Born in the Bronx, NY, in 1972, actor Michael Landes began his acting career on the opposite coast, with a recurring role on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. After getting his feet wet with more television work, Landes landed an even bigger break when he was cast as Jimmy Olsen on the series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman in 1993. After the first season, however, producers decided that the young actor's chiseled good looks were a little too manly for the boyish role, and Landes was cut loose. He continued to work in films like Hart's War and on series like The Drew Carey Show, and in 1998, he both produced and starred in the film Getting Personal. In 2000, he married actress Wendy Benson, and he continued to build up his resumé, even snagging a staring role in the British series Love Soup. Then, in 2008, he was cast in the independent film Possession, boosting his profile and gearing him up for his next role in the thriller Homecoming, in which he starred alongside Mischa Barton.
Michael Landes
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- Spent early years in New York City, but moved to California when he was 13.
- Trained at the Stella Adler Academy of Acting in Los Angeles.
- Originated the role of Jimmy Olsen in Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman in 1993, but was replaced by Justin Whalin after the first season because producers thought he looked too much like series lead Dean Cain.
- For his role in Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, he did research by following photographers from the Los Angeles Times for a couple of weeks.
- Met his wife on the set of The Gentleman From Boston (2000).
- In 2010, he starred in an adaptation of David Mamet's House of Games on the London stage.
- Appeared as American millionaire Caspar Landry in the BBC's 2012 remake of Upstairs Downstairs.
- Father-in-law is celebrated photojournalist Harry Benson, famous for his pictorials of the Beatles, Bobby Fischer and a number of U.S. presidents.