List of actors who have played Jesus

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Howard Gaye as the Nazarene: "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." (Intolerance, 1916) Intolerance (1916) - Nazarene - He Who Is Without Sin.jpg
Howard Gaye as the Nazarene: "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." (Intolerance, 1916)

This is a list of actors who have played Jesus .

List of actors who have played Jesus
Actor(s)MovieYearDirector(s)Notes
Robert Henderson-Bland From the Manger to the Cross 1912 Sidney Olcott
George Fisher Civilization 1916 Thomas H. Ince
Howard Gaye Intolerance 1916 D. W. Griffith
Claude Payton Ben-Hur 1925 Fred Niblo
H.B. Warner The King of Kings 1927 Cecil B. DeMille
Robert Le Vigan Golgotha 1935 Julien Duvivier
Robert Wilson The Living Christ Series 1951John T Coyle
Donald C. Klune The Robe 1953 Henry Koster
Jon Shepodd The Power of the Resurrection 1958 Harold D. Schuster
Claude Heater Ben-Hur 1959 William Wyler
Jeffrey Hunter King of Kings 1961 Nicholas Ray
Roy Mangano Barabbas 1961 Richard Fleischer
Enrique Irazoqui The Gospel According to St.Matthew 1964 Pier Paolo Pasolini
Max von Sydow The Greatest Story Ever Told 1965 George Stevens
Donald Sutherland Johnny Got His Gun 1971 Dalton Trumbo
Kamal Haasan Annai Velankanni 1971K. Thangappan
Victor Garber Godspell 1973 David Greene
Ted Neeley Jesus Christ Superstar 1973 Norman Jewison
Murali Das Jesus 1973 P. A. Thomas
Murali Thomasleeha 1975 P. A. Thomas
Robert Powell Jesus of Nazareth 1977 Franco Zeffirelli
Liam Neeson Pilgrim's Progress1978 Ken Anderson

Vijayachander Karunamayudu (Dayamayudu)1978 A. Bhimsingh
Kenneth Colley Monty Python's Life of Brian 1979 Terry Jones
Brian Deacon Jesus 1979 Peter Sykes
Chris Sarandon The Day Christ Died 1980 James Cellan Jones
Vijayachander Rajadhi Raju1980 Bapu
John Hurt History of the World, Part I 1981 Mel Brooks
Michael Wilding Jr. A.D. 1985 Stuart Cooper
Jürgen Prochnow The Seventh Sign 1988 Carl Schultz
Willem Dafoe The Last Temptation of Christ 1988 Martin Scorsese
Vijaya Kumaranatunga Christhu Charithaya 1990 Sunil Ariyaratne Christhu Charithaya
Vincent Laresca Bad Lieutenant 1992 Abel Ferrara
Bruce Marchiano The Visual Bible: Matthew 1993 Regardt van den Bergh
Mat Ranillo III Kristo 1996Ben Yalung
Vijayachander Dayasagar 1996Vijayachander
Jeremy Sisto Jesus 1999 Roger Young
Christian Bale Mary, Mother of Jesus 1999 Kevin Connor
Will Ferrell Superstar 1999 Bruce McCulloch
Glenn Carter Jesus Christ Superstar 2000 Gale Edwards
Nick Morris
David J. Francis Dracula 2000 2000 Patrick Lussier
Jan Michelini The Apocalypse 2002Raffaele Mertes
Henry Ian Cusick The Gospel of John 2003 Philip Saville
Siva KrishnaYesu Mahimalu2003Natti Kumar
Jim Caviezel The Passion of the Christ 2004 Mel Gibson
Jonathan Scarfe Judas 2004 Charles Robert Carner
Krishna Shanti Sandesham 2004P. Chandrasekhar Reddy
D'Arcy Browning Cross and Bones2005Paul Carrière
Robert Torti Reefer Madness 2005 Andy Fickman
Matthew Modine Mary 2005Abel Ferrara
Suman Mulla Kireetam2005N.S. Raja Reddy
Ahmad Soleimani Nia The Messiah 2007 Nader Talebzadeh
Joseph Mawle The Passion 2008 Michael Offer
Julian Casey Ben Hur 2010 Steve Shill
Shredy Jabarin المخلص ( The Savior , Arabic language film)2014Robert Savo
Diogo Morgado Son of God 2014Christopher Spencer
Selva Rasalingam The Gospel of John 2014David Batty
Selva Rasalingam The Gospel of Matthew2014David Batty
Selva Rasalingam The Gospel of Mark2015David Batty
Selva Rasalingam The Gospel of Luke2015David Batty
Ewan McGregor Last Days in the Desert 2015 Rodrigo Garcia
Haaz Sleiman Killing Jesus 2015 Christopher Menaul
Juan Pablo Di Pace A.D. The Bible Continues 2015 Ciaran Donnelly
DJ Perry 40 Nights2016Jesse Low
Joseph Mesiano Joseph & Mary 2016 Roger Christian
Rodrigo Santoro Ben-Hur 2016 Timur Bekmambetov
Cliff Curtis Risen 2016 Kevin Reynolds
Adam Greaves-Neal The Young Messiah 2016 Cyrus Nowrasteh
Aviv Alush The Shack 2017 Stuart Hazeldine
Jeremy Davies American Gods 2017 Floria Sigismondi
Jonathan Roumie The Chosen 2017 Dallas Jenkins
Joaquin Phoenix Mary Magdalene 2018 Garth Davis
DJ Perry The Christ Slayer2019Nathaniel Nose
Adam Bond Good Omens 2019 Douglas Mackinnon
John Legend Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert 2019 David Leveaux
Alex Rudzinski
Vivaan ShahYeshu2020 Arvind Babbal
Shayan Ardalan40: The Temptation of Christ2020Douglas James Vail
Juan Pablo Di Pace Resurrection2021 Ciaran Donnelly

