Reeve, Christopher

▪ 2005

      American actor (b. Sept. 25, 1952, New York, N.Y.—d. Oct. 10, 2004, Mount Kisco, N.Y.), was first known to the moviegoing public as the title character in Superman (1978) and went on to star in three sequels as well as a number of other films. After a fall from a horse during an equestrian competition in 1995 broke his neck and left him a quadriplegic, however, he took on a new, even more heroic role—that of activist for medical research, including the search for a cure for spinal-cord injuries. Reeve grew up in Princeton, N.J., where he performed in school plays and was involved with the local professional theatre. While receiving his education at Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., and the Juilliard School, New York City, he also worked at theatres in Europe and for two years was a cast member of the soap opera Love of Life. Reeve appeared on Broadway with Katharine Hepburn in A Matter of Gravity in 1976 and made his film debut in Gray Lady Down (1978). Then came Superman and superstardom. Not wanting to be associated with only that role, Reeve did more stage work and also appeared in films that ranged from romance (Somewhere in Time [1980]) to mystery-thriller (Deathtrap [1982]) to period piece (The Bostonians [1984] and The Remains of the Day [1993]) to farce (Switching Channels [1988] and Noises Off [1992]). Following his accident, Reeve, who had already been a political activist, became an advocate for the disabled while he worked to improve his own condition, and in 1999 he established the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation to help fund research projects. He also remained involved in television work, with the starring role in a 1998 update of Rear Window and the direction of The Brooke Ellison Story (2004) among his credits.

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