Christopher Reeve - Early life, College days, Juilliard, Soap operas and Broadway, Superman

Film and stage actor, born in New York City, USA. He studied at Cornell University and the Juilliard School in New York, and had various stage and television roles before becoming universally known as the star of Superman and its sequels (1978, 1980, 1983, 1987). Later films include Noises Off (1992) and Morning Glory (1994). In May 1995 he became paralysed from the neck down and wheel-chair bound following a horse-riding accident, but acted again in films, including a television production of Rear Window (1998). He was also much involved in campaigns supporting handicapped children and paraplegics, and founded the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation in 1998 to promote research into spinal cord injuries, testifying before a Senate subcommittee in favour of federal funding for stem cell research. After his death, his wife Dana Reeve (1961–2006), continued his work for the foundation. He directed two television films with health themes, In the Gloaming (1997) and The Brooke Ellison Story (2004). His autobiography Still Me appeared in 1998.

Christopher Reeve
As Superman in Superman II
Born	September 25, 1952 New York, New York, USA
Died	October 10, 2004 Mount Kisco, New York, USA
Height	6' 4" (1.93 m)
Official site	ChristopherReeve.org
Notable roles	Superman/Clark Kent in Superman
Spouse(s)	Dana Reeve

Christopher Reeve (September 25, 1952 – October 10, 2004) was an American actor, director, producer and writer.

In 1995, Reeve was paralyzed in an accident while competing in an equestrian tournament and was confined to a wheelchair for the remainder of his life. He founded the Christopher Reeve Foundation and co-founded the Reeve-Irvine Research Center.

He 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.

Early life

Reeve was born in New York City on September 25, 1952. His father, Franklin d'Olier Reeve, was a poet and scholar. Despite being born wealthy, Franklin Reeve spent summers working at the docks with longshoremen. Reeve's mother, Barbara Pitney Lamb, had been a student at Vassar College but transferred to Barnard College to be closer to Franklin, whom she had met through a family connection.

Reeve's parents did not remain married for long. Franklin Reeve soon became more involved in his interests in socialism and Russian language and literature than in his wife. Franklin Reeve married Helen Schmidinger in 1956, a Columbia University graduate student. Reeve was one of the few kids to excel in both academics and sports; Reeve admitted that he put pressure on himself to act older than he actually was in order to gain his father's approval.

Reeve found his true passion in 1962 at age nine when an amateur group held tryouts for the play The Yeomen of the Guard, and he was cast.

In the summer of 1968, at age fifteen, Reeve was accepted as an apprentice at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Williamstown, Massachusetts. The other apprentices were mostly college students, but Reeve's appearance and maturity helped him fit in.

The next summer, Reeve was hired at the Harvard Summer Repertory Theater Company in Cambridge for $44 per week. The 23-year-old lead actress in the play, a Carnegie Mellon graduate, turned out to be Reeve's first romance. She broke off her engagement to a fellow Carnegie Mellon graduate for Reeve.

College days

After graduating from Princeton Day School in June of 1970, Reeve did plays in Boothbay, Maine, then planned to go to New York and try to find a career in theater.

In the theater department, Reeve acted in many plays.

In the fall of his Freshman year, Reeve received a letter from Stark Hesseltine, a high-powered agent that discovered Robert Redford and represented actors such as Michael Douglas, Susan Sarandon and Richard Chamberlain. Hesseltine had seen Reeve in A Month in the Country and wanted to represent him. The two met and decided that instead of dropping out of school, Reeve could come to New York once a month to meet casting agents and producers to find work for the summer vacation.

The next year, Reeve received a full-season contract with the San Diego Shakespeare Festival, with roles as Edward IV in Richard III, Fenton in The Merry Wives of Windsor, and Dumaine in Love's Labour's Lost at the Old Globe Theatre.

Before his third year of college, Reeve took a three-month leave of absence.

Juilliard

After coming back from Europe, Reeve decided that he wanted to focus solely on acting.

Every year, two thousand students auditioned for twenty places in the freshman class at Juilliard. Reeve's audition was in front of ten faculty members, including John Houseman, who had just won an Academy Award. Reeve and Williams had several classes together in which they were the only two students. In their dialects class with Edith Skinner, Williams had no trouble mastering all dialects naturally, whereas Reeve was more meticulous about it. Williams and Reeve developed a close friendship;

In a meeting with John Houseman, Reeve was told, "Mr. Reeve. Reeve declined as he had not yet received his bachelor's degree from Cornell.

In the spring of 1974, Reeve and other Juilliard students toured the New York City middle school system and performed The Love Cure. Reeve said that the greatest ovation of his career was during one of these performances. In an action scene, Reeve, who played the hero, drew his sword out too high and accidentally destroyed a row of lights above him.

