaxyCon | |
| Born | (1972-07-11)July 11, 1972 (age 53) Oceanside, New York, U.S. |
| Education | Western Kentucky University (BA) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1997–present |
Michael Owen Rosenbaum (born July 11, 1972)[1][2] is an American actor and podcaster. He is known for portrayingLex Luthor on the television seriesSmallville, a role thatTV Guide included in their 2013 list of "The 60 Nastiest Villains of All Time".[3]
Rosenbaum is also known for portrayingMartinex inGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 andGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Parker inUrban Legend, Adam/Adina inSorority Boys and Dutch Nilbog onFox'sBreaking In. He also has an extensive voiceover career in animation, such as his role ofWally West / The Flash in theDC Animated Universe seriesJustice League (2001–2004) and its sequelJustice League Unlimited (2004–2006). Between 2015 and 2016, he played the lead role in theTV Land comedy seriesImpastor.
He is also the lead singer of the band Sun Spin with his friend Rob Danson. The band's first album,Best Days was released on February 9, 2021.[4]
Rosenbaum was born inOceanside, New York and raised inNewburgh, Indiana.[5] His mother, Julie (née Eckstein), is a writer and his father, Mark Rosenbaum, worked in pharmaceuticals.[6] 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, and his father remarried Alexis Pelegrino, with whom he had two daughters, Rosenbaum's half-sisters. His uncle is pet behavioristWarren Eckstein.[7] Rosenbaum isJewish, and says he was "closer to religion" in New York than in Indiana.[8]
Rosenbaum graduated fromCastle High School inNewburgh, Indiana and fromWestern Kentucky University inBowling Green, Kentucky with a degree intheatre arts. Immediately after, he moved to New York City to pursue an acting career.[9]
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In 2001, Rosenbaum received aSaturn Award for his portrayal of Lex Luthor onSmallville.[10] Continuing in the superhero genre, he playedWally West (a.k.a.the Flash) in theDC Comics animated seriesJustice League,Static Shock, andJustice League Unlimited, as well as portraying a younger version of Wally West asKid Flash inTeen Titans. In the third seasonJustice League Unlimited episode "The Great Brain Robbery", Rosenbaum reprised his role as Lex Luthor when Wally and Lex Luthor temporarily switched bodies. In February 2008, Rosenbaum confirmed that he would be leavingSmallville after the seventh season. 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 toSmallville for the two-hour series finale, which aired on May 13, 2011,[11] with Rosenbaum reprising his role as Lex Luthor.[12]
In 2012, Rosenbaum appeared inHit and Run, which starredDax Shepard andKristen Bell.[13] Rosenbaum portrayed the character Gil, a jealous ex-boyfriend from Annie's (Bell's character) past.[14]
Rosenbaum provided the voice work forGhoul in the animatedDCAU filmBatman Beyond: Return of the Joker. Rosenbaum filmed the originalSyFy comedy seriesSaved By Zeroes; yet was never picked up.[15][16] He recurred inFox's original sitcomBreaking In; the show was cancelled initially after the first season but got a second chance, and Rosenbaum was promoted to series regular. The series was cancelled again after a few episodes of the second season.[17][18]
In 2014, Rosenbaum made his feature-film directorial and writing debut with the comedyBack in the Day, starring as an actor who returns to his hometown in Indiana for a class reunion. The film was filmed in Newburgh and Evansville, Indiana.[19][20] Prior to the production ofBack in the Day, Rosenbaum planned to direct another comedy film, titledSorry is For Sissies. The film had a cast includingJon Heder,Colin Hanks andJennifer Love Hewitt; however, at least half of the film's budget was lost, and the film was scrapped.[21]
On June 17, 2014, Rosenbaum was cast as the lead in theTV Land original sitcomImpastor. 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".[22]
In 2017, Rosenbaum served as narrator for thereality television showHunted which pitted investigators against teams of ordinary citizens trying to evade capture as fugitives.[23] Rosenbaum also starred in the Indie thrillerThe Neighbor opposite William Fichtner.[24]
In 2018, Rosenbaum debuted his casual celebrity interview-based podcast calledInside of You.[25] His first guest was hisSmallville co-starTom Welling.[26] The two subsequently launched the podcastTalkville in July 2022, where they re-watch every episode ofSmallville.[27][28]
Rosenbaum reprised the role of Martinex inGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which premiered in May 2023.[29]
On January 6, 2023, Rosenbaum's band Sun Spin released their second album,Never Is What it Is.
