They don't grace the cover of Entertainment Weekly. Studios aren't clamoring to sign them to record-setting deals. Chances are, you don't even know their real names.
They're TV's great -- but often underappreciated -- stars. The characters they play so well make us laugh. They make us angry, and, at times, even cry. Most important, they make us care. Their shows wouldn't be the same without them.
Since these stars don't headline their own drama or sitcom, we thought it was time to give them -- TV's unsung stars -- the recognition they deserve.
Michael Rosenbaum
Who he plays:
Lex Luthor, Smallville (WB)
The character: The rich, charming and deliciously mysterious son of a ruthless tycoon who's destined to become Superman's arch-enemy.
Rosenbaum has a pretty good idea why Lex Luthor is one of TV's hottest sex symbols.
"Oh, I don't know if it's because I'm a millionaire on the show, I live in a castle, I dress really well and drive Lamborginis and Ferraris, I fence and box, I'm a good guy, but have this darkness about me," he says. "I don't know what it is, but maybe that's what it is."
Don't forget the bald head.
"Women are always asking to rub my head," Rosenbaum says, laughing. "I just say 'Make sure your hands are clean.' "
While Smallville may be about the future Man of Steel's angst-ridden teen years, the show wouldn't be as entertaining without Rosenbaum's captivating Luthor, who Web site fans affectionately call Sexy Lexy. "There's nothing better on Smallville than a close-up on Michael's face," says executive producer Joe Davola. "His nuances and stares are brilliant."
Rosenbaum, best known for his role on the short-lived sitcom Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane, certainly scored points with the network and Smallville's producers for agreeing to shave his sandy blond locks.
"I was nervous," he admits. "It was a risk. I was having a decent career, but if I really wanted to go to the next level, I had to take a risk. Fortunately, I had a decent-shaped head. They would've fired me if I looked like the kid from The Mask."
Fat chance. Now Rosenbaum is adjusting to his Hot Stud status. He's taking it all in stride, though. "I don't think if I walked down the street and I wasn't on this show people would say, 'Wow! He's sexy!,' " he says. "It baffles me."
