Christopher D'Olier Reeve Biography

Christopher D'Olier Reeve

Born: September 25, 1952 [ New York City, New York ]

Died: October 10, 2004 (aged 52) [Mount Kisco, New York ]

Occupation: Actor | Writer | Director | Activist

Years active: 1970 - 2004

He was an American actor, director, and activist, best known for playing Superman in the film Superman (1978) and its first three sequels.

Reeve found his passion for acting in 1962 at age nine when he was cast in an amateur version of the operetta The Yeomen of the Guard; it was the first of many student plays. His interest was solidified when at age fifteen, he spent a summer as an apprentice at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Williamstown, Massachusetts.

Click here to read the flipbook.

Acting Career

He studied at Cornell University and the Juilliard School and made his Broadway debut in 1976. After his acclaimed performances in Superman and Superman II, Reeve declined many roles in action movies, choosing instead to work in small films and plays with more complex characters.

Here are part of his works:

• Gray Lady Down

• Superman I

• Superman II

• Somewhere In Time

• Deathtrap

• Monsignor

• Superman III

• The Bostonians

• The Aviator

• Street Smart

• Superman IV: The Quest for Peace

• Switching Channels

• Noises Off

Injury

Reeve began his involvement in horse riding in 1985 after learning to ride for the film Anna Karenina.

The accident happened on May 27, 1995. Witnesses said the horse began the third fence jump and suddenly stopped. Reeve fell forward off the horse, holding on to the reins. His hands became tangled in them, and the bridle and bit were pulled off the horse. He landed head first on the far side of the fence, shattering his first and second vertebrae. The resulting cervical spinal injury paralyzed him from the neck down and halted his breathing. Paramedics arrived three minutes later and immediately took measures to get air into his lungs. He was taken first to the local hospital, before being flown by helicopter to the University of Virginia Medical Center. He had no recollection of the accident.

Day after that...

Reeve returned to creative work, directing In the Gloaming (1997) and acting in the television remake of Rear Window (1998). He also made several appearances in the Superman-themed television series Smallville, and wrote two autobiographical books, Still Me and Nothing is Impossible. Over the course of his career, Reeve received a BAFTA Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, an Emmy Award, and a Grammy Award.

After his accident, he lobbied for spinal injury research, including human embryonic stem cell research, and for better insurance coverage for people with disabilities. His advocacy work included leading the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation and co-founding the Reeve-Irvine Research Center.