John Glover
John Glover (born August 7, 1944) is an American actor who has played a range of quirky and villainous roles in films and television, such as Lionel Luthor in Smallville, Dr. Jason Woodrue in Batman & Robin and the voice of Riddler in the DC Animated Universe. He also played the role of Daniel Clamp in Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990).
Also recorded as John Soursby Glover Jr.
John Glover

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- Name
- John Glover
- Born
- 7 August 1944
- Birthplace
- Kingston, New York, U.S.
- Education
- Towson University
- Occupation
- Actor
- Full name
- John Soursby Glover Jr.
- Nationality
- United States
- Honours
- Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play · Ovation Awards
- Languages
- English
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John Glover (born August 7, 1944) is an American actor who has played a range of quirky and villainous roles in films and television, such as Lionel Luthor in Smallville, Dr. Jason Woodrue in Batman & Robin and the voice of Riddler in the DC Animated Universe. He also played the role of Daniel Clamp in Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990).
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In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — John Glover • Born — 7 August 1944 • Birthplace — Kingston, New York, U.S. • Education — Towson University • Occupation — Actor • Years Active — 1970–present
Early life
Early life
Glover was born in Kingston, New York, and raised in Salisbury, Maryland. His father was a television salesman. Glover attended Wicomico High School and acted at Towson University. Glover began his career at the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia, and later studied acting at the Beverly Hills Playhouse under Milton Katselas.
Career
Career
Glover began his career in television, playing a mentally disturbed man who kidnapped Joanne, the lead character in Search for Tomorrow. One of his early film performances was a role as a U.S. diplomat in White Nights. His other roles include Alan Raimy in 52 Pick-Up, Bryce Cummings in Scrooged, Tony Gateworth in Masquerade, Daniel Clamp in Gremlins 2: The New Batch, a mobster in Payback, an advertising spokesman in RoboCop 2, Derek Mills in Night of the Running Man, the Riddler in Batman: The Animated Series, Doctor Jason Woodrue in Batman & Robin, Verad in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Invasive Procedures", the Devil in the series Brimstone, and a recurring role in The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd as Cousin Jerry, from Bal'mer, a relative whom no one actually seemed to know. In 1987, Glover appeared in the Miami Vice episode "Lend Me an Ear" as Steve Duddy. He also appeared in two episodes of Murder, She Wrote, "One White Rose for Death" and "When Thieves Fall Out". He appeared in the television film An Early Frost in 1985, the first TV film to confront the issue of AIDS, and received an Emmy nomination for his performance as a gay AIDS patient. In 1986, he appeared in the TV film Apology with Lesley Ann Warren. • Illustration — Glover at the 1991 Emmy Awards Glover appeared in the role of Max Brodsky, an inmate in concentration camps and later a fighter for Israel's independence, in Ian Sharp's 1989 TV miniseries Twist of Fate (also known as Pursuit). That same year, he played a hard-driving immoral district sales manager in HBO's Traveling Man. He also received a 1994 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his appearance in Frasier. Glover played Lionel Luthor on Smallville from 2001 to 2008, where he performed as a guest actor in the show's first season and then appeared as a full cast member from seasons two to seven. He later returned in 2010 and 2011 for the tenth and final season as a parallel universe version of the character. Glover had a small role in the Woody Allen film Annie Hall (1977) in a flashback in which he tells the title character, "Touch my heart. With your foot." He had a recurring role in Law & Order: Criminal Intent as Declan Gage, an old friend and mentor to Detective Robert Goren. On ABC's Brothers & Sisters Glover played Henry, the boyfriend of Saul Holden, in 2009. In Heroes he had a brief appearance as Samson Gray, the father of Sylar. Glover had made notable appearances on stage, winning a Tony Award for Featured Actor in a Play for his dual roles in the Broadway play Love! Valour! Compassion!, which he reprised in the film version. In 2004, he performed with the Philadelphia Theatre Company staging of Edward Albee's The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? Glover also appeared as "man in the chair/narrator" in The Drowsy Chaperone on Broadway during the summer of 2007. He played the role of Lucky in a Broadway production of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot, for which he earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play. In 2014, he appeared as Leonato in the Shakespeare in the Park production of Much Ado About Nothing. Glover played Telemachus in Yuri Rasovsky's Peabody Award-winning radio dramatization of The Odyssey of Homer and has acted in several radio plays of the LA Theatre Works. Glover has also narrated audiobooks. In 2011, he performed the audiobook version of Ghost Story, the thirteenth novel in Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files series. In October and November 2011, he performed in David Bar Katz's drama The Atmosphere of Memory at the Bank Street Theatre in New York City, co-starring with Ellen Burstyn in a LAByrinth production. He played the role of Uncle Ben in the 2012 Broadway production of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, directed by Mike Nichols. Glover rehearsed the role of John Kreese in behind-the-scenes pre-production footage from The Karate Kid, indicating he may have been considered for that role. In 2013, Glover starred in the horror anthology Sanitarium. He also guest-starred in an episode of Agent Carter. Glover has done various voice-over work for several projects related to Tron: Legacy: the villain Abraxas in Tron: Evolution, and Dyson in Tron: Uprising. In 2014, he guest-starred on The Blacklist in the episode titled "Berlin".
