The CW Source

Happy 36th birthday to Michael Rosenbaum, the man behind one of our favorite charismatic villains on the CW. His Lex Luthor is all snaky charisma and off-kilter charm. We know he's evil, and even so, we can't help but be swept away by him. We've seen Lex kidnap innocent people, perform experiments on the meteor-infected, lie, steal, shoot people, attempt to create his own army, and oh yeah, throw his own father off a building and to his death. But despite all of that, Lex just leaves us weak in the knees.

Alas, we're not going to have Lex to swoon over next season on Smallville. We were a bit shocked when Michael announced he was leaving Smallville. Of course, he was his usual sweet, funny self in his note to fans on his web site: "I hope that I gave you some enjoyment over the years, and that you found my portrayal of Lex Luthor to be satisfying. I am truly grateful, as Smallville fans are the best fans out there. I sincerely hope that you will continue to follow my career through my hair growth period and beyond."

That's one of the only upsides we can see about Michael leaving Smallville -- poor Michael can finally stop shaving his head!

Much as we'll miss Michael's Lex, we're looking forward to seeing him take on his post-Smallville career. Will he go the hero route? After all, he already provided the voice of the Flash in the Justice League cartoon. Or will we get to see more of Michael's comedy chops, like what we've seen in Sorority Boys or Kickin It Old Skool? Whatever role he chooses, we'll be watching!

Until he figures out his next step, we bet Michael will be kicking back and enjoying life. We hope he spent his birthday doing something he loved, like playing hockey or listening to some serious 80s rock. Or maybe he combined both loves, and played hockey against the members of Journey while Foreigner sang! Rock on!

Happy birthday, Michael, and thanks for giving us seven years of Lex. We can't wait to see what's next.

Leave your birthday wishes for Michael in the comments!