John Haymes Newton - Superboy from season one.

By Rennie Cowan

John Haymes Newton was the first to be cast as Superboy in the Alexander and Ilya Salkind production of Superboy: The TV Series. At that time, Haymes was virtually an unknown and that is what the Salkinds wanted: an unknown to play Superboy. John Haymes Newton appeared in the first 26 episodes of the series and wanted to do 105 episodes total. John was the actor who closely resembled Superboy of the early DC "Superboy" comics. In the Superboy comics, Superboy was a teenager. Newton had the build and the look of a teenage Superboy. Ironically enough, today, Newton looks more like Superman.

Newton practiced Tai Chi, meditation and martial arts to inspire his role during season one. He was replaced by Gerard Christopher for the following popular media stories: asking for more money and speeding tickets. Of course, Newton was a very young actor (19 years old). Contrary to popular rumors, all of the stories swarming the net about his dismiss from the show are completely false. John had owned a red corvette and the joy of driving it most likely led to speeding...big deal, right? John Newton has a loyal Superboy fanbase and was well-liked in the role by fans. He and Stacy Haiduk dated during the first season in which case Stacy stated in an interview for the Superman Homepage that one should never date their co-star; maybe this confirms that business and pleasure do not mix, for Stacy firmly believes this now. Today, John stated on K-KAL Radio Live that he bumps into Stacy all the time in Los Angeles.



(Above) John Haymes Newton with his red corvette during season one of 'Superboy'.



(Above) John Haymes Newton and Stacy Haiduk next to John's hot red corvette during their dating days of season one of 'Superboy'.

Gerard Christopher looked more like Superman, or the college Superboy and the show appeared to be maturing away from Clark's college years. Christopher stated in a radio interview that Newton had been difficult to work with; Gerard also stated that he had to work in sometimes impossible conditions during season 2. On this website, in an interview with Dan Recchia, Dan asks the question, "Maybe John was right?" Since playing the role of Superboy, John Haymes Newton continues to grow in his craft. He has co-starred in several major motion pictures, including the critically acclaimed "Alive" (1993) and "Cool as Ice" (alongside Vanilla Ice, which was a very entertaining comedy). He was even a guest star on "Melrose Place" (like Gerard Christopher had been and other cast members of Superboy).

Newton appeared on recent television roles in "Tru Calling" and "Desparate Housewives" (to name only a few). People still remember John Haymes Newton as the Boy of Steel - the first Superboy of season one. Stacy Haiduk talks openly about them dating during season one on the season one DVD set that has been distributed by Warner Brothers. Today, John Haymes Newton is married to actress Jennifer Newton and they have a young son and daughter. John Haymes Newton continues to act in feature films and television, co-starring roles on TV or other small roles. My personal favorite movie of Newton's, aside from his Superboy portrayal is Vanilla Ice's "Cool as Ice". If you haven't seen it, then please do. It is truly entertaining and it is fun to watch Newton play a snubbing college-boy. It's not on the top 100 AFI list, to be sure, but it's a fun movie nevertheless.



John Haymes Newton with his wife, actress Jennifer Newton.

Below are some of my favorite clips from the movie "Cool as Ice" co-starring Newton:

JOHN HAYMES NEWTON IN SUPERMAN CLASSIC

Ever wonder what it would have been like to have a Superboy star play Superman? Well, you can stop wondering. A fan of John Haymes Newton's Superboy incarnation has cast him to do the voice of Superman/Clark Kent for his animated Superman fanfilm called Superman Classic. Superboy Theater has started a petition to get Warner Brothers to hire John Haymes Newton to voice Superman in a real animated movie or project. And John has expressed that he would love to do so. Please sign the petition here. We all think John does an excellent job - so Tim Daly, move over! To watch Superman classic, it's on youtube!