By Jessica Wedemeyer
3:00am PST, Dec 30, 2022
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It's been 21 years since "Smallville" premiered! To celebrate actress Kristin Kreuk's 40th birthday on Dec. 30, 2022, Wonderwall.com is taking a look back at the stars of the superhero series — which centered around Clark Kent's life in the titular small town in Kansas in the years before he officially became Superman — and how they've changed over the years. Keep reading to catch up with Kristin, Tom Welling, Allison Mack and more…
MORE: Stars who had babies in 2022
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In 2009 — the same year she made her final appearance on "Smallville" — Kristin Kreuk portrayed the title character in "Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li." She then had a four-episode stint on "Chuck" and appeared in a handful of smaller independent films before headlining The CW's "Beauty and the Beast" from 2012 to 2016. More recently, she starred on the Canadian legal drama "Burden of Truth," which came to an end after four seasons in 2021, then appeared in four episodes of the Amazon TV series "Reacher" in 2022. Kristin was once romantically linked to actor Mark Hildreth, but aside from that, she's managed to keep her love life completely under wraps over the years.
MORE: The best photos of stars and their kids in 2022
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Tom Welling starred as Clark Kent, who was just a high school kid coming to terms with his true identity when "Smallville" first kicked off in 2001.
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After "Smallville" came to an end in 2011, Tom Welling appeared in a trio of dramatic films — "Parkland," "Draft Day" and "The Choice" — before returning to television on "Lucifer." He then briefly returned to the role of Clark Kent on The CW's "Crisis on Infinite Earths" Arrowverse crossover event in 2019. More recently, he starred alongside Brendan Fraser on the action series "Professionals," which debuted internationally in 2020 but has yet to become available for American audiences. He also popped up on an episode of The CW's "Supernatural" spinoff series, "The Winchesters," in 2022. Tom and "Smallville" co-star Michael Rosenbaum debuted their official "Smallville" rewatch podcast, "Talk Ville," in 2022. A year after "Smallville" came to an end, Tom and his first wife, Jamie White, split following a decade of marriage. In 2019 — nearly a year after they welcomed their first child together, son Thomson Wylde — Tom married his girlfriend of five years, Jessica Rose Lee. In 2021, Tom and Jessica welcomed their second child, son Rocklin Von.
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Michael Rosenbaum starred on the first seven seasons of "Smallville" as Lex Luthor, Clark Kent's onetime friend and eventual enemy.
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Michael Rosenbaum went on to star in a handful of smaller films including Dax Shepard's 2012 action-comedy "Hit and Run" and the 2017 thriller "The Neighbor." He also had a small part in 2017's "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" (he'll reprise the role in the 2023 sequel) and starred on two short-lived crime-comedies: "Breaking In" and "Impastor," in which he portrayed the titular crook. Michael made his feature film directorial debut with 2014's "Back in the Day." (He also wrote and starred in the comedy.) Since 2018, he's hosted the celebrity interview podcast "Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum" and in 2021, he released his first album, "Best Days," with his band Sun Spin. He and "Smallville" co-star Tom Welling began hosting the "Smallville" rewatch podcast "Talk Ville" since 2022. Although the rumor mill has attempted to link him to a number of beauties over the years (among them: "Smallville" co-star Laura Vandervoort, "The Vampire Diaries" star Candice King and even Bachelor Nation's Vanessa Grimaldi), he's somehow managed to keep the truth about his love life completely under wraps.
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Allison Mack starred as Chloe Sullivan, Clark Kent's best friend.
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After "Smallville" came to an end, Allison Mack portrayed the title character in the 2011 independent film "Marilyn." She also had a nine-episode stint on "Wilfred" and popped up on a 2015 episode of "The Following." A 2015 four-episode stint on "American Odyssey" marked her final appearance on the small screen. For the past few years, she's been in the spotlight for a much different reason: In late 2017, she was identified as a high-ranking member of the NXIVM sex cult. Earlier that year, she reportedly married "Battlestar Galactica" actress and fellow NXIVM member Nicki Clyne at the behest of leader Keith Raniere. (A source close to the group once described Nicki as Allison's "slave" during an interview with People magazine, though there have also been reports they married because Nicki is Canadian and was in jeopardy of being deported.) In 2018, Allison was arrested and indicted on sex trafficking charges. She pleaded guilty to racketeering charges in April 2019. She filed for divorce in late 2020. In June 2021, she was sentenced to three years in prison for her crimes while in NXIVM.
