Thomas John Patrick Welling, born April 26, 1977, is an American actor, director, producer and model, best known for his role as Clark Kent in The WB/CW superhero series Smallville. Since October 2017, he plays Marcus Pierce on the Fox drama series Lucifer. Take a look below for 28 more fun and interesting facts about Tom Welling.

1. A high school athlete, Welling initially worked in construction and, in 1998, he successfully modeled men’s clothing for several popular brands.

2. In 2000, he made a successful transition to television.

3. Welling has been nominated for and received several awards for his role as Clark Kent.

4. In 2001, he had a recurring role as Rob “Karate Rob” Meltzer in the second season of the CBS legal drama Judging Amy.

5. Welling was born in Putnam Valley, New York. However, his family moved frequently, making stops in Wisconsin, Delaware and Michigan.

6. Welling attended Okemos High School in Okemos, Michigan, where he started acting in plays, but then switched to sports.

7. In high school, he played baseball and soccer, but his favorite sport is basketball.

8. Welling is one of four children, with two older sisters, Rebecca and Jamie, and a younger brother, Mark Welling, who’s also an actor.

9. Like Christopher Reeve, Welling wasn’t a big fan of Superman prior to being cast as Clark Kent, and in fact, continues not to read Superman comics.

10. He was named one of People Magazine’s Breakthrough Stars of 2001.

11. He turned down the role of the young Clark Kent twice before accepting it.

12. Welling received “fair” grades in high school and opted not to go to college. Instead, he chose to become a construction worker while continuing to live with his parents.

13. After seeing a woman being mugged, he ran over and fought off her attackers. The woman look at him and said, “Wow, you really are Superman,” after which he laughed.

14. He auditioned for the role of Tag Jones on Friends, however, the part eventually went to Eddie Cahill.

15. His father is a retired executive for General Motors and his mother is a “home engineer.”

16. Welling modeled alongside Ashton Kutcher. The two are good friends.

17. His favorite celebrities are: Bob Saget, Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, Robert De Niro, Steve Martin and Jerry Seinfeld.

18. He was on Stephenie Meyer’s wish list to play Emmett Cullen before casting even began for the movie Twilight.

19. He appeared in Angela Via’s first music video, “Picture Perfect,” as her love interest. It took place in a video game arcade and ended with them in a photo booth about to kiss.

20. He has played the role of Clark Kent longer than any other actor.

21. Welling’s favorite show is Seinfeld.

22. Welling is good friends with Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki of the show Supernatural, and has worked with both separately. One of his visits to their sets ended up in an unofficial appearance of his on their show, when they played a joke on the crew by having Tom get out of a car when Jared was supposed to.

23. He is the only actor to appear in all 217 episodes of Smallville.

24. Welling said that he had a lot of jobs growing up, including bartending, waiting tables and construction.

25. One of his parents is a Democrat and the other a Republican. When asked what he is, Tom answered, “No comment.”

26. He because engaged to girlfriend Jessica Rose Lee, the Saddle Club founder, in 2018. They have been together since 2014.

27. Before he was cast as Clark Kent in Smallville, Brandon Routh auditioned for the role. Routh would later star as Superman in Superman Returns.

28. Welling has stated in YM that he dislikes interviews. He said, “I don’t want to be a celebrity for the sake of being a celebrity. I want to work and then go home and live in private.”