Jonathan Niven Cryer (born April 16, 1965 in New York City, New York) is an American actor best known for his comedic roles in films such as Pretty in Pink and Hot Shots! and for his 12-year run as Alan Harper on the sitcom Two and a Half Men. More recently he has portrayed Lex Luthor in The CW's Supergirl.
In addition to acting, he also co-hosts the podcast Undisclosed which examines cases of wrongful convictions.
Selected Filmography:
- Pretty in Pink (1986): Phil "Duckie" Dale
- Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987): Lenny Luthor
- Hiding Out (1987): Andrew Morenski
- Hot Shots! (1991): Jim "Wash Out" Pfaffenbach
- The Outer Limits, episode "Vanishing Act" (1996): Trevor McPhee
- Holy Man (1998): Barry
- Family Guy, episode "A Hero Sits Next Door" (1999): Kevin Swanson
- The Trouble With Normal (2000): Zack Mango
- Two and a Half Men (2003-2015): Alan Harper
- Danny Phantom (2005-2006): Freakshow
- NCIS (2015-2016): Dr. Cyril Taft
- Justice League Action, episode "Hat Trick" (2017): Felix Faust
- Supergirl (2019): Lex Luthor
Tropes that apply to him:
- Awesome, Dear Boy: He's a big comic book fan, and immediately jumped at the chance to portray Lex Luthor in the Arrowverse, after previously portraying his nephew in Superman IV: The Quest for Peace.
- Old Shame: He isn't very proud of Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, or his part in it. He took the role of Lex Luthor in Supergirl (2015) to make up for it, and he has definitely done that, considering how popular his take on the character is.
- What Could Have Been:
- He was the runner-up for the role of Chandler Bing on Friends before the casting of Matthew Perry.
- He auditioned for the part of Marty McFly in Back to the Future before Michael J. Fox was cast. Coincidentally, his Two and a Half Men co-star, Charlie Sheen, also read for the role before the casting of Fox.