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Erica Durance joined "Smallville" during its fourth season as Chloe Sullivan's cousin Lois Lane, who eventually falls in love with Clark Kent.
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After "Smallville" came to an end, Erica Durance starred as Dr. Alex Reid on all five seasons of "Saving Hope." She then (somewhat confusingly) portrayed a new character with ties to Superman — his aunt, Alura Zor-El — on 10 episodes of The CW's "Supergirl." (She also briefly returned to the role of Lois Lane on The CW's "Crisis on Infinite Earths" Arrowverse crossover event in 2019.) More recently, she had a two-episode stint on the Canadian crime-comedy "Private Eyes" and in 2022, she appeared in the television movie "We Need A Little Christmas." Four years after "Smallville" went off the air, Erica became a mom: She and husband David Palffy, whom she wed in 2005, welcomed their first child, a son, in 2015.
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John Glover starred as Lex Luthor's abusive billionaire father, Lionel Luthor, on the first seven seasons of "Smallville." (He also had a four-episode stint on the 10th and final season of the long-running series.)
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After "Smallville," John Glover appeared in a number of smaller independent films and on episodes of "The Blacklist," "Perception," "Agent Carter," "Tales of the City" and "Evil." He also had a four-episode stint on "The Good Wife," returned to the role of Jared Andrews on an episode of spinoff "The Good Fight" and briefly appeared in 2019's "Shazam!" More recently, he portrayed a villain on "Fear the Walking Dead." John — who's also a Broadway star and a Tony winner — married his partner of more than two decades, sculptor Adam Kurtzman, in 2016.
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John Schneider starred as Clark Kent's adoptive father, farmer Jonathan Kent, on the first five seasons of "Smallville." (He returned for three subsequent episodes after retiring as a full-time cast member.)
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In 2013, John Schneider began starring on the Tyler Perry soap "The Haves and the Have Nots," which wrapped in 2021 after eight seasons. He also had brief stints on "Hot in Cleveland" and "Mistresses," competed on season 27 of "Dancing With the Stars" in 2018 and appeared consistently in smaller independent films. (He's been in a handful of movies each year since 2010 — including several written and directed by himself and produced through his eponymous production studio — though none have achieved much mainstream recognition.) On top of all that, the "Dukes of Hazzard" alum has released countless albums over the years. (He won a Grammy in 2015 and has two more Grammy nominations to his name.) John finally divorced his second wife, Elvira "Elly" Schneider, in 2019 — five years after she first filed to legally end their marriage. The duo, who share three adult children, were at odds over finances. Earlier that year, he and Alicia Allain became husband and wife in a spiritual, non-legally-binding ceremony.
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Annette O'Toole starred as Martha Kent, Clark's adoptive mother, on the first six seasons of "Smallville." (She later returned for a handful of episodes here and there.)
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After "Smallville," Annette O'Toole had stints on "Halt and Catch Fire," "The Punisher" and "Kidding." She's also appeared in several smaller independent films. More recently, she starred on the first two seasons of the Netflix drama "Virgin River." The "Nash Bridges" alum — who actually portrayed Lana Lang in 1983's "Superman III" — has been married to second husband Michael McKean since 1999. She frequently collaborates with the Spinal Tap rocker on music projects — and she's almost never pictured without him.
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Sam Jones III stared as Clark Kent's other best friend, Pete Ross, on the first three seasons of "Smallville." (Though he left the series early in its run, he returned for a season 7 episode in 2008.)
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After "Smallville," Sam Jones III starred on "ER" from 2005 to 2009. He then appeared in the 2009 Hallmark Channel made-for-TV movie "Safe Harbor" and starred on the first season of the Spike sports comedy "Blue Mountain State" in 2010. Aside from that, he's appeared in a handful of smaller independent films, but none that achieved mainstream recognition. More recently, he popped up in the 2018 horror film "All Light Will End" and released a handful of singles as a hip-hop artist. Sam's time away from the spotlight is the result of two major hits to his reputation: a 2010 sex tape leak featuring the actor and his then-girlfriend, Playboy Playmate Karissa Shannon, and a 10-month federal prison stint stemming from his involvement in an Oxycodone distribution conspiracy. (The DEA pinned him in a sting operation.)
