Christopher Reeve: 1952-2004

[AndyWan Kenobi]

I will miss him in the world.

 

[Beth C]

Christopher Reeve

He was always Superman to me. Rest in Peace.

~Beth C

 

[Beauregard]

Ah, no.

He's like a legend. It's so strange to think of his no longer just being out there somewhere ready to fly away and rescue some cat from a tree.

BEaregard

 

[Docnzhoss]

I am shocked. Rodney Dangerfield was not much of a surprise, he hadn't been looking well for a while. But Christopher Reeve...I was just waiting for the day we'd be able to see him walk again. Both performers will be sadly missed.

 

[Dr. Bombay]

RIP Superman aka Christopher Reeve

I was shocked to hear about the death of Christopher Reeve this morning. My alarm clock is set to a news radio station and the first thing that played this morning was the Superman theme followed by the announcer saying "Superman is dead. Christopher Reeve has passed away at age 52." Here is the cnn.com story about it:

Christopher Reeve dies at 52
'Superman' actor known for activism in spinal cord research
Monday, October 11, 2004 Posted: 11:00 AM EDT (1500 GMT)

After a riding accident left him paralyzed, Christopher Reeve worked for spinal cord research.

(CNN) -- Christopher Reeve, who portrayed a hero in the "Superman" films and embodied one as an advocate for spinal cord research after being paralyzed in an accident, has died. He was 52.

Reeve went into cardiac arrest Saturday at his home in Westchester County, New York, after developing a serious systemic infection during treatment for a pressure wound. He slipped into a coma and died Sunday afternoon at a hospital near his home.

Reeve's wife, Dana, issued a statement thanking "the millions of fans around the world who have supported and loved my husband over the years."

"He put up with a lot," his mother, Barbara Johnson, told the syndicated television show "The Insider." "I'm glad that he is free of all those tubes."

Reeve first gained renown when he was selected from 200 candidates to play the title character in the 1978 movie "Superman," which was followed by three sequels. But he made a bigger impact on the public consciousness after becoming paralyzed in May 1995, following an equestrian accident in Virginia.

The actor went through months of therapy to train himself to breathe without the continuous aid of a respirator. He then became an advocate for the disabled, lobbying Congress, appearing at the Academy Awards and returning to acting and directing. His name was mentioned by Sen. John Kerry during Friday's presidential debate when the talk turned to stem cell research.

Reeve himself was vocal on the subject. In 2001, while President Bush considered a decision on stem cell research -- he eventually allowed federal funding of research using existing stem cell lines -- Reeve spoke to CNN's John King about the impact of delaying study.

"That would be a big mistake because you could spend the next five years doing research on the adult stem cells and find that they are not capable of doing what we know that embryonic cells can do now," he said. "And five years of unnecessary research to try to create something that we already have would cause -- well, a lot of people are going to die while we wait."

Model form
Christopher Reeve was born September 25, 1952, in New York City, the son of a novelist and a newspaper reporter. He appeared on the soap opera "Love of Life" while attending college at Cornell University; his senior year, he was also one of two students selected to attend New York's prestigious Juilliard School to study under John Houseman (the other, according to the Internet Movie Database, was Robin Williams).

He debuted on Broadway in 1976 in the play "A Matter of Gravity," opposite Katharine Hepburn, and later starred in Lanford Wilson's work "Fifth of July," playing a gay, crippled Vietnam veteran.

But it was "Superman" that thrust Reeve into stardom. At an athletic 6-foot-4, the actor appeared to be a model for the superhero (an image helped by the fact that he performed many of his stunts, including dangerous "flying" exercises) -- and yet, with the merest addition of some glasses and a meek voice, easily turned into the shy and hesitant Clark Kent, often overpowered by Margot Kidder's brash Lois Lane.

Reeve made frequent attempts to avoid typecasting. He starred as a playwright who goes back in time to meet a beauty in "Somewhere in Time" (1980), Michael Caine's rival in the film version of Ira Levin's play "Deathtrap" (1983) and an unscrupulous reporter in "Street Smart" (1987), the film that helped make Morgan Freeman a star.

