Biography: (Abridged from his official website)
Michael Rosenbaum has displayed his versatility as an actor by tackling diverse roles. Equally adept at comedy and drama, Rosenbaum has played characters ranging from a transvestite to a crazed fraternity boy to the intriguing Lex Luthor. In addition to his wide range of talent in front of the camera, this gifted actor is also a skillful writer and voice-over artist.
Born in New York in 1972 and raised in Indiana, Rosenbaum discovered his passion for acting at an early age in high school. He continued performing the leads in several stage productions while earning a Bachelor of Arts in theater and communications from Western Kentucky University. After graduation, Rosenbaum headed to New York where he appeared in several off-Broadway productions and in small independent films as well as becoming a regular on "The Conan O'Brien Show" in a comedy sketch called "The Amsterdam Kids."
Athletic and outgoing, Rosenbaum is an avid hockey player and golfer. He is also a dedicated New York Rangers fan. In addition, Rosenbaum has a passion for music, and plays both acoustic and electric guitar. Rosenbaum currently resides in Los Angeles - traveling back and forth to Vancouver for work.
Since the fall of 2001, Rosenbaum has starred as Lex Luthor in the highly successful Smallville, based on the original "Superman" concept. For the role, Rosenbaum shaved his head and transformed himself into the spoiled, well-to-do son and future Superman arch-nemesis. His portrayal of Lex has garnered the attention of critics and fans alike. Shot in Vancouver, the one-hour series also stars Tom Welling, Kristin Kreuk, John Schneider and Annette O'Toole.
In the spring of 2002, Rosenbaum starred in the comedy Sorority Boys. The film focused on three fraternity boys who are accused of embezzling funds from their house and must go undercover as homely sorority girls to gather evidence in order to prove their innocence. The film, described as "Some Like It Hot" meets "Animal House", provided Rosenbaum with an opportunity to display his strong sense of physical comedy.
In the summer of 2002 , the independent film [i[Poolhall Junkies[/i] premiered at the CineVegas Film Festival in Las Vegas. Rosenbaum starred as Danny Doyle, a musician who can follow his dream of playing guitar or follow the path of his pool shark brother. The film hit theaters in limited release at the beginning of 2003 before being released on DVD in August 2003.
In 2003, Rosenbaum appeared onscreen alongside one of his comedy idols, Steve Martin, in the film Bringing Down the House. The film, which also starred Eugene Levy and Queen Latifah, told the story of a middle aged lawyer (Martin) whose life is turned upside down by an escaped convict (Latifah) who arrives on his doorstep looking for help in proving she was framed. Rosenbaum took on the supporting role of Todd Gendler, a cocky and ambitious young lawyer looking to one-up Martin's character.
Michael Rosenbaum's additional film credits include Sweet November, Urban Legend, and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, directed by Clint Eastwood. His television credits include starring as Jack on WB's Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane, and The Tom Show.
Rosenbaum is also a talented voice over artist. His most notable role was the voice of The Flash on the animated series Justice League. He has also lent his voice to several episodes of such animated series as Batman Beyond, The Zeta Project, and The Wild Thornberries. In 2003, Rosenbaum was featured as the voice of Valens in the LucasArts video game Gladius, and in 2006, he had a voice role in the movie Racing Stripes.
Photos:
Urban Legend (1998)
Zoe, Duncan, Jack, & Jane (1999)
Rave Macbeth (2001)
Sorority Boys (2002)
Bringin' Down the House (2003)
Cursed (2004)
Kickin' it Old School (2007)
And, of course, his most famous role:
Justice League (2001-2006)
(Wait, what?)
Smallville (2001-Present)
And regardless of talent, that takes being sort of cool IRL, I think.
