7 Actors Who Went From Superheroes to Superparents
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With great power comes great responsibility — and for an actor playing a superhero, that’s doubly so. Not only is the actor bringing a beloved character to life, but he’s also serving as a role model for viewers everywhere. Luckily for most TV superheroes, their TV parents can teach them a thing or two about saving the day, especially when the actors playing mom and dad originally played the superheroes themselves.
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Phyllis Coates: Lois Lane to Ellen Lane
The Adventures of Superman was the first TV series featuring everyone’s favorite Kryptonian, and it premiered with Coates in the iconic role of the beloved reporter. Although she was Lois for just one season, Coates brought the comic character to life by nailing her sharp wit and journalistic ambition. Years later, she appeared on Lois & Clark as Ellen Lane, where she channeled Lois's independent spirit as her mother.
Everett Collection; Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Adam West: Bruce Wayne to Thomas Wayne
West may have only played Batman for three seasons, but his name is still synonymous with the iconic comic character (and the campy show) almost 50 years later. So it was only fitting that he voiced Bruce's father in an episode of the animated series Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
Everett Collection; Cliff Lipson/CBS
Helen Slater: Supergirl (Kara Zor-El) to Sylvia Danvers
Slater is quite familiar with saving the world, having played the titular character in the 1984 film Supergirl. This fall, she’s hanging up her cape and returning as the mom to the 2015 version of Supergirl/Kara Danvers (Melissa Benoist) in a new CBS show. The original Kara-El also pulled parental double duty as Superman's biological mother, Lara-El, on Smallville, with Terrence Stamp, who played General Zod in the 1978 film Superman, as the voice of Jor-El. (H/T to reader Cullen G.)
Everett Collection; Cliff Lipson/CBS
Dean Cain: Superman (Kal-El) to Fred Danvers
If anyone understands what it's like to be someone who grew up on an unfamiliar planet with human parents, it's Clark Kent. As the Man of Steel and his alter ego on all four seasons of Lois & Clark, Cain was the perfect person to be adoptive father, Fred Danvers (alongside Helen Slater's Sylvia) in Supergirl later this year.
Everett Collection
Teri Hatcher: Lois Lane to Ella Lane
Hatcher’s turn as the ambitious Lois Lane to Cain's bumbling Clark Kent on Lois & Clark is nothing less than memorable. So it wasn't surprising when she was tapped to portray Lois's mother on Smallville.
Everett Collection; Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Julie Newmar: Catwoman to Martha Wayne
Newmar was the Catwoman to West's Batman, often flirting with the masked hero. She reunited with West in the same episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold when she stepped into the shoes — or rather, the voice — of Bruce’s mom.
Everett Collection; Cate Cameron/The CW
John Wesley Shipp: Barry Allen to Henry Allen
Shipp is no stranger to the speed force, having played Barry Allen in the 1990 TV version of The Flash. The show lasted for just one season, but the current CW show is chock full of references to the original series, which makes Shipp a great choice to play Henry Allen, the father of the latest scarlet speedster (Grant Gustin).
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