Top 10 Portrayals of Jean Valjean in Les Miserables

The original will always be the best. Colm really made the role his own, and he became a household name back in 1985 when the production opened. The song "Bring Him Home" was written for his singing voice, just like "Till I Hear You Sing" was written for Ramin Karimloo's voice in "Love Never Dies".

Colm returned to the role in 1995 for the 10th Anniversary at the Royal Albert Hall, where many of the actors who defined the roles around the world came together as the "Dream Cast" of Les Miserables. Colm is the BEST Valjean. He has so much emotion in his voice, and he really soars in those high notes. The voice of an angel.

The man who is Britain's number one tenor brings the same emotion and determination that Colm brought to the role. He takes that as inspiration and does it his own way. Additionally, the way he acts the role out is really compelling to me. The 25th Anniversary at the O2 really demonstrates that.

Say what you will about the cast, the new orchestration, and how it's sung at the O2, but every new interpretation is always welcome to me. Alfie is just as good as the others who have played Valjean over the years and, just like Colm, Ramin, and JOJ, he's been lucky enough to play the role on Broadway. He's a great Valjean, especially when he sings that famous song "Bring Him Home."

Part of the 25th Anniversary Tour in 2010, John Owen-Jones has surprised everybody with his take on Valjean, having previously played the Phantom in "Phantom of the Opera". His Valjean is the most emotive and most determined that I have ever seen. In "The Confrontation", he really stands out with the level of anger towards Earl Carpenter's Javert, and his rendition of "Bring Him Home" always brings a tear to my eye when I listen to the way it's sung.

His voice really is a godsend. A fabulous Valjean and a really wonderful Phantom too.

While I wasn't a big fan of the movie as a whole (Russell Crowe, anyone?), I did like Hugh Jackman as Valjean. The amount of commitment he gave to it was really amazing. Anne Hathaway was good too, but Jackman really surprised me as it was the first time I heard him sing. No wonder I then went to see The Greatest Showman at the cinema five years later.

Jackman really showed the emotion and the determined "can-do" attitude that was needed for Valjean. While his "Bring Him Home" wasn't the best (it wasn't bad though), the film could have been so much more than what we got. Nevertheless, Jackman should play this role on the stage sometime. In fact, I'll go tweet him now.

When I went to see Les Mis at Queen's for my birthday during its 30th year, this man really surprised me as Valjean. His tenor voice really made my spine shiver when he sang those famous tunes, plus he looked good in the makeup and costume. His Valjean really stood out to me. Underrated.

The man who has had an incredible journey with Les Mis, starting out as a swing, then an understudy for Valjean, Javert, and Enjolras, then principal Enjolras, and more recently principal Jean Valjean. Through that time, he built his voice up to how it is now and really throws his hat in the ring when he plays the role.

Although he's finished his West End run, he will be playing the role for a UK/Ireland tour in 2019, and he is definitely worth going to see. His Valjean is so relatable, so tragic, and so moving. He really loves playing it, and it clearly shows.

His intense voice is outstanding. He definitely plays the young and angry Valjean the best. As he gets older in the show, he still fits the role quite well. Bring Him Home is possibly one of the best versions here. His voice is amazing.

After seeing him in Anastasia and Phantom, I fell in love with his straight tones that lead you into his beautiful vibrato. He is arguably one of the best on Broadway right now.

His powerful voice is so beautiful, but the gentleness that also flows with emotion transports me to a different world. I have loved listening to him sing in every role.

This was the first Valjean I ever saw when I went to see Les Mis for the first time back in 2008. He really impressed me with his "rock star" singing voice. This was more suited to him than Javert was. I really liked him as Valjean. I thought he did an excellent job.

A talented tenor and a really excellently executed portrayal of Jean Valjean. The emotion, the determination, the rage, and the tender, loving heart really shine in this performer. No wonder a year later he went on to play the Phantom like many others on this list!