John Glover (actor)
Encyclopedia
John Soursby Glover Jr. (born August 7, 1944) is an American
actor, perhaps best known for a range of villain
ous roles in films and television, including Lionel Luthor
on the Superman
-inspired television series Smallville
.
Mullins) and John Soursby Glover Sr., a television salesman and was raised in Salisbury, Maryland
. Glover attended Wicomico High School
and acted at Towson University
.
Glover is also actively involved with the Alzheimer's Association
. His inspiration for joining this cause was his own father's experience with Alzheimer's Disease
. He is openly gay and has been a relationship with sculptor Adam Kurtzman since 1993.
, Bryce Cummings in Scrooged
, Daniel Clamp in Gremlins 2: The New Batch
, a mobster in Payback, an advertising spokesman in Robocop 2
, Derek Mills in Night of the Running Man
, The Riddler
in Batman: The Animated Series
, Doctor Jason Woodrue
in Batman & Robin, Verad
in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
episode "Invasive Procedures", The Devil
in the series Brimstone
. He also had a recurring role in The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd
as "Cousin Jerry, from Bal'mer", a relative whom no-one actually seemed to know. He appeared in one episode of Miami Vice
. He also appeared in two episodes of Murder, She Wrote
one called One White Rose for Death, in which he played East German Franz Mueller who wished to defect to the U.S. but whose sister was a celebrated concert violinist and they both got caught up in a case of murder at the British Embassy. The other was called "When Thieves Fall Out", playing Andrew Durbin, a man wrongly accused of stealing bonds.
He appeared in the TV movie An Early Frost
in 1985, the first TV film to touch on the AIDS issue and received an Emmy nomination for his performance as a gay AIDS patient. In 1986 he appeared in the TV film Apology
with Lesley Ann Warren
.
He also received a 1994 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
for his appearance in Frasier
.
He is well known for the role of Lionel Luthor
on Smallville
, having appeared as a guest actor in the show's first season, in the show from 2001–2007, and becoming a full cast member from Season 2 until Season 7. He also appeared in the tenth and final season of Smallville reprising the character of Lionel Luthor.
He has also made notable appearances on stage, winning a Tony Award
for Featured Actor in a Play
for his dual roles in the Broadway
play Love! Valour! Compassion!
, which he reprised in the film version. He also appeared as "man in the chair/narrator" in The Drowsy Chaperone
on Broadway during summer 2007.
Glover also had a small appearance in the Woody Allen
film Annie Hall
. In a flashback to a scene from the title character's past, he utters the line: "Touch my heart. With your foot". He has a recurring role in Law & Order: Criminal Intent
, playing Declan Gage an old friend and mentor to Detective Robert Goren
.
Glover appeared in ABC's Brothers & Sisters in 2009 as Henry, the boyfriend of Saul Holden. He has also appeared in Heroes
as the character Sylar
's father, Samson Gray.
John Glover played the role of "Lucky
" in a new Broadway production of Samuel Becket's Waiting For Godot
, for which he earned a Tony Award
nomination for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
.
He played Telemachus in Yuri Rasovsky
's Peabody Award
-winning radio dramatization of The Odyssey of Homer
, and has played in several radio plays of the LA Theatre Works. In addition Glover is receiving increasing recognition for narrating audiobooks.
He voiced a villainous character named Abraxas in the video game, Tron: Evolution
.
He performed the latest novel in the Dresden series titled "GHOST STORY" an audio-book by author Jim Butcher in 2011. He was praised universally for his performance by critics and is speculated to return for the rest of the dresden series.