Among his other films were "The Bostonians" (1984), "Switching Channels" (1988), "Noises Off" (1992) and "The Remains of the Day" (1993).

'Let's continue to take risks'

Reeve with his wife, Dana
An active horseman, Reeve was taking part in an equestrian competition in 1995 when he was thrown from his horse. The event changed his life overnight.

After the accident, he told Barbara Walters that he had considered suicide, but thoughts of his children dissuaded him, according to The Associated Press.

"I could see how much they needed me and wanted me ... and how lucky we all are and that my brain is on straight," he said.

He refused to let his injury -- he was left a quadriplegic -- slow him down, and he exhorted others to take chances.

"Hollywood needs to do more," he told the audience at the 1996 Oscar ceremony. "Let's continue to take risks. Let's tackle the issues. In many ways our film community can do it better than anyone else."

He was also master of ceremonies at the 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta and delivered an opening-night speech at the Democratic National Convention the same year.

Reeve won a Screen Actors Guild award for best actor for his performance in a remake of "Rear Window," about a man in a wheelchair who becomes convinced a neighbor has been murdered. In the original 1954 film, Jimmy Stewart played a photographer whose legs were encased in a cast after an accident; Reeve's portrayal of the character was all the more starker for his real-life disability.

"I was worried that only acting with my voice and my face, I might not be able to communicate effectively enough to tell the story," Reeve told the AP. "But I was surprised to find that if I really concentrated, and just let the thoughts happen, that they would read on my face."

In the meantime, Reeve vowed he would walk again. In 2000, the actor was able to move his index finger, and he maintained a strenuous workout regimen to make his limbs stronger. In a commercial for the Nuveen investment firm, Reeve -- with the help of computer animation -- appeared to walk.

Despite some criticism, Reeve stood by the ad.

"It is a motivating vision of something that can actually happen," he told BusinessWeek magazine. "... Rather than just imagining a spinal-cord victim walking in the future, I thought it would be even more powerful to see it actually happening."

He tried to maintain an active life.

"I refuse to allow a disability to determine how I live my life. I don't mean to be reckless, but setting a goal that seems a bit daunting actually is very helpful toward recovery," Reeve told the AP.

The actor is survived by his wife, Dana, and three children: a son, Will, with his wife, and a son and a daughter, Matthew and Alexandra, by a previous relationship with Gae Exton. Plans for a funeral were not immediately announced.

The family has requested that donations be made to the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation.

 

[GonzoLeaper]

Yes, this is truly sad news

Yes, I was also saddened to hear of the death of the actor who embodied Superman for me as a child! (I know others played the role before and after him, but Christopher Reeve will always be Superman to me!)

 

[Camellia]

God Bless!

So many wonderful condolences. I hope his family and friends see it.

May God Bless Christopher Reeve and his family. He was a man of true courage, as were his entire family!

Camellia

 

[Malachy]

Dangerfield and now Reeve. This sucks man, this sucks big time.

 

[dbarrie]

Yes, this is very sad news. I never met Reeve, but I once did make personal contact with him. During his 50th birthday two years ago, his Paralysis Foundation invited people to send him a b-day greeting and a donation. I emailed him a message along with a $50 U.S. donation. To my surprise, he not only sent a form-style thank-you, but also a personal one as well. It was completely unexpected, and it was a nice touch. It's remarkable that Reeve never appeared to be consumed by fame or celebrity at all, despite the fact that he was synonymous with being "Superman." If you are interested I can share this msg with you sometime.

Right now as a tribute to him I am watching my DVD of the 1st "Superman" film from 1978. I've got his entire TMS episode on DVD and I will be watching it tonight as well. Another movie of Reeve's that I've always enjoyed is "Noises Off" from 1992, probably the funniest comedy nobody has ever heard of.

If you go to his Web site, www.christopherreeve.org, you can get info on how you can send his family a sympathy card. I'll be sending mine out tomorrow.

OI MuppetFan

So many wonderful condolences. I hope his family and friends see it.

May God Bless Christopher Reeve and his family. He was a man of true courage, as were his entire family!

Camellia

 

[JaniceFerSure]

Rest in Peace Superman,you'll truly be missed.