Michael Owen Rosenbaum (born July 11, 1972) is an American actor, director, writer and podcaster who grew up in Newburgh, Indiana, near Evansville. He is best known for portraying Lex Luthor on the television series Smallville.
Early Life and Castle High School
Rosenbaum was born in Oceanside, New York, but was raised in Newburgh, Indiana.
He attended Castle High School, where he participated in theater and appeared in several school plays. After graduating from Castle, Rosenbaum attended Western Kentucky University, earning a degree in theater arts before moving to New York City to pursue acting.
Acting Career
Rosenbaum became nationally known for playing Lex Luthor on Smallville from 2001 to 2008. His portrayal of Superman’s future arch-enemy became one of the defining roles of the series, and he later returned for the show’s 2011 series finale.
Rosenbaum has also appeared in films including Urban Legend, Sorority Boys, Bringing Down the House and Cursed.
He joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Martinex in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and returned to the role in 2023’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Rosenbaum has also had an extensive voice-acting career. Most notably, he voiced Wally West/The Flash in the animated series Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. He later starred in the television comedy Impastor.
Back in the Day
Rosenbaum returned home to Southwestern Indiana to make his feature-film directorial debut, Back in the Day.
Rosenbaum wrote, directed and starred in the comedy, which was filmed in Evansville and Newburgh and drew heavily from his experiences growing up in the area.
Filming locations included Castle High School, Green River Road and Pizza King, with local residents and Castle students participating in the production. Rosenbaum described returning home to make the movie as a longtime dream. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}
The film was released in 2014 and featured a cast that included Morena Baccarin, Nick Swardson, Harland Williams and Sarah Colonna.
Podcasts and Recent Career
Rosenbaum has expanded his career into podcasting and has become well known as the host of Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum, featuring long-form conversations with actors, musicians and other entertainers.
He also co-hosts Talk Ville with his former Smallville co-star Tom Welling, revisiting episodes and sharing behind-the-scenes stories from the series. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}
Rosenbaum has continued acting, voice work, podcasting and music while maintaining ties to Southwestern Indiana. He has periodically returned to the Evansville area, including a 2024 visit that he described as being back home in Indiana. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}
Evansville-Area Connection
Although Rosenbaum was not born in Evansville, Newburgh and the Evansville area played a major role in his life. He grew up in Newburgh, attended Castle High School and later brought a Hollywood production back to his hometown area for Back in the Day.
His portrayal of Lex Luthor on Smallville, extensive voice-acting career, film work and successful podcasts have made Michael Rosenbaum one of the most recognizable entertainers to come from the Evansville/Newburgh area.