Currently (November, 2011) performing in David Bar Katz's new drama "The Atmosphere of Memory" at the Bank Street Theatre in NYC, co-starring with Ellen Burstyn in a LAByrinth production.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor, perhaps best known for a range of villain
Villain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
ous roles in films and television, including Lionel Luthor
Lionel Luthor
Lionel Luthor is a fictional character in the television series Smallville, portrayed continuously by John Glover. Initially a recurring guest in season one, the character became a series regular in season two and continued with that status until he was written out of the show in the seventh season...
on the Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
-inspired television series Smallville
Smallville
Smallville is the hometown of Superman in comic books published by DC Comics. While growing up in Smallville, the young Clark Kent attended Smallville High with best friends Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross...
.
Personal life
Glover was born in Kingston, New York, the son of Cade (néeMarried and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Mullins) and John Soursby Glover Sr., a television salesman and was raised in Salisbury, Maryland
Salisbury, Maryland
-Demographics:Salisbury is the principal city of the Salisbury-Ocean Pines CSA, a Combined Statistical Area that includes the Salisbury metropolitan area and the Ocean Pines micropolitan area , which had a combined population of 176,657 at the 2010 census.As of the census of 2000, there were...
. Glover attended Wicomico High School
Wicomico High School
Wicomico High School is a high school located in Salisbury, Wicomico County, Maryland. It is one of four public high schools in Wicomico County along with James M. Bennett High School, Mardela Middle and High School and Parkside High School. Wicomico High School currently enrolls grades 9 through 12...
and acted at Towson University
Towson University
Towson University, often referred to as TU or simply Towson for short, is a public university located in Towson in Baltimore County, Maryland, U.S...
.
Glover is also actively involved with the Alzheimer's Association
Alzheimer's Association
The Alzheimer's Association, incorporated on April 10, 1980 as the Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Association, Inc., is a non-profit American voluntary health organization which focuses on care, support and research for Alzheimer's disease....
. His inspiration for joining this cause was his own father's experience with Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
. He is openly gay and has been a relationship with sculptor Adam Kurtzman since 1993.
Career
One of his early film performances was a small but pivotal role as a U.S. diplomat in White Nights. Other notable roles include Alan Raimy in 52 Pick-Up52 Pick-Up
52 Pick-Up is a 1986 crime thriller film directed by John Frankenheimer. The film stars Roy Scheider and Ann-Margret and is based on Elmore Leonard's novel of the same name.-Plot:...
, Bryce Cummings in Scrooged
Scrooged
Scrooged is a 1988 American comedy film, a modernization of Charles Dickens' novella, A Christmas Carol. The film was produced and directed by Richard Donner, and the cinematography was by Michael Chapman. The screenplay was written by Mitch Glazer and Michael O'Donoghue...
, Daniel Clamp in Gremlins 2: The New Batch
Gremlins 2: The New Batch
Gremlins 2: The New Batch is a 1990 American horror comedy film, and the sequel to Gremlins . It was directed by Joe Dante and written by Charles S. Haas, with creature designs by Rick Baker...
, a mobster in Payback, an advertising spokesman in Robocop 2
RoboCop 2
RoboCop 2 is a 1990 science fiction action film directed by Irvin Kershner and starring Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Dan O'Herlihy, Belinda Bayer, Tom Noonan and Gabriel Damon. Set in the near future in a dystopian metropolitan Detroit, Michigan...
, Derek Mills in Night of the Running Man
Night of the Running Man
Night of the Running Man is a 1995 American crime thriller film produced by Trimark Pictures and American World Pictures starring Andrew McCarthy and Scott Glenn. It is based on the 1981 novel by Lee Wells, who also wrote the screenplay for the film...
, The Riddler
Riddler
The Riddler is a fictional character, a comic book character and supervillain published by DC Comics, and an enemy of Batman. Created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang, the character first appeared in Detective Comics #140 ....
in Batman: The Animated Series
Batman: The Animated Series
Batman: The Animated Series is an American animated series based on the DC Comics character Batman. The series featured an ensemble cast of many voice-actors including Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Arleen Sorkin, and Loren Lester. The series won four Emmy Awards and was nominated...