Personal life
Personal life
Glover is gay. He married sculptor Adam Kurtzman in 2016, whom he had been dating since 1993. Additionally, Glover claims to have slept with Freddie Mercury in the 1970s. Glover is involved with the Alzheimer's Association. His father had Alzheimer's disease, leading Glover to become more active in charity and activism surrounding the disorder. Glover returns to Towson annually to work with theater students. The theater department awards a scholarship in his name.
Television
Television
List of television appearances and roles • Year — Title — Role — Notes — Reference(s) • 1975 — Kojak — Billy Jo — Episode: "Elegy in an Asphalt Graveyard" • 1984 — George Washington — Charles Lee — Episode: "Charles Lee" • 1985 — ABC Afterschool Specials — Mr. Stewart — Episode: "Don't Touch" • 1985 — An Early Frost — Victor DiMato — Television film • 1986 — data-sort-value="Twilight Zone, The"|The Twilight Zone — The Alien Ambassador — Episode: "A Small Talent for War" • 1986 — Apology — Philip — Cable television film • 1986 — Murder, She Wrote — Franz Mueller — Episode: "One White Rose for Death" • 1987 — Nutcracker: Money, Madness and Murder — Richard Behrens — Episode: 1-3 (entire miniseries) • 1987 — Miami Vice — Steve Duddy — Episode: "Lend Me an Ear" • 1987 — Murder, She Wrote — Andrew Durbin — Episode: "When Thieves Fall Out" • 1988 — David — Charles Rothenberg — Television film • 1989 — Breaking Point — Dr. Gerber — Television film • 1989 — Twist of Fate — Max Brodsky — TV miniseries • 1989 — data-sort-value="Hitchhiker, The" | The Hitchhiker — Miles Duchet — Episode: "Striptease" • 1990 — El Diablo — Autolycus, The Peacher — Television film • 1991 — What Ever Happened to... — Billy Korn — Television film • Tales from the Crypt — Sebastian Esbrook — Episode: "Undertaking Palor" • 1992 — Drug Wars: The Cocaine Cartel — "Loco" Garrison — Television film • data-sort-value="Ray Bradbury Theater, The"|The Ray Bradbury Theater — Walter Grip — Episode: "Silent Towns" • 1993 — Frasier — Ned Miller — Episode: "Oops" • Crime & Punishment — Dennis Atwood — Episode: "Best Laid Plans" Nominated for Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series • data-sort-value="Legend of Prince Valiant, The" |The Legend of Prince Valiant — King Edward — Voice, episode: "The Blackest Poison" • Animaniacs — Rasputin — Voice, episode: "Nothing but the Tooth" • Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — Verad — Episode: "Invasive Procedures" • 1992–1994 — Dinosaurs — Babysitter / Prosecutor / Lucius — Voice, 3 episodes • Batman: The Animated Series — Edward Nygma / Riddler — Voice, 3 episodes • 1998 — Superman: The Animated Series — Voice, episode: "Knight Time" • data-sort-value="New Batman Adventures, The"|The New Batman Adventures — Voice, episode: "Judgement Day" • Pinky and the Brain — Tycoon — Voice, episode: "Pinky's Turn" • 1998–1999 — Brimstone — The Devil, Angel — 13 episodes • 