Soap operas and Broadway

For financial reasons, Reeve took a job in the soap opera Love of Life in July 1974. Reeve was now no longer an anonymous actor; people on buses would give him advice as to which female character to marry, and one woman at a service station hit Reeve with her handbag and said, "how dare you treat your mother that way!" Reeve said that he took this as a compliment.

In the fall of 1975 he auditioned for the Broadway play A Matter Of Gravity. With Hepburn's influence over the CBS network, Reeve was able to work out the schedules of Love of Life and the play so that he would be able to do both. During the first performance of the play, Reeve entered the stage, said his first line, and then promptly fainted. The understudy finished the play for him, and Reeve was treated by a doctor and told to adopt a healthier diet. Reeve said, "she was sixty-seven and I was twenty-two, but I thought that was quite an honor...I believe I was fairly close to what a child or grandchild might have been to her." In fact, Reeve said that his scholarly father, who came to many of the performances, was the man that Hepburn was most captivated by. When the play moved to Los Angeles in 1976, Reeve dropped out, to Hepburn's disappointment. Reeve later regretted not staying closer instead of just sending messages back and forth.

Reeve's first role in a Hollywood film was a small part as a submarine officer in the disaster movie Gray Lady Down.

Superman

After My Life, Stark Hesseltine told Reeve that he had been asked to audition for the lead in the big budget film, Superman. Lynn Stalmaster, the casting director, put Reeve's picture and resume on the top of the pile three separate times, only to have the producers throw it out each time. Through his pleading, a meeting between director Richard Donner, producer Ilya Salkind and Reeve was set in January 1977 at the Sherry-Netherland Hotel on Fifth Avenue.

The morning after the meeting, Reeve was sent a 300 page script. Reeve immediately flew to London for a screen test, and on the way was told that Marlon Brando was to play Jor-El and Gene Hackman was cast as Lex Luthor. Reeve still did not think he had much of a chance. Reeve said, "by the late 1970s the masculine image had changed...Now it was acceptable for a man to show gentleness and vulnerability.

Although Reeve was tall enough for the role and had the blue eyes and handsome features, he did not have the physique of Superman. In addition, Reeve doubled his food intake and stayed on a high protein diet.

Reeve was never a comic book fan, though he had watched Adventures of Superman with George Reeves (whom he had no relation to;

The film grossed $300,218,018 worldwide (unadjusted for inflation). Reeve received stellar reviews for his performance:

"Christopher Reeve's entire performance is a delight. - Newsweek "Christopher Reeve has become an instant international star on the basis of his first major movie role, that of Clark Kent/Superman. Film reviewers - regardless of their opinion of the film - have been almost unanimous in their praise of Reeve's dual portrayal. - Starlog

Reeve used his newfound celebrity for good causes.

Sequels

Superman II was filmed at the same time as the first film. The cast was unhappy with this, but Reeve liked Lester and considered Superman II to be his favorite film of the series. It is dedicated to Reeve.

Superman III, released in 1983, was filmed entirely by Lester. Reeve believed that the producers ruined it by turning it into a Richard Pryor comedy.

Superman IV: The Quest For Peace, released in 1987, was initially never going to happen; after Superman III, Reeve vowed that he was done with Superman. Reeve said, "the less said about Superman IV the better."

Films, family, and political involvement

Following the first Superman movie, Reeve found that Hollywood producers all wanted him to be an action star. In addition, he did not feel he was right for the other films he was offered, and turned down the lead roles in American Gigolo, The World According to Garp, and Body Heat. Katharine Hepburn recommended Reeve to David Lean to play Fletcher Christian in a remake of Mutiny on the Bounty with Anthony Hopkins. After seriously considering it, Reeve finally decided that he would be miscast.

Reeve's first role after Superman was as Richard Collier in the 1980 romantic fantasy Somewhere in Time. The film was shot on Mackinac Island in May 1979 and was one of Reeve's favorite films to shoot. It was Reeve's first public disappointment and he immediately returned to London to shoot Superman II. Thanks to these members, Reeve was given a star on the Walk of Fame in 1997.

At this time, Gae Exton, Reeve's girlfriend, gave birth to their son, Matthew Reeve, on December 20, 1979. Soon after, Reeve tired of Hollywood and took the family to Williamstown, Massachusetts where he played the lead in the play The Front Page, directed by Robert Allan Ackerman. In the fall, Reeve played a disabled Vietnam veteran in The Fifth of July.

After The Fifth of July, Reeve stretched his acting range further and played a psychopath opposite Michael Caine in Sydney Lumet's film Deathtrap. Reeve was then offered the role of Basil Ransom in The Bostonians alongside Vanessa Redgrave. Though Reeve commanded over one million dollars per film, the producers could only afford to pay him one-tenth of that. Katharine Hepburn called Reeve to tell him that he was "absolutely marvellous" and "captivating" in the film.