, Doctor Jason Woodrue
Floronic Man
The Floronic Man , also known as the Plant Master and Floro, is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe...
in Batman & Robin, Verad
Dax (Star Trek)
Dax is the name of a fictional being in the Star Trek universe, a Trill symbiont. It's a very long-lived slug-shaped sentient worm-like life form that lives inside the bodies of a succession of Trills, a race of humanoid aliens. The symbiont merges with its host by a process called "joining" after...
in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
episode "Invasive Procedures", The Devil
Devil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
in the series Brimstone
Brimstone (TV series)
Brimstone was a short-lived Fox television series, featuring a dead police detective whose mission is to return to Hell 113 spirits who have escaped to Earth. The series ran for only one partial season....
. He also had a recurring role in The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd
The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd
The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd is an NBC/Lifetime comedy-drama that aired from 1987 to 1991. It was created by Jay Tarses and starred Blair Brown in the title role.-Premise:...
as "Cousin Jerry, from Bal'mer", a relative whom no-one actually seemed to know. He appeared in one episode of Miami Vice
Miami Vice
Miami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
. He also appeared in two episodes of Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...
one called One White Rose for Death, in which he played East German Franz Mueller who wished to defect to the U.S. but whose sister was a celebrated concert violinist and they both got caught up in a case of murder at the British Embassy. The other was called "When Thieves Fall Out", playing Andrew Durbin, a man wrongly accused of stealing bonds.
He appeared in the TV movie An Early Frost
An Early Frost
An Early Frost was a 1985 TV movie, and the first major film to deal with the topic of HIV/AIDS. It was first broadcast on the NBC television network on November 11, 1985...
in 1985, the first TV film to touch on the AIDS issue and received an Emmy nomination for his performance as a gay AIDS patient. In 1986 he appeared in the TV film Apology
Apology (TV film)
Apology is a made for HBO original film that premiered on July 27, 1986. The movie is based on the artwork of Allan Bridge and the novel he inspired, Mr. Apology. The film was eventually released on video and syndicated to cable & network television outlets. It stars Lesley Ann Warren, Peter Weller...
with Lesley Ann Warren
Lesley Ann Warren
Lesley Ann Warren is an American actress and singer. She has been nominated once for an Academy Award and Emmy Awards and five times for Golden Globe, winning one....
.
He also received a 1994 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor - Comedy Series
This is a list of winners of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series.-1980s:Outstanding Guest Performer In A Comedy Series*1986: Roscoe Lee Browne – The Cosby Show as Dr...
for his appearance in Frasier
Frasier
Frasier is an American sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee in association with Grammnet and Paramount Network Television.A spin-off of Cheers, Frasier stars...
.
He is well known for the role of Lionel Luthor
Lionel Luthor
Lionel Luthor is a fictional character in the television series Smallville, portrayed continuously by John Glover. Initially a recurring guest in season one, the character became a series regular in season two and continued with that status until he was written out of the show in the seventh season...
on Smallville
Smallville
Smallville is the hometown of Superman in comic books published by DC Comics. While growing up in Smallville, the young Clark Kent attended Smallville High with best friends Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross...
, having appeared as a guest actor in the show's first season, in the show from 2001–2007, and becoming a full cast member from Season 2 until Season 7. He also appeared in the tenth and final season of Smallville reprising the character of Lionel Luthor.
He has also made notable appearances on stage, winning a Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for Featured Actor in a Play
Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
This is a list of the winners and nominations of Tony Award for the Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play. The award has been presented since 1949.-1950s:* 1951: Eli Wallach – The Rose Tattoo* 1952: John Cromwell – Point of No Return...
for his dual roles in the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
play Love! Valour! Compassion!
Love! Valour! Compassion!
Love! Valour! Compassion! is a play by Terrence McNally. Its off-Broadway premiere took place at the Manhattan Theatre Club on October 11, 1994, in a staging by Joe Mantello that ran for 72 performances...
