5. Timothy Olyphant
Playing a serial killer in Scream 2, a terrorist in Live Free or Die Hard, an assassin in Hitman etc etc etc. Timothy Olyphant has what it takes to play the evil billionaire playboy who wants to put an end to Superman's existence. Olyphant is perfectly capable of playing things close to the chest so the audience isn't quite sure what he's going to do next, which is perfect for Lex Luthor.
4. Clancy Brown-
Ok so he's played Lex Luthor in the past, obviously on Justice League and Superman TAS. He's also played a corrupt prison guard in "Shawshank Redemption", a good prison guard in "The Green Mile", a small role in "Lost", as well as several other movies and shows. Brown is fully capable of playing one evil son of a ... But he's also capable of playing a good guy, so my number 2 and 3 spot guys are unavailable, I'd go with Brown.
3. Matthew Fox-
Over the past few months, I've been watching "Party of Five" and "Lost". I never caught either show in their original broadcasts, but after watching them On Demand I saw something in Matthew Fox that many people miss. Fox is a great actor, who ofter portrays the big brother or the leader. He's capable of playing a lady's man as well as someone with ulterior motives. He's the obvious choice if my number 2 pick is unavailable.
2. Billy Zane-
The only person who could play Lex Luthor even close to my number one choice would be Billy Zane. He's got the charisma, and the acting method to play a wide variety of characters. His work as a villain in the film "Titanic" proved that he's capable of being just as ruthless as Lex. He has the looks to play a wealthy playboy that could drive women wild just by flashing that award winning smile. He's capable of playing a role to seem like a good guy as well as seeming that he has something to hide.
1. Telly Savalas-
Ever since I was a child, I always felt Telly Savalas was the existential archetype for Lex Luthor. He completely looked exactly how you'd think Lex should look. He had the deep voice like the version of Lex from Superman TAS. The first time I saw him on television, I felt he would be as much Lex Luthor as Christopher Reeve was Superman. Go ahead find a better actor who could have portrayed Lex, I dare ya. The simple fact is that you can't. It's a shame that he passed away back in 1994 due to cancer, because his Lex Luthor could have been iconic.