The Many Faces Of... Lois Lane
Written by Russ Dimino

There are two things in this world that can make Superman weak in the knees. One is a green, glowing rock that just happens to be a radioactive chunk of his demolished home planet. The other is a brunette reporter with a nose for news and the initials L.L. For years, Clark Kent has tried to balance the fact that Superman belongs to the world with his desire to live a normal life with the woman of his dreams, Lois Lane.

Lois was around from the very beginning - her first comic book appearance was the same as Superman's. Miss Lane and the Man of Steel both made their debut in Action Comics #1 in June of 1938. Clark seemed to have a thing for Lois right away. He asks her on a date in that first issue!

The first time that Lois was given life on screen, it was in animated form, in the cartoon shorts originated by the Fleischer brothers. Joan Alexander provided the voice of Lois in these early cartoons, alongside Bud Collyer's Superman, from 1941 to 1943. Ms. Alexander would go on to voice Lois again, more than 20 years later (more on that in a moment)!

Noel Neill is the Lois Lane with ties to the most versions of the Superman saga. She first played Lois in the Superman movie serials of 1948 to 1950, which starred Kirk Alyn. In 1951, George Reeves made his debut as Superman in "Superman and the Mole Men." Here, Lois was played by Phyllis Coates. Phyllis continued the role for the first season of the "Adventures of Superman" TV series. After the inaugural season, Ms. Coates opted not to return, and Ms. Neill returned to the role of Lois for the remainder of the series.

Coates and Neill offered very different portrayals of the Lois Lane character. The Phyllis Coates Lois was a much more hard-edged, no-nonsense reporter, and quite possibly the only version who didn't fall head over heels for the Man of Steel. When Neill resumed the role in 1953, her version of Lois was a much gentler one, who developed a friendship with Clark Kent and a very familiar attraction to our hero in blue.

Not only did Neill star alongside Alyn and Reeves, but she also made a cameo appearance in the 1978 "Superman" movie (here, she and Alyn play Lois Lane's parents), as well as an appearance on the "Superboy" TV series. Phyllis Coates also got a chance to return to the Superman mythos when she appeared on "Lois and Clark" in 1994, playing Lois's mother in the episode "House of Luthor."

Next, Superman and Lois would get animated again, and Joan Alexander would return to the role! She and Bud Collyer again voiced Lois and Clark during the 1966-1970 "New Adventures of Superman" series, as well as the 1967-68 "Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure." Though Alexander was the primary Lois, Julie Bennett, the voice of Wonder Girl, stepped in as Lois on some episodes.

Then came the first big screen "Superman" movie in 1978, with Margot Kidder taking on the role of Lois Lane. Here, Lois swooned for Superman, but barely noticed his shy, clumsy alter-ego, Clark Kent. Ms. Kidder was far from the only actress considered for the part. The "Superman" DVD shows screen tests of several other actresses who tried out, including Anne Archer, Deborah Raffin, Susan Blakely, Stockard Channing and Lesley Ann Warren. (Ms. Warren did play Lois in a 1975 TV adaptation of the 1966 Broadway musical "It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's Superman"!) Christopher Reeve's screen test is also included, with Holly Palance as Lois.

Kidder then returned for "Superman II" in 1980. This time out, Lois learned that Superman and Clark Kent were one and the same, and the two finally got together... at least until the end of the film, when Lois's memory of the entire ordeal is erased.

After a falling out with the producers, Kidder's role in "Superman III" was dramatically reduced. Her screen time for the third installment is only about five minutes, while Annette O'Toole's Lana Lang becomes Clark's primary love interest for the film. By the time "Superman IV" came around in 1987, Kidder's part was larger again, but she had to compete with Mariel Hemingway for Superman's attention.

Ms. Kidder is yet another "Lois Lane" who seems to have trouble staying away from the Superman legend! The fourth season premiere of "Smallville" featured Kidder as Dr. Bridgette Crosby, emissary to Dr. Virgil Swann. (Photo from the "Smallville" premiere to your left; the photo above is Kidder and Annette O'Toole in "Superman III.")

When the Ruby Spears "Superman" cartoon came out in 1988, Lois's voice was provided by Ginny McSwain. Ms. McSwain would go on to become the voice director for animated hits like "Tale Spin," "Goof Troop" and "Sonic the Hedgehog."

The next to take on the role was Teri Hatcher, who of course played Lois on "Lois & Clark" from 1993-97. This series emphasized the romance between Lois Lane and Clark Kent, and they eventually got married in the show's final season. During this time, Teri received the honor of being the most downloaded woman on the internet, due in large part to a picture of her wrapped up in Superman's cape and nothing else. Her other credits include a memorable (and "spectacular") guest spot on Seinfeld, playing a Bond girl in "Tomorrow Never Dies," and a role in the first "Spy Kids" movie. Teri will be returning to ABC this fall in a new series called "Desperate Housewives."

In 1996, Dana Delany voiced Lois for "Superman The Animated Series." No stranger to cartoon superheroes, Delany had voiced Andrea Beaumont, Bruce Wayne's long-lost love, in "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm" just three years earlier. Ms. Delany continues to voice Lois whenever she appears on Cartoon Network's "Justice League" series.

Ms. Delany doesn't hold the only voice credit for Lois for the aforementioned animated series, however. Mae Whitman provided the voice of a young Lois in a flashback scene, in the episode "Monkey Fun." Ms. Whitman can be seen in movies that include "Hope Floats," "Bye Bye, Love" and "Independence Day."

When "Smallville" premiered on the WB in 2001, there was some speculation among the fans as to the true nature of the Chloe Sullivan character, played by Allison Mack. Chloe was a newcomer to the mythology, a character created for the show who had never been in the comics before. Given her role as the intrepid reporter of the group and her knack for spouting snarky comments, some fans predicted that Chloe would turn out to be Lois Lane, through some kind of name change or pen name down the road. (It should be noted that all the letters in the name "Lois Lane" are present in the name "Chloe Sullivan"!) Time has proven this theory wrong, though Chloe is not without a connection to Lois. It was officially revealed, in the third season episode "Delete," that Chloe and Lois are cousins.

With the fourth season premiere on September 22nd, Lois Lane herself will finally come to Smallville, played by actress Erica Durance. Ms. Durance (sometimes credited as Erica Parker) has appeared on "Andromeda," "Tru Calling," and in the movie "House of the Dead." Exactly how this version of Lois will react to our would-be superhero farm boy is anyone's guess!

Even though Superman can stop bullets and leap tall buildings, it's Lois who has proven to be a true challenge for our hero. Right from the start, she caught the attention of one of the most powerful men in the universe, and he's been flying after her ever since (usually to save her from danger). No matter who has stepped into the role over the years, there has always been one enduring and endearing quality about Lois Lane... she is the one who gives Superman his humanity, because his dream for a normal life as Clark Kent only makes sense with her by his side.

Note: The views of Russ Dimino don't necessarily represent the thoughts and feelings of everyone at KryptonSite. Russ is still wondering when we're going to get around to posting his Many Faces Of Jor-El and Lara column. Thanks to Ficassidy for several of the Lois Lane images.

Read some of Russ's other columns! Many Faces Of...: Lana Lang - The Kents - Lex Luthor

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