The original X-Men movie from 2000 introduced a sprawling ensemble cast of Marvel heroes and villains, and each character was brought to life by a world-class actor. X-Men lent some prestige to the superhero genre by casting screen legends like Ian McKellen and Halle Berry in major comic book roles. The movie was a box office hit, grossing over $296 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo), and it was warmly received by critics. The success of X-Men helped to pave the way for superheroes to dominate the movie landscape with the eventual creation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The blockbuster potential of the comic book genre had been proven years earlier with Warner Bros.’ Batman and Superman movies, but X-Men was one of the first examples of an ensemble superhero team-up film. Unlike other early Marvel superhero movie franchises, such as Blade and Spider-Man, X-Men didn’t focus on just one superhero. It has a main cast of seven superheroes taking on four different villains, and it balances that ensemble admirably. X-Men introduced live-action incarnations of iconic Marvel characters that became a staple of the silver screen for decades to come, like Wolverine and Professor X.
Patrick Stewart As Professor Charles Xavier / Professor X
Charles Xavier, the founder of the X-Men and the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters, is better known by his superhero alter ego, Professor X. He is portrayed by Patrick Stewart, who continued to lead the X-Men cast in six sequels and spinoffs and played an alternate version of the character in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Stewart’s other iconic role is Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the Star Trek franchise. He rose to prominence with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and his distinctive voice is additionally recognizable as CIA Deputy Director Avery Bullock from American Dad!.
Hugh Jackman As Logan / Wolverine
The adamantium-clawed Wolverine, a.k.a. Logan, is played by Hugh Jackman. When he’s introduced, Logan has no memories of who he is or how he got his reinforced skeleton. Jackman reprised the role in several sequels and three solo spinoffs. Over the years, Jackman has starred in blockbusters like the hit musical The Greatest Showman and experimental fare like The Fountain. He scored an Oscar nomination for his performance as Jean Valjean in Les Misérables, won a Tony for his role in The Boy from Oz, and received an Emmy for hosting the Tonys.
Halle Berry As Ororo Munroe / Storm
Ororo Munroe, a.k.a. Storm, is a teacher at Xavier’s school with the power to manipulate weather, and she is played by Halle Berry in the X-Men cast. After finishing as a runner-up in the Miss USA pageant, Berry got her breakthrough as an actor with roles in the Eddie Murphy romantic comedy Boomerang and the Warren Beatty political satire Bulworth. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of a grieving mother in Monster’s Ball. She also played the title role in Catwoman and “Bond girl” Jinx Johnson in Die Another Day.
Ian McKellen As Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto
Erik Lehnsherr, an Auschwitz survivor with the power to generate magnetic fields and going by the name Magneto, is played by Ian McKellen. The 13-year-old Erik seen in flashback scenes is played by Brett Morris. Like Stewart, McKellen rose to fame as a staple of the Royal Shakespeare Company. He played the title role in a big-screen adaptation of Richard III and Gandalf in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies. McKellen won a Tony Award for his work in Amadeus and earned Oscar nods for his performances as James Whale in Gods and Monsters and Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
Famke Janssen As Dr. Jean Grey
Dr. Jean Grey, the telepathic mutant introduced as the X-Mansion’s resident medical doctor, is played by Famke Janssen in the X-Men cast. Janssen is best known for playing “Bond girl” Xenia Onatopp in GoldenEye, Pierce Brosnan’s first 007 movie, and Bryan Mills’s ex-wife, Lenore, in the Taken trilogy. She’s recognizable to TV audiences as Ava Moore from Nip/Tuck, Eve Rothlow from How to Get Away with Murder, and Susan Hargrave from The Blacklist and its spinoff, The Blacklist: Redemption. Janssen has also been appointed by the United Nations as a Goodwill Ambassador for Integrity.
James Marsden As Scott Summers / Cyclops
Scott Summers, a.k.a. Cyclops, depicted in the movie as Xavier’s right-hand man and the X-Men’s leader in the field, is played by James Marsden. The actor played Prince Edward in Enchanted and its sequel and Tom Wachowski in the live-action Sonic the Hedgehog movie franchise. He’s known to TV audiences for his roles as Teddy Flood, his likable character in HBO’s Westworld, Glenn Foy in the final season of Ally McBeal, twin brothers Steve and Ben Wood in the Netflix dark comedy series Dead to Me, and Stu Redman in the Paramount Plus adaptation of The Stand.
Rebecca Romijn As Mystique
Rebecca Romijn appears in the X-Men cast as Mystique, Magneto’s shape-shifting second-in-command. Romijn is known for playing Una Chin-Riley on Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, as well as for her dual roles as Laure Ash and Lily Watts in Brian De Palma’s erotic thriller Femme Fatale. She also played the recurring roles of Alexis Meade on Ugly Betty and Eve Baird on The Librarians, and voiced Superman’s love interest, Lois Lane, in the DC Animated Movie Universe. Romijn also appeared in a different Marvel Comics adaptation, 2004's The Punisher, in the role of Frank Castle’s neighbor Joan.
Anna Paquin As Marie / Rogue
Rogue, introduced as Marie, is the mutant who struggles the most with her powers, starting with accidentally putting her boyfriend into a coma with a super-powered kiss. She is played by Anna Paquin, who became the second-youngest Oscar winner of all time with her Best Supporting Actress win for her acting debut in The Piano. She’s best known for her role as Sookie Stackhouse in the HBO vampire series True Blood, which earned her a Golden Globe. Paquin also played Queen Isabella II of Spain in Amistad and Robert De Niro’s daughter in the crime epic The Irishman.
X-Men (2000) Supporting Cast & Characters
Ray Park as Toad: The slimiest member of Magneto’s Brotherhood of Mutants is played by Ray Park, who is best known for the roles of Darth Maul in the Star Wars franchise, Snake Eyes in the G.I. Joe franchise, and Edgar on Heroes. In addition to acting, Park is a proficient stunt performer and martial artist.
Bruce Davison as Senator Robert Kelly: The anti-mutant politician who supports the Mutant Registration Act, Senator Robert Kelly is played by Bruce Davison in the X-Men cast. Davison also appeared in Runaway Jury and Apt Pupil and received an Oscar nomination for his performance in Longtime Companion.
Shawn Ashmore as Bobby Drake / Iceman: A significant X-Man who only appears briefly in the movie as a love interest of Rogue’s, Iceman is played by Shawn Ashmore. The actor is best known for his TV roles as Jake Berenson in Animorphs, Agent Mike Weston in The Following, Wesley Evers in The Rookie, and Lamplighter in The Boys. He also played the main character of Jack Joyce in the video game Quantum Break.
Tyler Mane as Sabretooth: A villain with similar powers to Wolverine, Sabretooth is played by Tyler Mane in the original X-Men movie cast. Mane also played Ajax in Troy, Michael Myers in Rob Zombie’s remake of Halloween and its sequel, Halloween II, and the supervillain Blackstar in Netflix’s adaptation of Jupiter’s Legacy.