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Justin Hartley joined "Smallville" as Oliver Queen — the vigilante Green Arrow — on season 6 in 2006.
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Justin Hartley went on to star on "Emily Owens M.D.," "Revenge," "Mistresses," "The Young and the Restless" — for which he earned a Daytime Emmy Award nomination in 2016 — and, most famously, "This Is Us," which won two ensemble SAG Awards. He also appeared in "A Bad Moms Christmas," "Little," "Jexi" and "The Hunt." A year after "Smallville" came to an end, Justin's first wife, Lindsay Hartley — with whom he shares daughter Isabella — filed for divorce after nearly eight years of marriage. In 2017, he and "The Young and the Restless" co-star Chrishell Stause tied the knot following four years of coupledom, but it wasn't meant to be: He abruptly filed for divorce in 2019. Justin quickly moved on with another former "The Young and the Restless" co-star, Sofia Pernas, and in 2021, they revealed they'd quietly married. Justin appeared in three films in 2022: "Senior Year," "The Noel Diary" and "A Lot of Nothing."
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Cassidy Freeman joined "Smallville" in season 8 as Tess Mercer, Lionel Luther's illegitimate daughter and Lex Luthor's successor at LutherCorp.
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After "Smallville," Cassidy Freeman had stints on "The Playboy Club," "The Vampire Diaries," "Doubt" and "NCIS: New Orleans." She also appeared in a handful of smaller independent films and starred as Cady Longmire on "Longmire" from 2012 to 2017. She's portrayed Amber Gemstone on HBO's Danny McBride comedy series "The Righteous Gemstones" since 2019. She also starred in the final installment of the "Purge" franchise: "The Forever Purge." In 2022, Cassidy welcomed daughter Gigi Kaya with boyfriend Ben Ellsworth.
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Aaron Ashmore joined "Smallville" in season 6 as Chloe Sullivan's eventual husband: Daily Planet photographer Jimmy Olsen.
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After "Smallville," Aaron Ashmore had stints on "Lost Girl," "In Plain Sight," "Warehouse 13," "Designated Survivor," "Locke & Key" and more. He also appeared in a number of smaller films and made-for-TV movies and, between 2015 and 2019, starred on all 50 episodes of the Canadian sci-fi series "Killjoys." He more recently joined the cast of Netflix's "Ginny & Georgia" for season 2 in 2023. Aaron — the identical twin brother of "X-Men" actor Shawn Ashmore — married Zoe Kate in 2014. They welcomed a daughter in 2016 and added a second little girl to their brood in 2019.
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Laura Vandervoort joined "Smallville" as Kara — Clark Kent's biological Kryptonian cousin — in season 7.
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After "Smallville," Laura Vandervoort scored roles in "This Means War," "Ted" and "Jigsaw," along with several other smaller films. She also starred on the werewolf drama "Bitten" and on the short-lived vampire drama "V-Wars." In 2016, she briefly joined The CW's Arrowverse as the supervillain Indigo on three episodes of "Supergirl." More recently, Laura popped up on a 2021 episode of "The Handmaid's Tale" and in the films "See for Me" and "Romance in the Wilds." On New Year's Eve 2013, she accepted a marriage proposal from Oliver Trevena, but it wasn't meant to be: They called off their engagement a little less than a year later. She's managed to keep her love life under wraps since then.
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Eric Johnson starred on the first season of "Smallville" as Lana Lang's boyfriend, high school football star Whitney Fordman.
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Actor Eric Johnson — who's not to be confused with Jessica Simpson's husband — went on to star in three "The Work and the Glory" movies as well as countless made-for-TV movies. In 2007 and 2008, he starred in the title role on the short-lived Sci-Fi channel series "Flash Gordon: A Modern Space Opera." He then starred on "Rookie Blue" and "The Knick" and had stints on "Saving Hope" and "Orphan Black." He also portrayed Jack Hyde in the "Fifty Shades" film franchise, popped up in 2018's "A Simple Favor" and appeared on "Condor," "Vikings" and "American Gods." Since 2022, he's starred on the HBO Max show "Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin." In 2004, Eric married writer-producer Adria Budd, whom he met on the set of "Smallville" when she served as an assistant to Annette O'Toole and John Glover. They welcomed a daughter in 2007.
