Perry White
From Smallville Wiki
 | |
| Perry White | |
|---|---|
| Family | Mother, Father |
| Occupation | Reporter (Daily Planet) |
| Played By | Michael McKean |
| Status | Alive |
| Appeared In | Perry |
"Look me up next time you're in Metropolis, I owe you one", - Perry White to Clark Kent, Perry
Perry "Bulldog" White was a reporter for a tabloid television program called X-Styles. He was born in Metropolis's Suicide Slums area and grew up without a father. He became a reporter for the Daily Planet and then for the Metropolis Inquisitor. His life as a respected reporter was ruined when he was working on a story about Lionel Luthor. He tried to get to him through Lex, when he was a student at Excelsior Academy. When his career was ruined, he began to drink excessively.
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[edit] Early Life
Perry grew up with a love for journalism and got his dream job of becoming a reporter for the Daily Planet. He got a reputation as being a star reporter and began working on a story about Lionel's corruption and tried to get information from Lex whilst he was at school. Lionel then managed to get Perry fired and disgraced as a reporter and since then, he descended into alcoholism, drinking excessively and worked for the Metropolis Inquisitor and then for a television programme called "X-Styles".
[edit] Season Three
Clark met Perry in Smallville who saved him from some fallen electrical lines. Clark used his powers to rescue him and raised Perry's suspicions. Perry was in Smallville to check out strange phenomena related to the meteor shower. When at The Torch, Perry is introduced to Chloe who reveals to Clark just who Perry White is. After pestering Lana for an interview, Lex ran him out of town. When his interest shifted from the meteor shower to Clark Kent, he offered to trade Lex the evidence he had on Lionel in return for whatever Lex has on Clark. Lex refused. Perry then orchestrated a plot to expose Clark by jumping into Saunders Gorge, but recent solar flare activity had disrupted Clark's powers, rendering him temporarily powerless, and Perry and Clark ended up dangling perilously from the viewpoint. Lana and Pete managed to haul them up just before Clark's strength wore out.
Inspired by Clark's selfless, heroic example, Perry vowed to turn over a new leaf and returned to Metropolis to find his friends at the Daily Planet and rebuild his career. He also began the journey of going sober, while encouraging Clark to stick with his interest in journalism and promised to help him out if he ever came to Metropolis.
[edit] Season Four
Later, it is revealed that Perry has gotten a job at the Daily Planet and wrote an article about Lionel's conviction.
[edit] Season Six
Another article about Lionel's conviction appeared two years later.
[edit] In the Comics
In the comics, Perry White is the editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet who hires Clark Kent when he arrives in Metropolis. His star reporter is Lois Lane, who idealized Perry's mythic reporting reputation from a young age. White was impressed with Clark's ability to scoop Lois on the paper's first story introducing Superman to the city.
Bruce Wayne, owner of the Daily Planet a few years after Superman appeared, believes that White is "too good a reporter" to not have figured out that Clark Kent is Superman. White is known for his hard-lined editing style and appreciation for aggressive confidence. While he feels that Kent lacks these things, Clark makes up for it with his asking difficult questions and his attention to even the smallest detail.
He can usually be found in his office reading proofs and smoking a cigar, often yelling at "LANE! KENT! OLSEN!" to get into his office.
[edit] Notes
- Michael McKean (the actor who plays Perry White) is married to Annette O'Toole (the actress who plays Martha Kent).
- Curiously, Clark Kent seems to get a job at the Daily Planet in Season 8 without asking Perry White for help. But the fact that he bypasses the mail room, where Lois assumed he would start, could show that perhaps Perry used his own influence to get Clark a position as a reporter.