1999–2001 — Haunted History — The Narrator — Voice, 25 episodes • 2001–2008, 2010-2011 — Smallville — Lionel Luthor — 145 episodes • 2006–2009 — Numb3rs — Samuel Craft, The Psychic — 2 episodes • 2006–2008 — Law & Order: Criminal Intent — Declan Gage — 2 episodes • 2009 — Heroes — Samson Gray — Episode: "Shades of Gray" • 2009 — Brothers & Sisters — Henry Mittner — Episode: "Owning It" • 2011–2015 — data-sort-value="Good Wife, The" | The Good Wife — Jared Andrews — 4 episodes • 2012–2013 — Tron: Uprising — Dyson — Voice, 4 episodes • 2014 — The Blacklist — Dr. Bruce Sanders — Episode: "Berlin" • 2014 — Perception — The Devil — Episode: "Possession" • 2015 — Agent Carter — SSR Informant — Episode: "The Iron Ceiling" • 2017 — The Lost Wife of Robert Durst — Seymour Durst — Television film • 2019 — data-sort-value="Good Fight, The" | The Good Fight — Jared Andrews — Episode: "The One Where a Nazi Gets Punched" • Tales of the City — Bill Schwartz — Episode: "Next Level Sh*t" • Evil — Byron Duke — Episode: "3 Stars" • 2021 — Fear the Walking Dead — Theodore "Teddy" Maddox — 5 episodes • Lucifer — Peter Peterson — Episode: "Family Dinner" • 2022 — Dead in the Water: A Fear the Walking Dead Story — Theodore "Teddy" Maddox — Web series; episode: "This Ain't It" • 2023–2025 — And Just Like That... — Elliot — 3 episodes • 2025 — Gremlins — Rodney — Voice, episode: "Never Get Out of the Truck"
Theatre
Theatre
List of theatre roles • Year — Title — Role — Notes — Reference(s) • 1977 — The Importance of Being Earnest — Algernon Moncrieff • 1981 — Frankenstein — Henry Clerval • 1984 — Design for Living — Leo • 2012 — Death of a Salesman — Ben Loman • 2013–2014 — Macbeth — Witch, Porter, Third Murderer • 2018 — Saint Joan — The Archbishop of Rheims, A Gentleman • 2025 — Life, Death, and Other Opportunities
Video games
Video games
List of video game voice roles • Year — Title — Role — Notes — Reference(s) • 1994 — The Adventures of Batman & Robin — Edward Nygma / Riddler • 2003 — Wallace & Gromit in Project Zoo — Help Points • 2010 — Tron: Evolution — Abraxas, Jalen
Audiobooks
Audiobooks
List of audiobook roles • Year — Title — Author — Notes — Reference(s) • 1992 — The Thief of Always (abridged) — Clive Barker • 1999 — Night Shift — Stephen King • The Lawnmower Man — Stephen King • Gray Matter — Stephen King • Thank You for Smoking — Christopher Buckley • 2009 — Level 26: Dark Origins — Anthony E. Zuiker • 2010 — Worst Case — James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge • The Bride Collector — Ted Dekker • The Tempest — William Shakespeare • Star Wars: Red Harvest — Joe Schreiber • 2011 — Gideon's Sword — Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child • Dracula (Dramatized) — Bram Stoker and Charles Morey
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1944
John Glover born at Kingston.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
- Salisbury
Named but not plotted · 1
Kingston.
