Although Nicole Maines is playing TV’s first transgender superhero – on The CW’s “Supergirl” – she’s not the first transgender actor to land a significant transgender role on series television. Here’s a list of several currently on TV:

Laverne Cox – Plays an inmate of a women’s prison in “Orange is the New Black” (Netflix)

Amiyah Scott – Plays the daughter of one of the main characters on the show-business drama “Star” (Fox)

Alex Blue Davis – Plays an intern on the long-running medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy” (ABC)

Ian Alexander – Plays a high school student on the mystery series “The OA” (Netflix)

Trace Lysette – Plays a yoga teacher on “Transparent” (Amazon)

Alexandra Billings – Plays a mentor to the main character on “Transparent” (Amazon)

MOVIES SLOWER TO ADAPT

While the number of transgender actors on TV is increasing, Hollywood filmmakers have a history of giving transgender starring roles to actors who are not transgender:

Scarlett Johansson – Was cast to play a transgender man in the upcoming film “Rub & Tug,” the true story of Tex Gill, who ran a prostitution ring in the 1970s and ’80s, but she withdrew from the project in July after a backlash of protest.

Jared Leto – Won a best supporting actor Oscar for playing a transgender woman dying of AIDS in “Dallas Buyers Club” (2013)

Glenn Close – Played a transgender man in the 19th-century Irish period drama “Albert Nobbs” (2011)

Hilary Swank – Won the Oscar for best actress for playing a transgender man in “Boy’s Don’t Cry” (1999)

Jaye Davidson – Was nominated for a best supporting actor Oscar for playing a transgender woman in “The Crying Game” (1992)