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    <i>Jesus Christ Superstar</i> Rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice

    Jesus Christ Superstar is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the Passion, the work interprets the psychology of Jesus and other characters, with much of the plot centered on Judas, who is dissatisfied with the direction in which Jesus is steering his disciples. Contemporary attitudes, sensibilities and slang pervade the rock opera's lyrics, and ironic allusions to modern life are scattered throughout the depiction of political events. Stage and film productions accordingly contain many intentional anachronisms.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Powell</span> British actor

    Robert Powell is a British actor who is known for the title roles in Mahler (1974) and Jesus of Nazareth (1977), and for his portrayal of secret agent Richard Hannay in The Thirty Nine Steps (1978) and its subsequent spinoff television series. Other major screen roles have included Tobias "Toby" Wren in the BBC science-fiction programme Doomwatch (1970), David Briggs in the sitcom The Detectives (1993–1997) with Jasper Carrott, and Mark Williams in the medical drama Holby City (2005–2011).

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Caiaphas</span> Jewish high priest (c. 14 BC – c. 46 AD)

    Joseph ben Caiaphas, known simply as Caiaphas in the New Testament, was the Jewish high priest during the years of Jesus' ministry, according to Josephus. The Gospels of Matthew, Luke and John indicate he was an organizer of the plot to kill Jesus. He famously presided over the Sanhedrin trial of Jesus. The primary sources for Caiaphas' life are the New Testament, and the writings of Josephus. The latter records he was made high priest by the Roman procurator Valerius Gratus after Simon ben Camithus had been deposed.

    <i>Jesus of Nazareth</i> (TV series) 1977 British-Italian television drama

    Jesus of Nazareth is a 1977 epic television drama serial directed by Franco Zeffirelli and co-written by Anthony Burgess and Suso Cecchi d'Amico, which dramatizes the birth, life, ministry, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. It stars Robert Powell as Jesus, and features an all-star ensemble cast of renowned actors, including eight who had won or would go on to win Academy Awards: Anne Bancroft, Ernest Borgnine, Laurence Olivier, Christopher Plummer, Anthony Quinn, Rod Steiger, James Earl Jones and Peter Ustinov.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Caviezel</span> American actor (born 1968)

    James Patrick Caviezel Jr. is an American actor. He played Jesus in The Passion of the Christ (2004) and The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection - Chapter I (2025), Tim Ballard in Sound of Freedom (2023), and starred as John Reese on the CBS series Person of Interest (2011–2016). He played Slov in G.I. Jane (1997), Private Witt in The Thin Red Line (1998), Detective John Sullivan in Frequency (2000), Catch in Angel Eyes (2001), and Edmond Dantès in The Count of Monte Cristo (2002).

    <i>Jesus of Montreal</i> 1989 Canadian film

    Jesus of Montreal is a 1989 Canadian comedy drama film written and directed by Denys Arcand, and starring Lothaire Bluteau, Catherine Wilkening and Johanne-Marie Tremblay. The film tells the story of a group of actors in Montreal who perform a Passion play in a Quebec church, combining religious belief with unconventional theories on a historical Jesus. As the church turns against the main actor and author of the play, his life increasingly mirrors the story of Jesus, and the film adapts numerous stories from the New Testament.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Ted Neeley</span> American singer, actor, musician, composer, and record producer

    Teddie Joe Neeley is an American singer, actor, musician, composer, and record producer. He is known for portraying the title role in Jesus Christ Superstar (1973), a role for which he was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and has reprised numerous times.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Barry Dennen</span> American actor (1938-2017)

    Barry Dennen was an American actor and writer. He is best known for playing Pontius Pilate on the original recording and later in the film of Jesus Christ Superstar.

