Superman stars now – Brooke Shields fling, quadriplegia after accident and tragic suicide

Lots of Hollywood icons have played Superman throughout the years, including Netflix heartthrob Henry Cavill.

The star of Enola Holmes and The Witcher made his debut as the superhero in 2013’s Man of Steel, before reprising the role for a number of blockbuster spin-offs.

However, fans were recently left devastated when the actor was dropped from the role after a decade.

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Henry is just one of the huge names to have played Superman throughout the years, and as the actor turns 40 years old today (May 5, 2023), Daily Star takes a look at where the actors who played the superhero are now.

George Reeves

George Reeves was one of the first actors to play the famous Man of Steel in 1951’s Superman & The Mole Men.

He soon reprised the role for six years between 1952 to 1958 in Adventures of Superman.

The actor was not the only famous star in his family however, as he was married to actress Ellanora Needles for 10 years between 1940 to 1950 after they met while starring in a theatre production together.

Two of his final TV and film appearances were in Westward Ho the Wagons and TV series I Love Lucy, where he made a cameo as Superman in 1957.

However just one year after Adventures of Superman finished airing, George took his own life at the age of 45 years old on June 16, 1959.

Reeves was found with a gunshot wound to the head in the bedroom of his home, and the report made by the Los Angeles Police stated: “[Reeves was]… depressed because he couldn’t get the sort of parts he wanted.”

Christopher Reeve

One of the most beloved portrayals of Superman came from none other than film legend Christopher Reeve, who starred in four Superman films between 1978 to 1987.

However in 1995, Christopher suffered a horseback riding accident that left him paralysed from the neck down, after he broke his neck while competing during an equestrian competition.

The actor became an advocate for research into spinal cord injuries and embryonic stem-cell research, as well as using his 1996 Academy Awards speech to advocate for Hollywood to make more films about social issues.

He said: “Hollywood needs to do more.

“Let’s continue to take risks. Let’s tackle the issues. In many ways our film community can do it better than anyone else. There is no challenge, artistic or otherwise, that we can’t meet.”

Christopher turned his talents to directing and in 1997, his debut TV series In the Gloaming was nominated for five Emmy Awards.

He also continued to act and appeared in the 1999 remake of Rear Window, as well as The Brooke Ellison Story.

The actor also returned to the Superman universe as Doctor Virgil Swann in TV series Smallville, where the Superman role had been passed onto Tom Welling.

Away from the big screen, Christopher had three children and was in a relationship with partner Gae Exton between 1978 to 1987, before marrying wife Dana Morosini in 1992.

However on October 10, 2004, Christopher died from heart failure at the age of 52 years old.

Dean Cain

A generation of fans were glued to their TV screens during the nineties when Dean Cain took on the role of the famous superhero in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.

The series ran between 1993 to 1997 and featured Desperate Housewives star Teri Hatcher as Clark Kent’s love interest, with their will they-won’t they romance gripping viewers to their seats.

Dean has also had a number of high profile romances, including dating Hollywood icon Brooke Shields while they were both attending Princeton University.

The couple dated for two years, with Brooke reflecting on their relationship during an interview with People Magazine and insecurities she worried about at the time after admitting to fans that she was a virgin at the age of 20 years old.

“We had a great relationship, broke up, got back together again after three years. And that should have been a delicious time for me of revelling in it and feeling proud and free because I was in love.”

She added: “But it was as if I was just paralysed from shame, thinking everybody was going to know, thinking of letting my fans down because I had professed one thing.

“He just was so loyal and loving and just so in love. And I did not make it easy,” with Brooke explaining she later apologised to Dean.

“I said, ‘I’m sorry for you, and I’m really sorry for me.'”

Dean later dated professional beach volleyball player and model Gabrielle Reece, before becoming engaged to singer Mindy McCready.

However their engagement sadly did not last and the couple split one year later in 1998.

The actor welcomed a son called Christopher in 2000 with model Samantha Torres, before the couple split, with Dean calling his son “my favourite person in the world,” during an interview with People.

Tom Welling

One of the longest running Superman TV series was American hit drama Smallville, which featured Tom Welling in the titular role.

Airing between 2001 to 2011, Smallville showed how Clark Kent became Superman and elaborated on the character’s backstory – along with introducing other villains including Lex Luther.

Alongside Smallville, Tom appeared in films and TV series including Cheaper By the Dozen, The Fog and Parkland, as well as working as a model for brands including Tommy Hilfiger.

He later landed another huge role as Marcus Pierce in hit drama Lucifer, before reprising his role as Clark Kent in Batwoman in 2019.

Tom most recently appeared in Professionals and The Winchesters, with IMDB reporting that he is due to star in a film called Deep Six, which is currently in post-production.

The actor tends to keep his personal life private, but it is known that he was married to model Jamie White between 2002 to 2013.

Following their divorce, Tom married equestrian Jessica Rose Lee in 2019 and the couple have since welcomed two sons together.

Henry Cavill

The latest Hollywood heartthrob to make a huge impact on the big screen is Henry Cavill, who took on the role in 2013’s Man of Steel.

He has since reprised the role in Batman VS Superman: Dawn of Justice, along with The Justice League and more recently a cameo at the end of Black Adam.

The name on everyone’s lips, Henry has appeared in some of the world’s biggest TV series and blockbusters including The Tudors, Stardust, Tristan and Isolde, The Man from U.N.C.L.E and Mission Impossible: Fall Out.

He also plays Sherlock in the Netflix Enola Holmes film series, along with Geralt of Rivia on fantasy series The Witcher.

It is no surprise then that the star has an estimated net worth of more than $50m (£40.1m) according to Celebrity Net Worth.

However fans were left devastated after Henry announced he would not be returning to The Witcher after deciding to leave the series – just months after it was revealed he had been dropped from the role of Superman too.

Although Henry keeps his personal life away from the public eye, it is known that he has been dating girlfriend and Hollywood film executive Natalie Viscusco since 2021.

Natalie paid a sweet tribute to the actor on Instagram as she shared a photograph of him, saying: “I am so, so proud of you, Henry. You truly are the greatest man I have ever known.

“The Hollywood Reporter did an incredible job with this cover story—it really is a great read. SO PROUD I’m literally crying.”

Tyler Hoechlin

Five years after the end of Smallville, a new TV era began for Superman – but this time he was not the titular character.

Instead, Tyler Hoechlin played Superman in a few episodes of Supergirl, which aired between 2016 to 2018.

Like his Superman predecessor Dean Cain, Tyler led a sporting career before acting fame after playing baseball at Arizona State University and University of California, Irvine.

However, an injury to his hamstring limited his ability to play and he decided to pursue an acting career full time.

After appearing in TV ads as a baby, Tyler appeared as a youngster in films such as Road to Perdition before landing break-out roles in Teen Wolf and Supergirl.

He has since appeared in Fifty Shades Freed, Then Came You, Can You Keep A Secret?, Superman and Lois and is due to appear in Teen Wolf: The Movie.

Away from the limelight, not much is known about the actor’s personal life and it is not known if he is single or in a relationship.

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk