At the time of this posting (2024), there have been ten actresses who have portrayed the character of Lana Lang on television or film. This quick tour will take a look at each of them. How many do you remember?!
Lana Lang debuted in Superboy (vol. 1) #10 (September 1950), the creation by Bill Finger and John Sikela. She is the childhood friend and classmate of a young Clark Kent growing up in Smallville. Originally she wasn't much more than a Lois Lane stand-in for Superman's adventures when he was Superboy. Lana was infatuated with Superboy and looked down on Clark Kent. She was also often obsessed with the notion that the two were the same person. Superboy would vacillate between recognizing Lana as a pest, or as his girlfriend!
A decade after her debut in Superboy tales, an adult Lana would begin appearing in Superman stories. The 1960s established a whimsical friendship AND rivalry between Lana and Lois Lane.
Her character has been an ever-evolving one. Through the decades and numerous reboots and continuity revisions, Lana has been a heroine known as Insect Queen, the confidant to Clark's secret powers as a child, the adoptive aunt to Linda (Supergirl) Lang, the wife of Pete Ross, and the heroine known as Superwoman. Her history is worthy of a future in-depth tour!
For now, though, let's take a quick tour of the actresses who have portrayed Lana in live-action venues.
After the death of George Reeves, The Adventures of Superman TV series had to cease production. Hoping to capitalize on the success of that show, a pilot for a new series, The Adventures of Superboy, was produced in 1961. Johnny Rockwell portrayed Clark Kent/Superboy, and Bunny Henning was cast as Lana Lang.
A series was never put into production, but this pilot can be found on VHS and DVD through specialty distributors.
In 1978 the world anxiously awaited the debut of the blockbuster film, Superman, starring Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, and Marlon Brando. The movie was directed by Richard Donner and heralded the slogan, "You'll believe a man can fly"!
Early in the film, a teenage Clark Kent (Jeff East) spends some moments swooning over popular cheerleader, Lana Lang, portrayed by Diane Sherry.
Christopher Reeve's Superman would ultimately appear in a franchise of four films. The third film, titled Superman III, was released in 1983. Because of behind-the-scenes animosities between actress Margot Kidder (Lois Lane) and producers Ilya Salkind and Alexander Salkind, the character of Lois would only appear in the film for a few moments. Lois leaves early in the movie to take a vacation in Bermuda.
Clark's love interest in Superman III was a grownup Lana Lang, still living in Smallville. She is a divorcee and the mom of a little boy named Ricky. She and Clark reunite during a High School reunion. The role of Lana is played by Annette O'Toole. (Ms. O'Toole would later play the role of Martha Kent for 8 seasons on the television series, Smallville.)
The Salkinds would go on to produce a Superboy television series. Ironically, the Superboy series would debut in 1988, the year following the DC maxi-series, Crisis on Infinite Earths, which erased the notion that Clark was ever a superhero as a young boy or teenager!
The series was produced for syndication and was popular enough to be extended to four seasons. The show centered around Clark Kent (played by John Haymes Newton in season 1, and Christopher Gerard for the remaining 3 seasons) and Lana Lang as they begin their college years. Lana Lange was portrayed by Stacy Haiduk.
The next live-action Superman-related television series also lasted four seasons. Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman aired on ABC from 1993 through 1997. It featured Dean Cain as Clark Kent/Superman and Teri Hatcher as Lois Lane.
In season 3, there was an alternate universe-themed story titled, "Tempus Anyone?," which featured Emily Procter as Lana Lang.
The network promoted the show with the slogan, "No tights, no flights". This series did not feature a Superboy or Superman. It was instead a coming-of-age serial drama that focused on the struggles of Clark Kent (Tom Welling), an outsider trying to fit in. Clark is friends with a young Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum) and he has an immense crush on fellow student, Lana Lang.
Canadian actress Kristin Kreuk portrayed Lana Lang as a series regular in seasons 1 through 7, and she would make several guest appearances in season 8. The series itself was very popular and lasted for a total of 10 seasons.
In seasons 1 and 2 of Smallville, some episodes feature flashbacks to when Lana was a little girl. In these flashbacks, Lana is portrayed by Jade Unterman.
In a flashback scene, young Clark Kent is being bullied by classmates when the school bus they are riding in goes off a bridge into the water. Clark exits the back of the bus and brings the vehicle up to land. His act of bravery is witnessed by his classmate, Lana Lang, played by Jadin Gould.
The adult version of Jadin Gould's Lana Lang would have a brief appearance in the film Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. In this film, Superman (Henry Cavill) dies. When Clark Kent's funeral is held in Kansas, one attendee is Lana Lang, portrayed by Emily Peterson.
In the series, Clark Kent (Tyler Hoechlin) and Lois Lane Kent (Elizabeth Tulloch) move to Smallville to raise their two sons, Jonathan and Jordan. Lana starts out as a housewife and mother but soon runs for mayor and wins. After discovering that Kyle had an affair, she and Kyle split and ultimately they divorce. Shortly after moving back to Smallville, Clark decided to trust Lana with the secret of his dual identity.
Superman & Lois debuted on the CW Network in 2021. Its fourth (and final) season is scheduled to be aired in early 2024.
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