Sep 25, 1952

New York, New York, USA

Christopher Reeve (September 25, 1952 – October 10, 2004) was an American actor,
director, producer and writer. He established himself early as a Juilliard-trained
stage actor before portraying Superman/Kal-El/Clark Kent in four films, from 1978 to
1987. In the 1980s, he starred in several films, including Somewhere in Time (1980),
Deathtrap (1982), The Bostonians (1984), and Street Smart (1987). He also starred in
many plays, including the Broadway plays Fifth of July (1980 - 1982) and The... ... (read more...)
Marriage of Figaro (1985). In 1987, he led a public rally in support of 77 Chilean
actors, directors, and playwrights who had been sentenced to death by the dictator
Pinochet for criticizing his regime in their works.
Pinochet canceled the sentence after the ensuing media coverage, and Reeve was
awarded with three national distinctions from Chile for his actions. In the 1990s,
Reeve acted in such films as Noises Off (1992), The Remains of the Day (1993), and
Village of the Damned (1995).

In May 1995, Reeve was paralyzed in an accident while competing in an equestrian
tournament, and was confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. He lobbied
for people with spinal cord injuries, and for human embryonic stem cell research. He
founded the Christopher Reeve Foundation and co-founded the Reeve-Irvine Research
Center. Reeve died at age 52 on October 10, 2004 from cardiac arrest caused by an
adverse reaction to antibiotics given for a systemic infection.

Reeve married Dana Morosini in April 1992, and they had a son, Will. Reeve also had
two children, Matthew and Alexandra, from a previous relationship. Dana Reeve died
of lung cancer in March 2006.