Smallville

Background:

“I would like to be able to be both a film actor and a stage actor; to be an American actor in the style of a lot the English actors who do films. They are these wonderful actors who can do everything.” John Glover

An American prolific actor of screen, television and stage primarily known for playing villainous characters on television and movies, John Glover made his first impact on audiences for playing a drunken clod in the movie “Julia” and as the actor boyfriend of Diane Keaton in the Woody Allen hit “Annie Hall” (both 1977). Since then, he has portrayed characters in such films as “52 Pick-Up” (1986), “White Knights” (1985), “Scrooged” (1988), “Masquerade” (1988), “David” (1988, TV), “Gremlins 2: The New Batch” (1990), “Batman & Robin” (1997) and “Payback” (1999). More recently, he is perhaps best recalled as Lionel Luthor on the popular TV series “Smallville” (2001-present), from which he picked up two Saturn nominations. The character actor also has received Emmy nominations for his roles as an AIDS patient in the TV film “Early Frost” (1985) and the sidekick on the CBS miniseries “Nutcracker: Money, Madness and Murder” (1987), as well as his guest performances on the series “LA Law” (1990), “Crime & Punishment” (1993) and “Frasier” (1993).

The Tony award-winning performer has collected credit on stage since making his debut in 1963's “Look Homeward, Angel.” He netted a Drama Desk Award in director Hal Prince's “The Great God Brown” (1972) and took home his Tony for playing the dual role of twin brothers in Terrence McNally's “Love! Valour! Compassion!” (1994), which he reprised for the movie version of the same name in 1997.

“In the play, the house is in the imagination of the audience and all the characters speak to the audience. We talk to them. There was a kind of intimacy, an imagination in the play that wasn’t there in the film. The film was wonderful but the play was magnificent.” John Glover

Glover is openly gay. His life partner is the famed sculptor Adam Kurtzman, for whom he has been with for over a decade. He stated communication and honesty are their secret keys to a successful relationship. On being a homosexual actor, Glover said, “I graduated from high school in '62 and I didn't know any people who were gay. I'm sure there were people, but I didn't know any. For years and years, I guess, I was very uptight about being a gay actor. I thought it would make me less hirable.”

The Maryland native is also an active supporter of the Alzheimer's Association. His motivation for joining the campaign was his own father's experience with Alzheimer's.

“I watched him become so frustrated when he lost his metal capacities. So I know how painful that can be. Sure I think about it a lot. That’s why I try and do so much with the Alzheimer’s Association because they’re doing research and trying to help people.” John Glover

Towson Graduate

Childhood and Family:

John Soursby Glover Junior was born on August 7, 1944, in Salisbury, Maryland. His father, John S Glover, was a television salesman and his mother's name was Cade Glover. He was educated at Wicomico High School and then studied drama at Towson State University in Towson. He graduated in 1966. He also studied acting with Milton Katselas at the Beverly Hills Playhouse.

John regularly visits his Alma Mater, Towson University, to work with drama students in the Fine Arts College. He also funds a scholarship for actors at the university from which he recently earned an honorary Master’s Degree.

Love! Valour! Compassion!

Career:

Born and raised in Salisbury, Maryland, John Glover began his stage career in 1963 when he landed the role of Eugene Gant in a production of “Look Homeward, Angel” at the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia. He headed to Manhattan four years later to find more work in New York theaters. Glover first found work in a regional theater before finally making his debut off-Broadway with a 1969 production of “A Scent of Flowers.” In 1972, he took home a Drama Desk for his fine starring performance in “The Great God Brown,” helmed by Hal Prince. The same year, he also debuted on Broadway with “The Selling of the President.” He has since performed on stage in between a busy screen and TV career.

Glover launched his film career in 1973 with a small role in “Shamus,” starring Burt Reynolds. He resurfaced four years later in a brief part in the Woody Allen film “Annie Hall” (1977), but it was his next role, as Sammy, in Jane Fonda's “Julia” (also 1977) that first put the newcomer on the radar of moviegoers. He then packed his things and moved to Los Angeles.