Birth place
Film
List of films and roles • Year — Title — Role — Notes — Reference(s) • 1973 — Shamus — Johnnie • 1977 — Annie Hall — Actor Boy Friend • 1977 — Julia — Sammy • 1978 — Somebody Killed Her Husband — Herbert Little • 1979 — Last Embrace — Richard Peabody • 1980 — data-sort-value="American Success Company, The"|The American Success Company — Ernst • 1980 — data-sort-value="Mountain Men, The" | The Mountain Men — Nathan Wyeth • 1980 — Melvin and Howard — Freese, Attorney #2 • 1981 — data-sort-value="Incredible Shrinking Woman, The"|The Incredible Shrinking Woman — Tom Keller • 1982 — data-sort-value="Little Sex, A"|A Little Sex — Walter • 1984 — data-sort-value="Evil That Men Do, The" | The Evil That Men Do — Briggs • 1985 — White Nights — Wynn Scott • 1986 — data-sort-value="Killing Affair, A"|A Killing Affair — Sheb Sheppard • 1986 — 52 Pick-Up — Alan Raimy • 1986 — Willy/Milly — Fred Niceman • 1988 — Masquerade — Tony Gateworth • 1988 — Rocket Gibraltar — Rolo Rockwell • 1988 — Scrooged — Brice Cummings • 1988 — data-sort-value="Chocolate War, The"|The Chocolate War — Brother Leon • 1989 — Meet the Hollowheads — Henry Hollowhead • 1990 — Gremlins 2: The New Batch — Daniel Clamp • 1990 — RoboCop 2 — Magnavolt Salesman • 1993 — Ed and His Dead Mother — A.J. Pattle • 1994 — In the Mouth of Madness — Saperstein • 1995 — Night of the Running Man — Derek Mills • 1995 — Automatic — Goddard Marx • 1997 — Love! Valour! Compassion! — John Jeckyll / James Jeckyll • 1997 — Batman & Robin — Dr. Jason Woodrue • 1997 — Medusa's Child — Rogers Henry • 1998 — Dead Broke — Sam • 1997 — data-sort-value="Broken Giant, The"|The Broken Giant — Bennett Hale • 1999 — Payback — Phil • 1999 — Macbeth in Manhattan — Richard, The Director • 2001 — data-sort-value="Body, The" | The Body — Jesus Christ Street Actor • 2001 — On Edge — Yuri Moskvin • 2002 — Mid-Century — Bill Gates • 2004 — Tricks — Ralph • 2004 — data-sort-value="Kiss at Kerouac's Grave, A" | A Kiss at Kerouac's Grave — Will • 2005 — data-sort-value="Civilization of Maxwell Bright, The"|The Civilization of Maxwell Bright — Ogden • 2013 — Sanitarium — Gustav — Segment: "Figuratively Speaking" • 2013 — Sweet Talk — Professor / Count • 2014 — Reality — Zog • 2015 — You Bury Your Own — Detective Gillespie • 2016 — We Go On — Dr. Ellison • 2019 — Shazam! — Mr. Sivana • 2022 — Fatal Influence: Like. Follow. Survive — The Grand Zel • 2025 — The Home — Lou
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Almanac: Today's Birthdays. Newsday. A2. August 7, 1998.
- 2.Buck, Jerry. To Smile—and Still Be Glover: Actor's Villainy in 'Grass Roots' Makes Room For Shakespeare. Los Angeles Times. February 23, 1992.
- 3.Who's who from Salisbury. Daily Times.
- 4.Cox, Jeremy. Actor John Glover returns to Salisbury for a cause. Delmarva Now. September 22, 2014.
- 5.John Glover Biography. Yahoo.
- 6.Phedre Sold Out Six Nights In World Premiere. Tower Light. 25 March 1966.
- 7.John Glover on The Beverly Hills Playhouse Acting School.
- 8.JOHN GLOVER - Emmy Awards, Nominations and Wins. Emmys.com. March 3, 2024.
- 9.TVGuide.com. Lionel Luthor Returning to Smallville. TV Guide.
- 10.Brantley, Ben. Lily Rabe in 'Much Ado About Nothing' in Central Park. New York Times. June 17, 2014.
- 11.YouTube.com. THE KARATE KID 1983 READ THRU PART 1. May 17, 2010.
- 12.The Iron Ceiling. 5.
- 13.Unqualified Productions. John Glover. Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum. June 18, 2019.
- 14.Green, Bill. Out in Smallville: Smallville's John Glover. WC Times. June 22, 2005.
- 15.Towson University. Cofac Today. 7. 2013.
- 16.Waldsachs, Wendy S. Tony Award-winning alumnus John Glover visits TSU theatre department. The Towerlight. 12 October 1995.
- 17.Scholarships for Current Majors. Towson University.
- 18.John Glover. Turner Classic Movies.
- 19.John Glover List of Movies and TV Shows. TV Guide.
- 20.Shazam! Movie Reportedly Casts Smallville's John Glover. Screen Rant. January 10, 2019.
- 21.Behind The Voice Actors. John Glover (visual voices guide).
- 22.Taylor, Drew. Gremlins: The Wild Batch Adds Simu Liu as Series Regular, Sets Season 2 Premiere Date. TheWrap. July 26, 2024.
- 23.Internet Broadway Database. John Glover - Broadway Cast & Staff. November 13, 2025.
- 24.Rabinowitz, Chloe. John Glover to Star in LIFE, DEATH, AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES at Interact Theatre Company. BroadwayWorld. November 11, 2025.
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John Glover is recorded as having received Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play and Ovation Awards. Recorded at birth as John Soursby Glover Jr.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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