Joshua Goldman
Joshua Goldman
min read · June 29, 2025 · Entertainment

From Superman's Sweetheart to Smallville: Annette O'Toole at 73

In 1983 Annette O'Toole appeared as the title character's love interest Lana Lang in Superman III, starring Christopher Reeve during his iconic run as the Man of Steel

Exclusive Scoop: Annette O'Toole's Wild Ride Through Hollywood!

Get ready for a dose of Tinseltown nostalgia as we dish out the juiciest facts about the incomparable Annette O'Toole, the 73-year-old actress who's still got it going on! From her early days as Lana Lang in Superman III to her current stint as Hope McCrea on Netflix's Virgin River, this Texan beauty has packed a whopping six decades of showbiz into her resume.

But let's start at the beginning. Born in Houston, Annette was just 11 when she and her family migrated to Los Angeles, where she made her TV debut on The Danny Kaye Show at the tender age of 13! Talk about fast-tracking your way to stardom!

Now 73 years old and starring on the smash Netflix series Virgin River, Annette cut a sprightly figure when she surfaced in Los Angeles this week

The 1970s were a whirlwind of variety shows, with Annette making appearances on Gunsmoke, Hawaii Five-O, and The Partridge Family. She even scored a role in the darkly comedic TV movie The Girl Most Likely To..., starring Stockard Channing and penned by none other than Joan Rivers herself!

Fast-forward to the 1980s, when Annette broke into the big screen with the beauty pageant satire Smile, alongside Bruce Dern and Barbara Feldon. But let's get to the good stuff – her iconic role as Lana Lang in Superman III (1983), opposite Christopher Reeve's dashing Clark Kent!

Annette still gets giddy talking about Chris Reeve: "He was fantastic, so kind... He invited me to his home, took me to see Simon and Garfunkel at Wembley Stadium... He took me down to the commissary and said, 'Start a tab for her here!' I never went again because I brought my cheese and crackers from home – but he couldn't have been more generous and sweet!"

Annette played Clark Kent's adoptive mother on Smallville, for which she is pictured with her screen husband John Schneider (left) and screen son Tom Welling (right)

The 1990s saw Annette become a TV fixture, starring in police procedural Nash Bridges and the miniseries adaptation of Stephen King's It (yes, that It!). She even earned an Emmy nod for her portrayal of Rose Kennedy on The Kennedys of Massachusetts!

But wait, there's more! In 2001, Annette returned to the Superman universe as Martha Kent, adoptive mother of Clark Kent (played by Tom Welling), on the hit CW show Smallville. She remained a series regular for six seasons before making sporadic appearances in the final two.

In a candid interview with thescholarlynote.com, Annette confessed: "As time went on for the series, it was a little frustrating that there wasn't more for Martha to do... I was kind of just doing the same scenes over and over again."

She was a fixture on TV in the 1990s, including on the police procedural Nash Bridges and the miniseries of Stephen King's evil clown book It

Since then, she's continued to pop up in beloved TV shows like Law & Order, Grey's Anatomy, and Private Practice. And since 2019, she's been bringing her A-game as Hope McCrea on Netflix's Virgin River!

On the personal front, Annette has been married to Best in Show and This Is Spinal Tap star Michael McKean since 1999, and has two daughters by her first husband Bill Geisslinger, whom she was married to from 1983 to 1993.

There you have it – Annette O'Toole's wild ride through Hollywood! With a career spanning nearly six decades, this talented Texan has left an indelible mark on the entertainment industry. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride with Annette O'Toole, the queen of Tinseltown!

She slipped into a flowy purple V-neck blouse that fell flatteringly over her enviably lithe frame, teamed with a fitted set of moss green trousers

In spite of the summer heat, the native Texan came prepared for a potential dip in temperatures with a fashionable camel-toned jacket

Letting her grey hair tumble freely over her shoulders, she accessorized with tortoiseshell shades and a black cross-body handbag

In the 1970s, she featured on a variety of hit shows ranging from Gunsmoke to Hawaii Five-O to The Partridge Family, and also acted in the darkly comic TV movie The Girl Most Likely To...

That decade, she broke into the big screen with the beauty pageant satire Smile, playing one of the contestants in a cast that included Bruce Dern and Barbara Feldon

As the 1990s rolled along, she earned another place in fantasy history by featuring in the famed miniseries of Stephen King's It as the adult version of Beverley Marsh

During the same decade she earned an Emmy nod for playing John F. Kennedy's mother Rose on the ABC miniseries The Kennedys of Massachusetts

Since 2019 she has been starring on Netflix' smash hit romantic Western series Virgin River as Hope McCrea, the mayor of the titular California town

Annette, who is pictured with Christopher in Superman III, later described Christopher as 'fantastic' and 'so kind,' on the podcast Inside Of You

Annette, pictured on Smallville, later admitted of the series: 'As time went on for the series, it was a little frustrating that there wasn¿t more for Martha to do'