Debut and early career (1993–2003) Marsden got his first job in a series of episodes of
The Nanny as Eddie,
Margaret Sheffield's boyfriend. He then starred in the
Canadian television series
Boogies Diner, which aired for one season. Following the end of that series, he guest starred on television shows such as
Saved by the Bell: The New Class and
Party of Five. He later starred in the
ABC show
Second Noah. He lost out to
Edward Norton for a role in
Primal Fear and auditioned for the lead role in
54, which then went to
Ryan Phillippe. He starred in the films
Disturbing Behavior opposite
Katie Holmes and
Gossip opposite
Kate Hudson. He also appeared in the television series
Ally McBeal as one of the main cast members during the first half of season 5, where he also sang. He also starred in a 1998 episode of "
The Outer Limits". Marsden was cast as
Cyclops in the
X-Men films. Marsden also appeared in
Bryan Singer's
Superman Returns. Singer had dropped out of the
third X-Men film to direct
Superman and Marsden was cast as
Lois Lane's fiancé, Richard White. Due to schedule conflicts, Marsden's screen time in
X-Men: The Last Stand was reduced, stirring controversy from fans of the comics. Marsden's portrayal of Cyclops in the films was well received and garnered him a
Blockbuster Award for Best Supporting Actor. In 2014 Marsden reprised his role of Cyclops in a brief cameo for
X-Men: Days of Future Past, as did other actors from the first film including
Anna Paquin and
Famke Janssen.
Breakthrough with comedy films (2004–2011) In 2004, Marsden co-starred with
Rachel McAdams,
Ryan Gosling,
James Garner, and
Gena Rowlands in the romantic drama
The Notebook as Lon Hammond, Jr., the second man Allie Hamilton (McAdams) falls in love with. In 2007, Marsden played Corny Collins in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical
Hairspray, based on the 1988
John Waters film of the same name. In the film, he sang two songs, "The Nicest Kids In Town" and "(It's) Hairspray". Both
Hairspray and its soundtrack were critically acclaimed. His next role was with
Amy Adams in the
Disney hybrid animated/live-action film
Enchanted, playing Prince Edward. He sang one song as a duet with Adams at the beginning of the film and a duet with
Idina Menzel that was cut from the film.
Enchanted was well received critically and proved to be a commercial success, earning more than $340 million worldwide at the box office. Following his successes in 2007's
Hairspray and
Enchanted, Marsden played the male lead in the 2008 romantic comedy
27 Dresses opposite star
Katherine Heigl, which grossed $160 million worldwide. He also starred in the teen comedy
Sex Drive. Though the film was a moderate success, Marsden's performance was heavily praised. Marsden also received a
Teen Choice Awards nomination for Choice Movie Actor in a Comedy for his roles in
Enchanted and
27 Dresses. In 2009, Marsden also played the male lead in the film
The Box, based on the 1970 short story "Button, Button" by author
Richard Matheson, which was earlier made into
an episode of
The Twilight Zone. He starred opposite
Cameron Diaz and reunited with
Superman Returns co-star
Frank Langella. In 2010, Marsden was cast in the comedy
Death at a Funeral, a remake of the 2007 British
film of the same name, along with
Chris Rock,
Luke Wilson,
Danny Glover, and
Columbus Short. Marsden made an appearance on
Modern Family in January 2011, playing a squatter. In April, Marsden appeared as the male (live-action) lead in
Hop, an
Easter-themed comedy co-starring
Russell Brand as the
Easter Bunny. Although the film was considered a commercial success, opening at the top of the weekend box office and grossing over $100 million in the U.S. box office,
Hop generally received negative reviews. Later in 2011, Marsden played the lead in
Straw Dogs, a remake of
Sam Peckinpah's
1971 film; Marsden portrayed the character played by
Dustin Hoffman in the original.
Straw Dogs reunited Marsden with his
Superman Returns co-star
Kate Bosworth. The film received mixed reviews and ultimately ended up being a box office flop.
Independent films and television roles (2012–present) '' in January 2012 In 2012 and 2013, Marsden appeared in a recurring role in the sixth and seventh seasons of
30 Rock, playing
Criss Chros, the boyfriend (and later husband) of the series' main character
Liz Lemon. He also appeared in several
independent films, including
Robot & Frank,
Small Apartments,
Bachelorette, and
As Cool as I Am. In 2013, he co-starred with
Denzel Washington and
Mark Wahlberg in the action film
2 Guns, which debuted at number one in its weekend release. Soon after, he starred in
Lee Daniels' historical drama
The Butler as President
John F. Kennedy. The film, featuring an
ensemble, opened at the top spot and received positive reviews. Marsden played Jack Lime, a rival reporter to
Will Ferrell's Ron Burgundy, in
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues. The following year, he reprised his role as
Scott Summers for the first time in eight years in
X-Men: Days of Future Past in a cameo. He would also star in his second Nicholas Sparks film titled
The Best of Me. Marsden performed as the sentient android Teddy Flood in three seasons of
HBO's
Westworld. Marsden appeared as Judy Hale's former boyfriend and lawyer Steve Wood in the
Netflix dark comedy series
Dead to Me. He later starred in a separate role in the same series as Ben Wood from the second season onward. In 2020, he starred in Paramount's
Sonic the Hedgehog film and the Paramount+ television miniseries
The Stand. Marsden also starred in the FX miniseries
Mrs. America as
Phil Crane. In 2021, Marsden provided the voice of Hitch Trailblazer in the Netflix animated film
My Little Pony: A New Generation. Marsden reprised his role of Tom Wachowski in the 2022 sequel
Sonic the Hedgehog 2. He also reprised the role of Edward in the sequel to
Enchanted, titled
Disenchanted, which was released on
Disney+ in November 2022. In 2023, Marsden starred as himself in the hoax reality television series
Jury Duty, a role which garnered him a nomination for a Golden Globe and a
Primetime Emmy award. The series won a 2023
Peabody Award as an Entertainment Honoree. In 2024, Marsden was announced to return as Tom Wachowski in
Sonic the Hedgehog 3. He also starred as
Jack LaLanne in
Unfrosted, which was released on Netflix in May of that year. Marsden currently appears in the Hulu movie
Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice, starring alongside Vince Vaughn. Marsden will return as Cyclops in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe film
Avengers: Doomsday (2026). ==Personal life==