Take the BuddyTV Personality Quiz: Which Smallville Character Are You? Annette O'Toole was born on April 1, 1952 in Houston, Texas. When she was only three years old, she began to display a talent in dancing, and at the age of 13, her family relocated to Los Angeles, where she started to train in acting. She made her television debut in the series This is the Life, and from there went on to guest appear in more small screen productions, such as My Three Sons, Dan August, The Virginian, Gunsmoke, The Mod Squad, The Partridge Family, Hawaii Five-O, Bright Promise, Search. The Rookies and S.W.A.T.
In 1975, she starred in the film Smile, where she portrayed a fictional Miss Anaheim, Doria Houston. From there, she appeared in the basketball movie, One on One, and in 1982, was cast as Nick Nolte's girlfriend in 48 Hours and as Nastassja Kinski's rival in Cat People. The following year, she landed the role of Lana Lang in the third installment of the Superman film series. At present, the said role has been relegated to actress
Kristin Kreuk in the television franchise,
Smallville . O'Toole herself is part of the same series, but viewers now most know her as Superman's mother, Martha Kent.
O'Toole's other acting credits include Nash Bridges, The Huntress, Boy Meets World, A Mighty Wind, Law & Order, Strong Medicine, The Dreamer of
Oz , White Lie, Imaginary Crimes, My Brother's Keeper, The Outer Limits, Final
Justice , Here On Earth, Temptation and Mercy Reef. Her work in the small screen production, The Kennedys of Massachusetts, earned her a 1990 Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special and a 1991 Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV.
She and husband, actor Michael McKean, were nominated for a 2004 Academy Award for Best Music, Original Song for their rendition of “A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow.” The song was part of the original soundtrack of the film A Mighty Wind. O'Toole has two children from her previous marriage to Bill Geisslinger.