'Man of Steel's' Laurence Fishburne: 5 Things to Know

Sonja Flemming/CBS

Laurence Fishburne will play Perry White, the no-nonsense editor of the Daily Planet, in Zack Snyder's Superman movie Man of Steel, Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures confirmed Tuesday.

Man of Steel is currently in production for June 2013 release. It also stars Henry Cavill as Superman/Clark Kent, Amy Adams, Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner and Diane Lane.

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Here are a few things you may not know about Fishburne.

1. Perry White marks Fishburne's first high-profile role since he left CSI in June. (He opted not to renew his deal to continue on the show, which he joined in 2008.) But he's not the only one from a crime procedural to star in the film. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit's Christopher Meloni, who also recently left the series, will appear in Man of Steel as well.

2. Fishburne is up an outstanding lead actor in a miniseries or movie Emmy next month for his portrayal of Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall in HBO's Thurgood. He has won two Emmys (for lead actor in a miniseries or TV for Miss Evers' Boys, and guest actor in a drama series for Tribeca), and nominated two other times. He was nominated for a best actor Oscar for 1993's What's Love Got to Do With It.

3. Fishburne was born in August, Ga., but he moved to Brooklyn, NY as a kid shortly after his parents divorced. He attended the Lincoln Square Academy in NY, and began acting at age 12, first in 1973's Mod Squad, and then as Joshua Hall on One Life to Live. He was cast in Good Times, but then replaced by Ralph Carter.

4. To land a role in Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now, he reportedly lied about his age. He was just 14, but he played a 17-year-old sailor called Mr. Clean. By the time filming ended, he was 17.

5. In addition to film and TV, he's also an acclaimed stage actor, appearing in more than 10 plays. He won the best featured actor Tony for his 1992 performance in Two Trains Running.

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