Jesus on film: Notable portrayals

Robert Powell starred as Jesus Christ and James Farentino played Simon Peter in the 1977 miniseries "Jesus of Nazareth," which was directed by Franco Zeffirelli.

H.B. Warner, right, best known as Mr. Gower in "It's a Wonderful Life," portrayed Jesus in Cecil B. DeMille's silent classic "The King of Kings" (1927).

Siobhan McKenna was Mary and Jeffrey Hunter starred as her son, Jesus, in the 1961 religious drama "King of Kings."

Probably no religious drama has stirred up as much controversy as Mel Gibson's graphic "The Passion of the Christ" (2004), which starred Jim Caviezel in the title role.

Early in his career, Oscar-winning actor Christian Bale played Jesus in the 1999 TV movie "Mary, Mother of Jesus."

Martin Scorsese's controversial 1988 movie "The Last Temptation of Christ" featured Willem Dafoe as a Jesus who imagined he was married to Mary Magdalene.

Max von Sydow took on the role of Jesus in George Stevens' all-star biblical epic, "The Greatest Story Ever Told" (1965).

Portuguese actor Diogo Morgado is the latest actor to play Jesus with his starring role in 2014's "Son of God."