As Easter and Christmas come and go yearly, let’s take a look at the 10 best screen faces of Jesus Christ.
Easter is the most significant festival for Christians worldwide, a time of reflection and celebration of Jesus Christ’s resurrection. As we commemorate this holiday, we reflect on the various depictions of the Son of God on the big screen.
For decades, Hollywood has produced numerous films that chronicle the life, teachings, and ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In these movies, actors have portrayed the pivotal role of Jesus with great poise, passion, and dedication, bringing this beloved biblical figure to life.
In this article, TheDistin will take a closer look at ten actors who have played the role of Jesus Christ in movies, examining how their performances contributed to the legacy of one of the most important figures in human history. Get ready for an in-depth exploration of the actors who brought Jesus to the silver screen, just in time for Easter.
10 Popular actors who played the role of Jesus Christ in Christian movies
1. Robert Powell
- Date of birth: June 1, 1944 (age 78 years)
- Birthplace: Salford, United Kingdom
- Spouse: Barbara Lord (m. 1975)
- Children: Kate Powell, Barney Powell
- Parents: John Wilson Powell, Kathleen Davis Powell
- Height: 1.77 m
He is an excellent British actor who is widely Known for playing Jesus of Nazareth in 1977, Powell executed the role so well that his face has become one of the most used faces in Jesus’s merch.
Robert is also known for the title roles in Mahler, and for his portrayal of secret agent Richard Hannay in The Thirty Nine Steps and its subsequent spinoff television series.
Robert Powell was born in Salford, England in June 1944. He lives in west London with his wife, Babs, and has two children and one grandchild.
Robert Powell has a net worth of $12 million.
2. Ted Neeley
- Date of birth: September 20, 1943 (age 79 years)
- Birthplace: Ranger, Texas, United States
- Spouse: Leeyan Granger (m. 1981)
- Height: 1.68 m
- Children: Tessa Neeley, Zack Neeley
- Music group: Neverland Express
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, a role for which he was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and has reprised numerous times. He originally auditioned for the role of Judas Iscariot but the movie producers thought he was more suitable to play Jesus.
Neeley still performs the part in stage productions, and for the past nine years, he has been taking the still-popular film on the road, making live appearances during screenings.
Ted Neeley net worth or net income is estimated to be between $1 Million – $5 Million dollars.
3. Max von Sydow
- Date of birth: April 10, 1929
- Birthplace: Lund, Sweden
- Died: March 8, 2020, Seillans, France
- Height: 1.93 m
- Spouse: Catherine Brelet (m. 1997–2020), Kerstin Olin (m. 1951–1979)
- Siblings: Axel Ulrik Bertil von Sydow
He is one of the greatest actors in history, best known for movies like the exorcist and playing the 3 eye raven in Game of Thrones, Max acted in over 200 movies in his 70 years career, and one of his most memorable movies is “The Greatest Story Ever Told” in which he played as Christ. Unfortunately, Max died this year at the age of 90.
Max von had a net worth of $16 million at the time of his death.
4. Haaz Sleiman
- Born: July 1, 1976 (age 46 years)
- Birthplace: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Nationality: American, Lebanese
- Education: Wayne State University
Haaz Sleiman is a Lebanese actor. He most notably played the role of Tarek in the 2007 film The Visitor for which he was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male and the role of Jesus in the American TV mini-series Killing Jesus, in addition to a number of American TV series.
As of 2023, Haaz Sleiman’s net worth is $5 Million.
5. Diogo Miguel Morgado
- Born: January 17, 1981 (age 42 years)
- Birthplace: Campo Grande, Lisbon, Portugal
- Spouse: Cátia Oliveira (m. ?–2017)
- Children: Santiago Morgado, Afonso Morgado
- Siblings: Pedro Morgado
- Height: 1.9 m
- Parents: Francisco Soares, Maria de Fátima Morgado
Diogo Miguel Morgado Soares, is a Portuguese actor. He started his career as a model and was relatively unknown until Mark Burnett casted him to play as Jesus Christ in the History Channel epic mini-series The Bible and in the film Son of God.
Morgado’s recent work includes the lead role in the Netflix original feature film “The Killer,” which was streamed in over 190 countries. On television, Diogo had a recurring role on CBS’ “CSI: Cyber,” alongside Academy Award-winning actress Patricia Arquette, and starred in the TV movie, “Love Finds You In Valentine.”
Morgado has an estimated net worth of $18 million dollars as of 2022. This includes his assets, money and income.
6. Jim Caviezel
- Date of Birth: September 26, 1968 (age 54 years)
- Birthplace: Mount Vernon, Washington, United States
- Spouse: Kerri Browitt Caviezel (m. 1996)
- Height: 1.87 m
- Parents: James Patrick Caviezel, Sr., Maggie Caviezel
- Siblings: Timothy Caviezel, Amy Caviezel, Erin Caviezel, Ann Caviezel
Jim Caviezel (born James Patrick Caviezel Jr.), is an American film and television actor who played Jesus Christ in The Passion of the Christ.
