With the new Spider-Man film starring Tom Holland right around the corner, it seems only fitting that we look back at the history of our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man and the actors behind the mask. What happened when they stepped out of the suit and re-entered the real world?
Danny Seagren in ‘The Electric Company’
Believe it or not, the popular children’s show The Electric Company was the first time audiences ever saw a live-action Spider-Man. The superhero was portrayed in a series of short skits by puppeteer and dancer Danny Seagren, who taught kids lessons by taking down petty criminals.
Following Seagren’s time on The Electric Company, he focused on his true passion: puppeteering. Seagren reportedly owns a puppeteering company in New York City.Nicholas Hammond in ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’
Nicholas Hammond took on the role of Spider-Man for the live-action television series, which aired from 1977 to 1979. Hammond described his approach to playing Spider-Man in an article for Back Issue: “I liked the idea of taking a fantasy hero and making him believable as a person. I made it clear going into it that I wasn’t interested in doing something that was just a camp joke.”
Following Hammond’s acting career in the ’70s and ’80s, he married Robyn Nevin and settled in Australia for a quieter life. “I’m safer being with someone more famous than me,” Hammond told Daily Mail Australia in 2015.Shinji Tod? in ‘Spider-Man’ in Japan
Right around the time Hammond was starring in The Amazing Spider-Man, Japan had its own version of the web-slinging superhero. In this story, a young Japanese motorcycle racer is given blood by a 400-year-old alien from the planet Spider, which allows him to become Spider-Man and avenge his father.
Japanese actor Shinji Tod? took on the title role, which was the most notable of his career. Following Spider-Man, Tod? continued acting up until 2014.Dan Gilvezan in ‘Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends’
This 1980s series gave Spider-Man a college edge. As a student at Empire State University with superhero friends Ice-Man and Firestar, Spidey battled supervillains while still managing to get his homework done.
This was voice actor Dan Gilvezan’s most notable role, though he also voiced other characters for shows like Transformers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He continues to provide animated characters with awesome voices today.Neil Patrick Harris in ‘Spider-Man: The New Animated Series’
Spider-Man: The New Animated Series may have only had one season back in 2003, but thanks to Neil Patrick Harris’ voice in the lead, it’s a Spider-Man show worth noting because, well, NPH.
Harris has since continued to use his voice for noble causes like How I Met Your Mother and Gone Girl. He’s also hosted the Emmy Awards and the Tonys.Tobey Maguire in ‘Spider-Man’ 1, 2 and 3
I was 13 years old when the first Sony Pictures Spider-Man film was released, starring Tobey Maguire and, let me tell you, it was a whole new world for me. You better believe I bought that baby on VHS the second I could. I wasn’t the only one starstruck by this story; it was a total success worldwide. At the time, this film was the only one to reach $100 million in its first weekend.
After playing Peter Parker in three films, Maguire has continued to prove he’s a Hollywood A-lister for a reason. He’s had notable roles in recent years in films like The Great Gatsby, Labor Day and Brothers.Andrew Garfield in ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 1 and 2’
Andrew Garfield was the next actor to take on the role of Spider-Man in the live action films after Maguire. But his journey in the suit was a rocky one. Fans thought Garfield was too old and too cool to take on the role as Peter Parker. After two films under the series umbrella The Amazing Spider-Man, Sony decided not to continue with the franchise and cancelled the third installment.
Don’t worry, Garfield isn’t losing any sleep over the studio’s decision. He recently explained, “To be honest, I would not have been able to work with Mel Gibson and Martin Scorsese if I had done Spider-Man 3. I’m incredibly grateful that I get to now go and watch another man play Spider-Man, who I think is a fantastic actor, in Tom Holland.” Yeah, Garfield’s career hasn’t been too shabby.
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