Actors who played Jesus

Stories of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ have been frequently portrayed on television and movie screens around the world. Here are some of the major actors who have been cast to play him.

Max von Sydow played Jesus Christ in the 1965 American epic, "The Greatest Story Ever Told."

Henry Byron Warner

Popular silent era actor H. B. Warner played Jesus Christ in the 1927 silent film, "The King of Kings," produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille.

Jeffrey Hunter

Jeffrey Hunter, who famously originated the role of Captain Christopher Pike in the 1966 "Star Trek" pilot, filled the role of Jesus in the 1961 biblical film, "King of Kings."

Robert Powell

Robert Powell played the title role in the 1977 British-Italian television miniseries, "Jesus of Nazareth."

Chris Sarandon

American voice actor Chris Sarandon took on the role of Jesus in the 1980 TV movie, "The Day Christ Died."

Ted Neeley

Long before he played a bad guy in "Django Unchained," Ted Neeley played the ultimate good guy in the 1973 film adaptation of "Jesus Christ Superstar."

Victor Garber

"Titanic" actor Victor Garber played Jesus Christ in the 1973 film adaptation of the off-Broadway musical, "Godspell."

Willem Dafoe

In 1988, when Martin Scorsese adapted Nikos Kazantzakis' controversial 1953 novel, "The Last Temptation of Christ" into a major motion picture. Willem Dafoe played Jesus.

Christian Bale

Long before he stepped into the role of Batman for Christopher Nolan's "Dark Knight" franchise, Christian Bale played Jesus Christ in the 1999 television film, "Mary, Mother of Jesus."

Jim Caviezel

When Mel Gibson directed the controversial movie, "The Passion of the Christ," in 2004, he cast American actor Jim Caviezel (previously best known for his work in "The Thin Red Line") as Jesus.

Jencarlos Canela

In March 2016, award-winning singer-songwriter and "Telenovela" actor Jencarlos Canela stepped into the mighty role in FOX's televised musical event, "The Passion Live."

Will Ferrell

In the 1999 film, "Superstar," based on Molly Shannon's popular SNL skit about a Roman Catholic schoolgirl, Will Ferrell played both her crush, popular boy Sky Corrigan, and Jesus.

Ralph Fiennes

Actor Ralph Fiennes, who famously played Lord Voldemort in the "Harry Potter" films, voiced the role of Jesus in the 2000 stop motion animated film, "The Miracle-Maker."

Henry Ian Cusick

In 2003, Henry Ian Cusick, the actor best known for playing Desmond in the popular TV series "Lost," stepped into the role of Jesus in the three-hour epic feature film, "The Gospel of John."

Diogo Morgado

In March 2013, Portuguese actor Diogo Morgado played Jesus in the History Channel miniseries, "The Bible."

Robert Torti

Robert Torti played Jesus Christ in the 2005 movie musical, "Reefer Madness." And in keeping with the film's comedic tone, his Jesus cautions a young teen to change his marijuana-smoking ways from a Vegas-esque heaven.

Keenan Thompson

In 2015, Keenan Thompson made a cameo as "black Jesus" in a "Saturday Night Live" skit about then-Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson's rocky youth.

"Last Days in the Desert"

"Last Days in the Desert" (2015) is an imagining of Jesus and his 40 days' wandering in the wilderness. Ewan McGregor plays both Jesus and Satan. 

"Mary Magdalene"

Joaquin Phoenix starred as Jesus in Garth Davis' "Mary Magdalene" (2018).