Lord's work: 20 actors who have portrayed Jesus Christ

“The Passion of the Christ” was a true phenomenon. It’s not a good movie, and it’s as gratuitously violent as many horror movies, but it struck a chord with Christians looking for a movie about Jesus that was overtly religious. The movie was a big success for director Mel Gibson and was big for the career of star Jim Caviezel as well. And those two never did anything that wasn’t chill from there on out!

Screenwriter Paul Schrader and director Martin Scorsese are two filmmakers who have explored their religious beliefs through their work. And yet, “The Last Temptation of Christ” was considered “blasphemous” by many. Dafoe plays Jesus as he deals with all-too-human temptations. Controversial though it may have been, Scorsese still got an Oscar nomination for Best Director.

In terms of the art of filmmaking, D.W. Griffith was immensely influential, as influential as anybody in the early days of the medium. It’s what he decided to do with the medium that has left him with a complicated legacy. He made the massively popular, impeccably crafted “The Birth of a Nation,” which is now best remembered as the movie where the Ku Klux Klan are portrayed as heroes, which helped revive that dormant organization. Griffith followed that up with the epic “Intolerance.” It was also well-received. It was also an evolutionary step in the medium. “Intolerance” was also Griffith's way of saying, “How dare you not tolerate my movie! I’m like Jesus in the story of Jesus!” That’s a roundabout way of getting to the fact Gaye played Jesus in “Intolerance.” He was also in “The Birth of a Nation.” He played Robert E. Lee.

“Ben-Hur,” an iconic epic, was a huge hit. It won 11 Oscars, including Best Picture. It’s a story steeped in Jesus, but almost in a “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” way. Judah Ben-Hur, played by Charlton Heston, lives an eventful life wherein this fellow Jesus keeps coming up. They meet in passing at first, and then again at Jesus’ crucifixion. Heater was an opera singer, not an actor. He also played a major historical figure in one of the most successful movies ever.

Like many talented European actors, the Swedish von Sydow was a brooding leading man on his home continent, but he was often cast as villains in the United States. Not in his first American movie, though. In yet another religious epic from an esteemed director, in this case George Stevens, von Sydow got to play Jesus. The film was “The Greatest Story Ever Told.” It actually wasn’t a big hit, but Heston did get to play John the Baptist. Moving up in the Jesus world!

You’ve maybe heard of the famed 1972 Toronto production of the musical “Godspell.” The one with that cast that included Martin Short, Gilda Radner, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Dave Thomas, and Paul Schaffer. Well, it was Garber who played Jesus in that production. When “Godspell” was turned into a film, he played Jesus in that as well. He was the only one from that cast to get the call for this movie. Since then, Garber has had a good career as a character. He’s the kind of guy who, if you looked him up right now, you’d probably recognize him from something.

Neeley is synonymous with a single role. Be it on stage, or in the film adaptation, he’s Jesus from “Jesus Christ Superstar.” If you know Neeley’s name, it’s because you’ve seen him in “Jesus Christ Superstar.” There are many actors, even successful ones, who never have a signature role. Neeley, however, does (even if Judas has the more memorable songs).

Hunter scored a big coup when he talked himself into a key supporting role, arguably second-billed to John Wayne, in “The Searchers.” That bolstered his career, leading to numerous Westerns and war movies. You know, Wayne-type stuff. In 1961, though, he did something a bit different by playing Jesus in Nicholas Ray’s “The King of Kings.” Man, if you were an acclaimed director with a vision back in the day, you made a movie about Jesus. Also, Rip Torn played Judas in “King of Kings,” which is delightful casting. Reviews were mixed, and Hunter’s career had another setback after he played Captain Pike in the original pilot for “Star Trek.” Sadly, and possibly related to an on-set accident months earlier, Hunter suffered a brain hemorrhage and fell down the stairs. He died at the age of 42.

Sutherland had an eclectic, acclaimed career, but the Canadian actor may seem too iconoclastic to portray Jesus. Movies such as “Animal House,” "Don't Look Now" and “Klute,” don’t say “religious epic” to anybody. Indeed, Sutherland’s turn as Jesus (or “Christ” as he is credited), came in Dalton Trumbo’s “Johnny Got His Gun.” The film is about as dark and, granted, heavy-handed as an anti-war movie can be.

