Birth name
Brandon James Routh
Nickname
B.J
Height
6' 3" (1.91 m)
Mini biography
Routh, pronounced like "south", was born in Des Moines, Iowa and grew up in nearby Norwalk. He attended the University of Iowa and starred in many productions at the Norwalk Theater of Performing Arts. His first professional acting role was in the ABC television series "Odd Man Out" (1999), and he went on to guest star in the series "Gilmore Girls" (2000) and "Undressed" (1999). In his spare time, Routh enjoys playing soccer and basketball, swimming, biking and reading.
IMDb mini-biography by
Anonymous
Trivia
Can play the trumpet and piano.
Went as Clark Kent/Superman for a Halloween party in 2003 and won a costume contest, only to receive the movie role one year later.
Dressed up as Batman for Halloween 2004.
His brother is a "real-life Superman" - a police officer in Des Moines
Attended the University of Iowa
After being cast as Superman for Superman Returns (2006), he sought out a movement coach to help him create the proper body language for the Superman character.
Parents are Ron and Katie.
Unlike fellow Superman actors Christopher Reeve and Tom Welling, he is a huge Superman fan. As a kid, he collected the comics, owned the films, and even wore Superman pajamas.
Frequently says that the only good thing that came of his several years of struggling to find success in Hollywood was meeting his long-time girlfriend, Courtney Ford, in a coffee-shop after another failed audition. They became engaged in August, 2006.
Attended the International Model and Talent Association (IMTA).
Engaged to Courtney Ford [August 23, 2006].
Cites "Braveheart" as his all time favorite film.
Personal quotes
[Talking about his work with a movement coach to capture Superman's physical presence]: "We worked on posture. Spine straight, hips forward, neck in line - just a clean motion moving through the world. [On the bright side] I slouch less."
[Talking about wearing the Superman costume]: "Very confining. But once you get past that - which is sometimes hard - it's also very empowering. First time I put it on, I felt... stronger. Like a different level of who I am. It makes playing the character much easier."
[When asked if he's ready for the changes that will follow in his life upon being cast as Superman]: "I have no idea. But I am prepared to be prepared."
"I'm kind of slowly becoming a star. I've kept my sanity. I've learned along the way, all these months that I've been here and slowly doing interviews and the suit picture getting released on the Internet-all this has come very gradual, which has really helped me to get it straight in my head and not go over the top. I know that that's a minuscule amount of exposure that's going to happen. It's going to be all over the place and it's going to become ridiculous at some point. The other thing that I realize is that it's not me so much as the character and the icon of Superman."
"People will like me, I think, because I do a good job in the film, but I also realize that the appeal isn't just me. It's the character. It's the film. It's what Superman stands for and brings to the table. Not just me."
[On being asked if he ever thought playing Superman would be bad for his career]: "No. I mean, I was wary of what being Superman meant to my life, the possibilities of what it might mean, but then I think of all the positives and that kind of takes it all away. There are a lot of negatives to not do it, too."
Salary
Superman Returns (2006)
$1,000,000
Where are they now
(November 2004) Preparing to film Superman Returns (2006), directed by Bryan Singer.