, which he reprised in the film version. He also appeared as "man in the chair/narrator" in The Drowsy Chaperone
The Drowsy Chaperone
The Drowsy Chaperone is a musical with book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar and music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison. It debuted in 1998 at The Rivoli in Toronto and opened on Broadway on 1 May 2006. The show won the Tony Award for Best Book and Best Score. It started as a spoof of old...
on Broadway during summer 2007.
Glover also had a small appearance in the Woody Allen
Woody Allen
Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
film Annie Hall
Annie Hall
Annie Hall is a 1977 American romantic comedy directed by Woody Allen from a screenplay co-written with Marshall Brickman and co-starring Diane Keaton. One of Allen's most popular and most honored films, it won four Academy Awards including Best Picture...
. In a flashback to a scene from the title character's past, he utters the line: "Touch my heart. With your foot". He has a recurring role in Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf and René Balcer, the series premiered on September 30, 2001, as the second spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama...
, playing Declan Gage an old friend and mentor to Detective Robert Goren
Robert Goren
Det. Robert "Bobby" Goren is a fictional character featured in the NBC-USA Network police procedural and legal drama television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent, portrayed by Vincent D'Onofrio....
.
Glover appeared in ABC's Brothers & Sisters in 2009 as Henry, the boyfriend of Saul Holden. He has also appeared in Heroes
Heroes (TV series)
Heroes is an American science fiction television drama series created by Tim Kring that appeared on NBC for four seasons from September 25, 2006 through February 8, 2010. The series tells the stories of ordinary people who discover superhuman abilities, and how these abilities take effect in the...
as the character Sylar
Sylar
Gabriel Gray, more commonly known by his assumed name of Sylar , is one of the primary antagonists and antiheroes in the NBC drama Heroes. Portrayed by Zachary Quinto, he is a superpowered serial killer who targets other superhumans in order to steal their powers...
's father, Samson Gray.
John Glover played the role of "Lucky
Lucky (Waiting for Godot)
Lucky is a character from Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot. He is a slave to the character Pozzo.Lucky is unique in a play where most of the characters talk incessantly: he only utters two sentences . Lucky suffers at the hands of Pozzo willingly and without hesitation...
" in a new Broadway production of Samuel Becket's Waiting For Godot
Waiting for Godot
Waiting for Godot is an absurdist play by Samuel Beckett, in which two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, wait endlessly and in vain for someone named Godot to arrive. Godot's absence, as well as numerous other aspects of the play, have led to many different interpretations since the play's...
, for which he earned a Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
nomination for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
This is a list of the winners and nominations of Tony Award for the Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play. The award has been presented since 1949.-1950s:* 1951: Eli Wallach – The Rose Tattoo* 1952: John Cromwell – Point of No Return...
.
He played Telemachus in Yuri Rasovsky
Yuri Rasovsky
Yuri Rasovsky is an American award-winning writer and producer working in the field of radio drama in the United States....
's Peabody Award
Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
-winning radio dramatization of The Odyssey of Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
, and has played in several radio plays of the LA Theatre Works. In addition Glover is receiving increasing recognition for narrating audiobooks.
He voiced a villainous character named Abraxas in the video game, Tron: Evolution
Tron: Evolution
Tron: Evolution is a third-person action-adventure, tie-in video game for the film Tron: Legacy by Propaganda Games, published by Disney Interactive. It was officially announced at the Spike Video Game Awards and was released for the Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable and Xbox...
.
He performed the latest novel in the Dresden series titled "GHOST STORY" an audio-book by author Jim Butcher in 2011. He was praised universally for his performance by critics and is speculated to return for the rest of the dresden series.
Currently (November, 2011) performing in David Bar Katz's new drama "The Atmosphere of Memory" at the Bank Street Theatre in NYC, co-starring with Ellen Burstyn in a LAByrinth production.
External links
- John Glover cast bio on The CW
- Interview with John Glover
- Q&A: John Glover at Broadway.com