You know, when an alien has burst through your chest, maybe being crucified doesn’t seem too bad. Well, we don’t see Hurt’s Jesus suffer that fate, and if he had, it would have been a lighter version of it. See, Hurt played Jesus in Mel Brooks’ “History of the World, Part I.” This particular comedic set piece takes place at the Last Supper.

“Star Wars” movies. Clint Eastwood movies. Ken Russell movies. Colley had the career of a British character actor. He also got the call to support a cinematic effort from Monty Python. “Life of Brian” is a farcical, absurdist story about Brian, who is, crucially, not the Messiah, even if he continually is confused for, and conflated with, Jesus, who is doing his thing at the same time. While Jesus is a small role in the film, Colley filled it.

Soon enough, Ferrell would be a movie star, but in 1999, he was in a supporting role to Molly Shannon. Well, if we’re being honest, “Superstar” is a Mary Katherine Gallagher movie, not a Shannon movie. She just happened to be the one who played that character on “Saturday Night Live,” and it was decided to give that character a shot on the big screen. “Superstar” is good for an “SNL” movie, which is damnation by faint praise. Ferrell has a dual role as Gallagher’s aloof crush Sky Corrigan and as Jesus.

Why beat around the bush? Sisto starred in a limited series called “Jesus.” It was an Italian-American co-production, airing in Italy in 1999 and then in the United States in 2000. Not that it seems like they skimped on the production. Gary Oldman played Pontius Pilate. Unusually, the series deviated from the biblical stories while also telling the stories of the Gospels, making it more than just a dramatization of the biblical version of Jesus.

He’s played Batman. He’s played Moses. He’s played Gorr the God Butcher. Also, Bale has played Jesus. It was many years ago, before he became a movie star, or even all that famous. Sure, Bale had his child actor roles, but even “American Psycho” would come the year after he played Jesus. Interestingly, the made-for-TV movie, which aired on NBC, was “Mary, Mother of Jesus.” Although Jesus still played a big role in the story, and Bale is the biggest name in the cast.

When acting didn’t work out for Francis, he went back to Canada and directed zombie movies. His biggest acting role came in the movie “Dracula 2000.” What’s Jesus doing in a Dracula movie starring Gerard Butler? Well, late in the movie, there is a twist. It turns out that Dracula was, once upon a time, Judas. Judas became the first vampire. Near as we can tell, Francis was the only actor to return for the direct-to-video sequel “Dracula II: Ascension.”

Davies had a real spookified, supernatural 2017. He was in 13 episodes of “Sleepy Hollow” and an episode of “Twin Peaks: The Return.” However, he also appeared in “American Gods.” The Starz show was based on a Neil Gaiman fantasy novel about the “Old Gods” battling with the “New Gods.” It’s, honestly, a little silly. That being said, Jesus does make an appearance. Well, several Jesuses appear, but Davies as “Jesus Prime” is the one that is notable.

You ever see those memed photos of Phoenix and Rooney Mara in period garb smoking cigarettes? Maybe you have, but there’s a good chance that you didn’t see the movie they were shooting. It’s Mara who is actually the titular character, "Mary Magdalene". Of course, it’s tricky to tell the story of Mary Magdalene without a Jesus, and Phoenix played said Jesus.

Remember the era of live television musicals? Those were spotty at best, but some worked better than others. NBC’s version of “Jesus Christ Superstar” from 2018 is considered one of the best, perhaps the best. They were able to do some splashy casting, including Legend. He’s not an actor by and large, but he is a musician with an acclaimed voice. That allowed him to step into the lead role and do it with aplomb, even live.

The creator of “The Boondocks” and the creator of “Trailer Park Boys” joined forces to create a live-action show for Adult Swim. That show was “Black Jesus.” The comedy, framed as a sitcom, was about Jesus in modern-day Compton, California. In the role of Jesus was Gerald Johnson, also known as Gerald “Slink” Johnson, also known by his rap name Slink Capone. While “Black Jesus” may seem like a one-note premise with little shelf life, it ran for 31 episodes.

On “South Park,” most of the characters have long been voiced by the show’s creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Given the anything-for-a-laugh, aren’t-we-so-edgy nature of that show’s comedy, it’s no surprise that Jesus has popped up. In fact, Jesus has been part of the world of “South Park” since the earliest shorts. Stone handled voicing Jesus. Parker, meanwhile, voiced both of Jesus’ top enemies: Satan and Santa Claus.