    "Son of Man" is a British television play by playwright Dennis Potter which was first broadcast on BBC1 on 16 April 1969, in The Wednesday Play slot. An alternative depiction of the last days of Jesus, Son of Man was directed by Gareth Davies and starred Northern Irish actor Colin Blakely. The play was shot on videotape over three days on a very limited budget: Potter was later to say that the set "looks as though it's trembling and about to fall down."

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Daniels</span> British actor (born 1964)

    Ben Daniels is an English actor. Initially a stage actor, Daniels was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actor for Never the Sinner (1991), the Evening Standard Award for Best Actor for 900 Oneonta (1994), Best Actor in the M.E.N. Theatre Awards for Martin Yesterday (1998), and won the 2001 Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the Arthur Miller play All My Sons.

    <i>Jesus Christ Superstar</i> (film) 1973 film adaptation by Norman Jewison

    Jesus Christ Superstar is a 1973 American musical drama film directed by Norman Jewison, and co-written by Jewison and Melvyn Bragg, based on the 1970 concept album of the same name written by Tim Rice and composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, which in turn inspired a 1971 musical. The film, which stars Ted Neeley, Carl Anderson, Yvonne Elliman and Barry Dennen, depicts the conflict between Judas and Jesus and the emotions and motivations of the main characters during the week of the crucifixion of Jesus.

    <i>The Last Temptation of Christ</i> (film) 1988 film directed by Martin Scorsese

    The Last Temptation of Christ is a 1988 epic religious drama film directed by Martin Scorsese. Written by Paul Schrader with uncredited rewrites from Scorsese and Jay Cocks, it is an adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis' controversial 1955 novel of the same name. The film, starring Willem Dafoe, Harvey Keitel, Barbara Hershey, Andre Gregory, Harry Dean Stanton and David Bowie, was shot entirely in Morocco.

    <i>The Messiah</i> (2007 film) 2007 Iranian film

    Mesih, more commonly and officially referred to as The Messiah, but also referred to as 'Jesus', Good Tidings of the SaviorJesus, the Spirit of God is a 2007 Iranian film directed by Nader Talebzadeh (1953—2022), depicting the life of Jesus from an Islamic perspective, based not only on the canonical gospels, but also the Qur'an, and, it would seem, the Gospel of Barnabas. The latter conforms to the Islamic interpretation of the origins of Christianity. Iranian actor Ahmad Soleimani Nia plays the role of Jesus. Some Islamic organizations cite it in support of the Islamic view of Jesus.

    Kristo is a 1996 Filipino biblical drama film depicting the life of Jesus Christ. Produced by Cine Suerte Productions, Fallout Studios and Oasis of Love Movement, Kristo stars Mat Ranillo III in the title role, together with Rez Cortez, Ruel Vernal (Peter), Michael Locsin (John), freelance model and then college student Charmaine Rivera, Amy Austria.

    <i>The Visual Bible: Matthew</i> 1993 South African film

    The Visual Bible: Matthew is a 1993 film portraying the life of Jesus as it is found in the Gospel of Matthew. The complete Gospel is presented word-for-word based on the New International Version of the Bible. It was directed by South African film maker Regardt van den Bergh and stars veteran actor Richard Kiley in the role of St. Matthew, newcomer Bruce Marchiano as Jesus, and Gerrit Schoonhoven as Peter. Marchiano portrays Jesus as a joyous, earthy, personal man with a sense of humour.

    <i>Son of God</i> (film) 2014 American film

    Son of God is a 2014 American epic biblical film directed by Christopher Spencer, and produced by Mark Burnett and Roma Downey. The film retells the life of Jesus and is an adaptation of the ten-hour miniseries The Bible, which aired in March 2013 on the History channel, and immediately following the movie begins another TV series called A.D. The Bible Continues.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Selva Rasalingam</span> British film actor (born 1968)

    Selva Rasalingam is a British actor. He has appeared on stage in London's West End and the Royal Shakespeare Company, on television in Doctor Who, Luther and Hustle, and film in Damascus Cover, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and Skyfall in which he was a member of the stunts cast. He played the role of Jesus in the 2014 version of The Gospel of John.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Roumie</span> American actor

    Jonathan Roumie is an American actor known for his role as evangelist Lonnie Frisbee in the 2023 film Jesus Revolution and as Jesus in The Chosen TV Series, a crowd-funded television series about the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. He is also a voice artist.