He was a struggling actor before Mel Gibson cast him in his controversial movie “The passion of Christ”, till date it still remains Jim biggest Career movie, it grossed millions in ticket sales and gained him international fame he is equally going to reprise his role as Jesus in the upcoming sequel.
A fun fact is, Jim Caviezel got struck by lightning twice during the making of his Jesus film, accidentally scourged, had his shoulder dislocated, and suffered from pneumonia and hypothermia.per IMDb.
He also starred as John Reese on the CBS series Person of Interest. He also has played roles such as Slov in G.I.
James “Jim” Caviezel has a net worth of $15 million. Jim also starred on the CBS crime drama “Person of Interest,” which ran from 2011 to 2016. During his time on the show, Jim earned a reported $125,000 per episode, roughly $3 million per season.
7. Jeremy Sisto
- Born: October 6, 1974 (age 48 years)
- Birthplace: Grass Valley, California, United States
- Spouse: Addie Lane (m. 2009), Marisa Ryan (m. 1993–2002)
- Children: Charlie Ballerina Sisto, Bastian Kick Sisto
- Height: 1.87 m
- Parents: Reedy Gibbs, Richard Sisto
- Siblings: Meadow Sisto
Jeremy Merton Sisto is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Billy Chenowith in HBO’s Six Feet Under, NYPD Detective Cyrus Lupo in NBC’s Law & Order, George Altman in the ABC sitcom Suburgatory, just to mention a few.
He gave a compelling performance as Jesus in the movie of the same name, it was a movie that tells the story about the life, work and death of Jesus Christ.
Jeremy Sisto has a net worth of $6 million.
8. Christian Bale
- Date of birth: January 30, 1974 (age 49 years),
- Birthplace: Haverfordwest, United Kingdom
- Height: 1.83 m
- Spouse: Sibi Blažić (m. 2000)
- Children: Emmeline Bale, Joseph Bale
- Siblings: Louise Bale, Sharon Bale, Erin Bale
Born Christian Charles Philip Bale, he is an English actor. Known for his versatility and physical transformations for his roles, he has been a leading man in films of several genres. He has received various accolades, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards.
Bale first caught the public eye when he was cast in the starring role of Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun at the age of 13, playing an English boy who is separated from his parents and subsequently finds himself lost in a Japanese internment camp during World War II.
He is one of the most decorated actors of his generation, he has received an Oscar award, Golden globes etc, he is considered as one of the finest actors cause of his versatility.
Long before Christian played the role of Batman he had already starred as Jesus Christ in the 1999 television film, “Mary, Mother of Jesus“.
Christian Bale has a net worth of $120 million dollars.
10. Joaquin Phoenix
- Birthday: October 28, 1974 (age 48 years)
- Birthplace: Río Piedras
- Siblings: River Phoenix, Rain Phoenix, Summer Phoenix, Jodean Bottom, Liberty Phoenix
- Height: 1.73 m
- Parents: Arlyn Phoenix, John Lee Bottom
- Full name: Joaquín Rafael Bottom
Born Joaquin Rafael Phoenix, he is an American actor. He is known for playing dark and unconventional characters in independent films. He has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Grammy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards.
His most famous movies are Joker, Gladiator etc, he has equally starred as Jesus in Garth Davis’s “Mary Magdalene“.
Joaquin Phoenix is an American actor, director, producer and musician who has a net worth of $60 million. And that number shows no signs of slowing down, with a number of highly anticipated projects in the pipeline.
11. H. B. Warner
- Date of birth: October 26, 1876
- Birthplace: St John’s Wood, London, United Kingdom
- Death Date: December 21, 1958
- Spouse: Rita Stanwood (m. 1915–1933), F.R Hamlin (m. 1907–1914)
- Height: 1.84 m
- Parents: Charles Warner
H. B. Warner was an English film and threatre actor. He was born with the real name Henry Byron Charles Stewart Warner-Lickford in St John’s Wood, London, England in 1875.
His acting career seemed to be by accident as he had aspirations of being a medical practitioner but ended up on his father’s footsteps and performed on the stage. His dad was Charles Warner, a famous actor.
Warner began his film career in silent films in 1914, when he debuted in The Lost Paradise. He played lead roles, culminating in the role of Jesus Christ in Cecil B. DeMille’s silent film epic, The King of Kings in 1927. Following that film, he was usually cast in dignified roles, in such movies as the 1930 version of Liliom, Grand Canary, the 1935 version of A Tale of Two Cities, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, the original 1937 version of Lost Horizon, You Can’t Take It with You, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Rains Came, and The Corsican Brothers. In It’s a Wonderful Life he played what was for him, an atypical role, as the drunken druggist. He also appeared in Sunset Boulevard and The Ten Commandments. Occasionally, Warner was seen in a sinister role, as in the 1941 film version of The Devil and Daniel Webster, in which he played the ghost of John Hathorne as well as Topper Returns from the same year.
Warner was married twice, to Rita Stanwood in 1919 and to F.R. Hamlin.
In December 1958 Warner died in Los Angeles, California of cardiac arrest, and he is buried in Chapel of Pines crematory in Los Angeles, California.
He would have been 146 years old as of 2023 and reportedly died a millionaire with a net worth between $1 million to $5 million.