In October 2023,Los Angeles Daily News reported that Rosenbaum and his longtime friendJon Heder would star in the horror-themedreality television seriesScared with Michael Rosenbaum and Jon Heder. Rosenbaum said of the project, "I wanted to do a reality show because we love horror movies. We'll go to the scariest places on Earth."[25]
In 2024, Rosenbaum was the lead actor in the audio seriesTRUE NOIR: The Assassination of Anton Cermak. The series was penned byRoad to Perdition'sMax Allan Collins.[citation needed]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | The Devil & the Angel | The Devil | |
| The Day I Ran into All My Ex-Boyfriends | Bart | ||
| Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil | George Tucker | ||
| 1998 | 1999 | Brick | |
| Urban Legend | Parker Riley | ||
| 2000 | Eyeball Eddie | Skelley | Short film |
| Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker | Ghoul | Voice Direct-to-video[30] | |
| 2001 | Sweet November | Brandon / Brandy | |
| Rave Macbeth | Marcus | ||
| 2002 | Poolhall Junkies | Danny | |
| Sorority Boys | Adam / Adina | ||
| 2003 | Special | Fred Molinski | |
| Bringing Down the House | Todd Gendler | ||
| 2005 | Cursed | Kyle | Uncredited |
| Racing Stripes | Ruffshodd | Voice[30] | |
| 2007 | Cutlass | Background Extra #2 | Short film |
| Kickin' It Old Skool | Kip | ||
| 2008 | Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight | Tanis Half-Elven | Voice Direct-to-video |
| Shear Love[31] | Short film | ||
| 2010 | Father of Invention | Eddie | |
| Catch .44 | Brandon | ||
| Ghild | Brauly Gullivan | Short film | |
| 2012 | Justice League: Doom | Barry Allen / The Flash | Voice Direct-to-video[30] |
| Hit and Run | Gil Rathbinn | ||
| 2014 | Back in the Day | Jim Owens | Also director, writer, and executive producer |
| 2015 | Justice League: Throne of Atlantis | Drift Leader | Voice Direct-to-video[30] |
| 2016 | The Neighbor | Scott | |
| 2017 | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 | Martinex | |
| 2020 | DC Showcase: The Phantom Stranger | Seth | Voice Short film[30] |
| 2023 | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 | Martinex | |
| 2025 | Superman | Raptor Guard #1 | [32] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | The Tom Show | Jonathan Summers | Episode: "The Talk" |
| 1999 | Rocket Power | Sports Announcer | Voice, episode: "Super McVariel 900/Loss of Squid" |
| 1999–2000 | Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane | Jack Cooper | Main cast, 24 episodes |
| 1999–2001 | Batman Beyond | Ollie, Carter Wilson / Terminal, Wendell, Carl, Agent West | Voice, 6 episodes[30] |
| 2000 | The Wild Thornberrys | Tom Ravenhearst | Voice, episode: "A Shaky Foundation"[30] |
| 2000–2004 | Static Shock | Trapper, The Flash | Voice, 5 episodes[30] |
| 2001–2008, 2011 | Smallville | Lex Luthor | 154 episodes Main cast (Seasons 1–7) Special guest (Season 10) Directed the 125th episode "Freak" Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor on Television(2002) SFX Award for Best Newcomer(2003) Nominated –Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor on Television(2003, 2004, 2005 & 2006) Nominated –Satellite Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series Drama(2003) Nominated –Teen Choice Awards for Choice TV Sidekick(2002, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009) |
| 2001–2002 | The Zeta Project | Agent West | Voice, recurring role[30] |
| 2001–2004 | Justice League | Wally West / The Flash,Deadshot | Voice, main role[30] |
| 2003 | Players | Himself | Episode: "Charlie's Angels" |
| 2004–2005 | Jackie Chan Adventures | Drago | Voice 11 episodes |
| 2004–2006 | Justice League Unlimited | Wally West / The Flash, Deadshot, Ghoul | Voice, recurring role[30] |
| 2005–2006 | Teen Titans | Kid Flash | Voice, 2 episodes[30] |
| 2005 | It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia | Colin | Episode: "Gun Fever" |
| 2006 | Zorro: Generation Z | Bernardo | Voice, main role |
| Ultraman Tiga | Evil Tiga | Voice | |
| 2008 | James Gunn's PG Porn | Charlie Brown | 2 episodes |
| 2009 | Untitled Family Pilot[33] | Derek | |
| Batman: The Brave and the Bold | Deadman | Voice, episode: "Dawn of the Dead Man!"[30] | |
| 2011–2012 | Breaking In | Dutch Nilbog | 8 episodes |
| 2015–2016 | Impastor[34] | Buddy Dobbs | Main role |
| 2017 | Hunted | Narrator | 7 episodes |
| Typical Rick | Mark | Episode: "Mr. Gaber" | |
| 2019 | Robot Chicken | Westley | Voice, episode: "Musya Shakhtyorov in: Honeyboogers" |
| Year | Title | Voice role |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Gladius | Valens |
| 2006 | Yakuza | Akira Nishikiyama[30] |
| 2008 | Dark Sector | Hayden Tenno[30] |
| 2012 | Lollipop Chainsaw | Nick Carlyle[30] |
| 2013 | Infinite Crisis | Barry Allen / The Flash[35][36] |
| 2015 | Batman: Arkham Knight | Johnny Charisma[37] |
| 2016 | Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness | Christophe[38] |
| 2018 | Lego DC Super-Villains | Barry Allen / The Flash[39][30] |
| 2025 | Marvel's Deadpool VR | Richard Rider / Nova[30] |
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