Who was/is your favorite live action Superman?

[luvmysuper]

Christopher Reeve is and was my Superman. He captured the goodness and humanity that makes Superman the hero he is. On top of that, he superbly brought out the "aw shucks" humility of both Clark Kent and Superman without going overboard. Then there's also the range of emotions that Reeve managed to portray so well. I mean, when Lois died and Superman cried in anguish, you could really feel the depths of his pain there.

Brandon Routh was a good Superman and I liked him. I think he got short shrift because everyone was measuring him against Christopher Reeve, who epitomized Superman for those of my generation.

Henry Cavill was also a good Superman, but he didn't capture Superman's humanity as well. Then again, the idiotic scripts didn't call for him to show that side of Superman.

Dean Cain made Superman fun and lighthearted and was a great Superman for the 1990s. But Christopher Reeve was just such an iconic Superman that Cain had a difficult row to hoe to establish his own Superman. Still, he did very well and I thoroughly enjoyed The Adventures of Lois and Clark.

I didn't watch the WB Superman shows because I'm just not into melodrama/soap operas all that much and unfortunately the WB insists/insisted on turning their shows into melodramatic soap operas.

I've only seen a couple episodes of the George Reeves Superman TV show, but his Superman was a little too "perfect." By that, I mean that his Superman was practically flawless and had no weaknesses nor foibles. As such, he lacked humanity. It's probably more a reflection of the time in which he lived and the place along the evolution of the superhero, but it just doesn't work for someone who grew up with the Christopher Reeve Superman who wasn't afraid to be vulnerable and who wore his humanity as a badge of honor.

I'm completely unfamiliar with the other Superman portrayals so I can't comment intelligently on them.

But thank you @luvmysuper for this opportunity to reflect a bit on Superman and what makes him so great to me.

For many, George Reeves gets a bad rep as Superman because of limitations of technology at the time.
But, honestly consider this:
George Reeves version of Clark Kent was a smart and competent guy. He was no pushover, as would be expected of a crack reporter for a major news organization. He's smooth and a bit ornery and shows a little flash instead of the buffoon type behavior as most modern Clarks are portrayed. I think that the 70's Superman version of Clark ushered in the idea that Superman played Clark as a cowardly, slightly clueless goofball. I don't see how that character, as portrayed, could be hired let alone keep a job as a reporter for a giant news corp.
And his Superman couldn't lift planets and juggle continents, so he had to use his wits as well as his brawn.
Coming off of the Kirk Alyn Superman Serials, which were much more gritty and noir than the TV series with Reeves, he did well within the limitations that TV Censorship and Standards mandated at the time.
He wasn't human, and that version of Superman was very close to the canon documentation at the time, which was the comics. Superman was friendly, and nice, and kind, but he was an alien and knew he was an alien. He didn't show the angst that later versions would portray.
Speaking of which, I personally think that the Cavill version of Superman did an excellent job of showing the humanity and the suffering he went through as a kid growing up - having the ability to mop the floor with the local bully - but having the restraint not to.
It explains his later aloofness and chill towards the humans who were ready to turn him over to Zod without question. His torn emotions displayed when he speaks to the Priest in the church indicates the torment and indecision he went through trying to decide if he valued himself or the population of his adopted planet more. He also displayed the evolution of his feelings as he adopted his place as a member of our civilization because he was the last of his kind and came to realize that this was his home, and "humans" were now his family.
We see this in the development of the character, where Cavill winds up being the confident super hero after his initial struggles. The Christopher Reeve Superman as he first appears as an adult, started off in the place that we see the Cavill Superman winding up at the end of his run as the character.
The Dean Cain version was entertaining, but I thought it was more along the lines of the 60's Batman. A little campy and often played for laughs.

 

[Eric_75]

Christopher Reeve for me. That's the Superman I grew up with.

 

[Sideburns]

George Reeves version of Clark Kent was a smart and competent guy. He was no pushover, as would be expected of a crack reporter for a major news organization.

Yes he was, and I too grew up with him. Another thing about that show that most people don't know is that it caused a permanent change in the comic book's Jimmy Olsen: before the show premiered, he was skinny and wore a broad-brimmed hat like a cloth version of what Buster Keaton wore. Then, DC decided to change is appearance to fit Jack Larson, the actor who played him on TV. He looks a little different now, of course, but you can still see that it's just another take on the comic version of him.

 

[Goatrope]

I too grew up with Superman of the 50's so George Reeves is my number one with Christopher Reeve a close second. I've never watched any of the later Superman movies so I can't really say where they might rank for me. (Didn't realize there were so many versions)

 

[emwolf]

For me Christopher Reeve is the best, particularly because of his ability to pull off making Clark Kent a believable disguise.

 

[Mojo88]

Hands down Christopher Reeve. My son watched the Superman movies with him over and over. It seems like we always had one on.

 

[ChrisPL68]

I also grew up in the 50s with George Reeves but when Lois and Clark came out, there was a good reason Lois had top billing. Teri Hatcher had it all.

 

[Goatrope]

For many, George Reeves gets a bad rep as Superman because of limitations of technology at the time.
But, honestly consider this:
George Reeves version of Clark Kent was a smart and competent guy. He was no pushover, as would be expected of a crack reporter for a major news organization. He's smooth and a bit ornery and shows a little flash instead of the buffoon type behavior as most modern Clarks are portrayed. I think that the 70's Superman version of Clark ushered in the idea that Superman played Clark as a cowardly, slightly clueless goofball. I don't see how that character, as portrayed, could be hired let alone keep a job as a reporter for a giant news corp.
And his Superman couldn't lift planets and juggle continents, so he had to use his wits as well as his brawn.
Coming off of the Kirk Alyn Superman Serials, which were much more gritty and noir than the TV series with Reeves, he did well within the limitations that TV Censorship and Standards mandated at the time.
He wasn't human, and that version of Superman was very close to the canon documentation at the time, which was the comics. Superman was friendly, and nice, and kind, but he was an alien and knew he was an alien. He didn't show the angst that later versions would portray.
Speaking of which, I personally think that the Cavill version of Superman did an excellent job of showing the humanity and the suffering he went through as a kid growing up - having the ability to mop the floor with the local bully - but having the restraint not to.
It explains his later aloofness and chill towards the humans who were ready to turn him over to Zod without question. His torn emotions displayed when he speaks to the Priest in the church indicates the torment and indecision he went through trying to decide if he valued himself or the population of his adopted planet more. He also displayed the evolution of his feelings as he adopted his place as a member of our civilization because he was the last of his kind and came to realize that this was his home, and "humans" were now his family.
We see this in the development of the character, where Cavill winds up being the confident super hero after his initial struggles. The Christopher Reeve Superman as he first appears as an adult, started off in the place that we see the Cavill Superman winding up at the end of his run as the character.
The Dean Cain version was entertaining, but I thought it was more along the lines of the 60's Batman. A little campy and often played for laughs.

I agree with your assessment of the Christopher Reeve portrayal of Clark Kent. A little too dumb and meek.

Other than that, I thought he made a great superman; the physique, the costume, the acting.