In 1983, Glover made his TV film debut in “The Face of Rage,” directed by Donald Wrye. Roles in the TV series “Search for Tomorrow” (1983-1984) and the miniseries “Kennedy” (1983) and “George Washington” (1984) followed before he displayed his versatility as a brave AIDS patient named Victor DiMato in the TV film “Early Frost” (1985). His good acting brought him his first Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Special.

Frequently cast as villainous characters, Glover offered a strong turn as Alan Ramey, the pornographer-blackmailer, in the John Frankenheimer movie “52 Pickup” (1986) and was notable as cynically TV executive Bryce Cummings in “Scrooged” (1988), a fantasy/comedy starring Bill Murray. He also portrayed the sly CIA agent in “White Knights” (1985), a homicidal stepfather in “Masquerade” (1988) and an intelligent manipulator in “The Chocolate War” (1989). On the small screen, he received his next Emmy nomination for his role of Richard Behrens in the based-on-book miniseries “Nutcracker: Money, Madness & Murder” (1987). He next portrayed the disturbed father who set his own son on fire in the ABC drama “David” (1988), opposite Bernadette Peters. He earned a Cable Ace nomination for his work in “Traveling Man” (1989) and was cast as a Nazi genius, Corbin Bernsen, on TNT's “Breaking Point.”

Next, Glover gave a fine turn as Daniel Clamp, a sordid, greedy real estate baron, in the Joe Dante-directed comedy “Gremlins 2: The New Batch” (1990), from which he was nominated for a Saturn for Best Supporting Actor. He then costarred in the box office sci-fi hit “Robocop 2” (also 1990) and was cast as an employed killer in Mark L. Lester's “Night of the Running Man” (1994), scripted by Lee Wells from his novel. Glover lit up the small screen with his guest roles in the series “LA Law” (1990, as Dr. Paul Kohler), “Crime & Punishment” (1993, as Dennis Atwood) and “Frasier” (1993, as Ned Miller) and received Emmy nominations for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his efforts. He went on to play a military prosecutor on the television movie “Assault at West Point” in 1994 and made a guest appearance on a 1996 episode of “Remember WENN.”

A return to Broadway in 1994 brought Glover a number of recognitions. His dual role of John and James Jeckyll, homosexual twin brothers, in Terrence McNally's “Love! Valour! Compassion!” won a Tony for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play. Two years later, he revisited the New York Stage in “Tartuff: Born Again” at the Circle in the Square Theatre.

The rest of the 1990s saw Glover maintain his busy schedule. He was cast as Dr. Jason Woodrue in “Batman & Robin” (1997), a gangster in the Mel Gibson successful vehicle “Payback” (1999) and recreated his Tony Award winning role of John/James Jeckyll for the film version of “Love! Valour! Compassion!” (1997). He played the devil in the short-lived Fox drama “Brimstone” (1998-1999) and also acted in such TV films as “Dead By Midnight” (1997), “Dead Man's Gun” (1997) and “The Tempest” (1998).

Entering the new millennium, Glover cloud be seen starring in the stage musical adaptation of “Hans Christian Andersen” (2000), which was based on the Danny Kaye movie. Later that same year, he had a featured role in a staging of Chekhov's “The Cherry Orchard” at the McCarter Theater in Princeton, New Jersey. It was during the following year that Glover started his popular role on The WB series “Smallville” (2001-present). As Lionel Luthor, the father of nemesis Lex Luthor, he received two Saturn nominations for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series in 2003 and 2004.

Glover also acted in movies like “On Edge” (2001, starred Jason Alexander), “Visions of Cody” (2004), the acclaimed drama “The Civilization of Maxwell Bright” (2005), Edward Vilga's “Dead Broke” (2005) and in episodes of “Arli$$” (2002), “Numb3rs” (2006) and “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” (2006). On stage, he appeared opposite Judith Light and Charlayne Woodard in “Sorrows & Rejoicings” (2002) in New York City and was cast in “The Drowsy Chaperone” (2007) on Broadway.

Awards:

• Tony: Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play, “Love! Valour! Compassion!” 1995

• Drama Desk: “The Great God Brown,” 1972