Martin Short’s co-star Annette O’Toole played Superman’s love interest and then his mother… see her now at 73

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Annette O’Toole, a well-known actress from Hollywood, has had a long and successful career spanning almost six decades in the entertainment industry.

In 1983, she played Lana Lang, the love interest of Superman (played by Christopher Reeve), in the movie Superman III. Reeve was well-known for his portrayal of the Man of Steel at the time.

One of her films was the 1987 romantic comedy Cross My Heart, where she and Martin Short played a couple on a third date who were both keeping secrets from each other.

After twenty years, she reappeared in the world of Superman on the popular CW series Smallville, but this time playing a very different character than she had before.

In the TV series Smallville, Annette O’Toole played Martha Kent, the loving adoptive mother of Clark Kent, portrayed by Tom Welling.

At 73, actress Alexandra Breckenridge, known for her role in the popular Netflix series Virgin River, was seen looking stylish while running errands in Los Angeles this week.

She wore a long, flowing blue jacket with acid-wash jeans and stylish brown leather boots.

O’Toole’s long, brown hair, with hints of grey, flowed down around her face as she ran her daily errands, highlighting her radiant skin.

As the temperature rose in California, the Texas-born woman took off her jacket, showing off a fashionable grey sweater she was wearing underneath.

Born in Houston, she moved to Los Angeles with her family when she was 13. Just two years later, at age 15, she first appeared on television as a guest on The Danny Kaye Show.

Throughout the 1970s, she appeared in many popular television series, including classics like Gunsmoke, Hawaii Five-O, and The Partridge Family. She also played a role in the darkly humorous TV movie The Girl Most Likely To…, which starred Stockard Channing and was written by Joan Rivers.

During the 1970s, she launched her film career with the satirical comedy Smile, where she played a beauty pageant contestant alongside actors like Bruce Dern and Barbara Feldon.

She became widely known in 1983 for her role as Lana Lang in Superman III, where she played the love interest of Christopher Reeve’s Clark Kent.

Even though the third movie didn’t quite reach the same heights as the first two, I’ve always seen fans hold a special place in their hearts for O’Toole’s portrayal of Lana. It was a really memorable performance, and clearly resonated with audiences despite the film’s overall reception.

In an interview on Michael Rosenbaum’s podcast, Inside Of You, she spoke highly of Christopher, calling him ‘fantastic’ and ‘so kind’.

I’ll never forget when she first joined the production. Chris Reeve was so welcoming – he invited me to his home and I met his lovely family, his wife or girlfriend and their adorable kids. We all had dinner together, and then Chris took me to see Simon & Garfunkel perform at Wembley Stadium! It was an incredible experience, and I felt instantly part of the team thanks to his generosity.

Honestly, I barely knew the man, but that was just him. He’d just…give me things! Meals, tickets to premieres, you name it. Then, when we were filming at Pinewood, he walked me into the commissary and, so casually, told someone to start a tab for me. A tab! It was amazing, just the kind of thing he’d do, so generous and…thoughtful. I was completely floored!

O’Toole explained that he didn’t return after his first visit, even though he always brought his own snacks. He emphasized how kind and generous the host had been.

She spent weeks filming scenes with him only as Clark Kent, so seeing him in the full Superman suit was a complete shock.

O’Toole admitted she was so overwhelmed at that moment that she started stuttering and got chills when she saw Superman. It wasn’t Christopher Reeve playing the role; it was the full Superman costume and persona, and even recalling it now gives her goosebumps.

Four years after that, her film with Martin Short, a romantic comedy called Cross My Heart, failed to make any money at the box office.

She fondly remembered working with Short, telling therapist Kara Mayer Robinson on the ‘Really Famous’ podcast that she often left work with a sore face from laughing so much.

Throughout the 1990s, she became well-known in the fantasy genre for her role in the popular miniseries adaptation of Stephen King’s It. She played the adult Beverley Marsh, a woman who faced the terrifying clown Pennywise as a child.

I was so thrilled when she received an Emmy nomination for her portrayal of Rose Kennedy in the ABC miniseries, The Kennedys of Massachusetts. It was a truly captivating performance, and so deserving of recognition!

Oh my gosh, it was EVERYTHING when she came back to the Superman universe! I nearly lost it when she started playing Martha Kent on Smallville – Clark’s adoptive mother! It was just… perfect. Seeing her in that role felt like everything was right with the world again.

She was a main cast member for the first six seasons. After her contract ended, she made occasional appearances in the final two seasons.

O’Toole shared with the Daily Planet that as the show continued, they became a bit frustrated with the limited role for their character, Martha. They explained that they often found themselves repeating similar scenes.

Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, she made appearances on popular television series like Law & Order, Grey’s Anatomy, and Private Practice.

Since 2019, Annette O’Toole has played Hope McCrea, the mayor of Virgin River, in the popular Netflix series of the same name.

Personally, she’s been married to actor Michael McKean (known for roles in Best in Show and This Is Spinal Tap) since 1999. She also has two daughters from her previous marriage to Bill Geisslinger, which lasted from 1983 to 1993.

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2026-03-15 04:04