Reeve was a licensed pilot and had flown solo across the Atlantic twice.

In 1984, Reeve appeared in The Aspern Papers with Vanessa Redgrave. The film received excellent reviews but performed poorly at the box office, possibly because Cannon Films had failed to properly advertise it.

After Superman IV in 1987, Reeve's relationship with Exton fell apart and they separated. Burt Reynolds and Kathleen Turner had a feud during filming which made the time even less enjoyable for Reeve. The film did not do well, and Reeve believed that it marked the end of his movie star career.

Although Reeve's career was bottoming-out, these were some of the happiest times of his life. Five months after separating from Gae Exton and after filming Switching Channels, he went back to Williamstown with his children Matthew and Alexandra, who were seven and three years-old, respectively.

In the late 1980's, Reeve had become more active than ever. Reeve was asked by Ariel Dorfman to help save their lives. Reeve flew to Chile and helped lead a protest march. Reeve's friend Ron Silver later started the Creative Coalition, an organization that would help celebrities learn to speak knowledgably about political issues. Reeve was an early member of the group, along with Susan Sarandon, Alec Baldwin, and Blythe Danner.

On June 7, 1992, Will Reeve was born to Dana and Christopher. In October, Reeve was offered the part of Lewis in The Remains of the Day.

In 1994, Reeve was elected as a co-president of the Creative Coalition. Their work was being noticed nationwide and Reeve was asked to run for Congress. In Massachusetts, Reeve could take a Concorde and see them any time. Reeve did not mind making trips, however, and went to New Mexico to shoot Speechless and went to Point Reyes to shoot Village of the Damned.

Shortly before his accident, he played a paralyzed police officer in the HBO special Above Suspicion. Reeve was then offered the lead in Kidnapped, to be shot in Ireland. Reeve also planned to direct his first big screen film, a romantic comedy entitled Tell Me True.

Injury

Reeve took up horse riding in 1985 after learning to ride for the film Anna Karenina. By 1989, Reeve was accomplished enough to compete in combined training events.

Reeve bought a twelve-year-old American Thoroughbred horse named Eastern Express, nicknamed Buck, while filming Village of the Damned. Though Reeve had originally signed up to compete at an event in Vermont, his coach invited him to go to the Commonwealth Dressage and Combined Training Association finals at the Commonwealth Park equestrian center in Culpeper, Virginia. Reeve finished at 4th place out of 27 after the dressage.

On May 27, 1995, Reeve was paralyzed after being thrown from his horse. Reeve held on and the bridle, the bit, and the reins were pulled off the horse and tied his hands together. Reeve had not been breathing for three minutes before paramedics arrived.

Recovery

For the first few days after the accident, Reeve was heavily sedated and remained unconscious. Reeve began to suffer from "ICU psychosis" and would wake up sporadically and mouth words to Dana such as "get the gun" and "they're after us." Suctioning was the most painful part of Reeve's recovery.

After considering his situation, knowing that not only would he never walk again, but that he may never move a body part again, Reeve considered suicide. Reeve never considered suicide as an option again.

He went through inner anguish in the ICU, particularly during the night, with only his mind to give him company. He said that he was a proctologist and was going to perform a rectal exam on Reeve. Reeve said, "for the first time since the accident, I laughed." It was this support from family and friends that convinced Reeve that his life was still worth living.

Dr. John Jane performed the surgery that reconnected Reeve's head to his body. He put wires underneath both laminae and used bone from Reeve's hip to fit between the C1 and C2 vertebrae. He inserted a titanium pin and fused the wires with the vertebrae, then drilled holes in Reeve's skull and fit the wires through to connect the head to the spinal cord.

Rehabilitation

On June 28, 1995, Reeve was taken to the Kessler Rehabilitation Center in West Orange, New Jersey. Juice and Reeve would watch the film Cool Runnings and joke about Reeve directing the sequel, Bobsled Two.

In the physical therapy gym, Reeve would work on moving his trapezius muscle. The therapist, Bill Carroll, would use a hose to see how much air Reeve could suck in, the vital capacity. Reeve initially could hardly get above zero. On December 13, 1995, Reeve was able to breathe without a ventilator for 30 minutes.

Activism

Reeve left Kessler feeling deeply inspired by the other patients he had met.

Reeve was elected as Chairman of the American Paralysis Association and Vice Chairman of the National Organization on Disability. He created the Christopher Reeve Foundation with the goal of speeding up research through funding, and using grants to improve the quality of the lives of disabled people.

In 1997, Reeve made his directorial debut with the HBO film In the Gloaming with Glenn Close, Whoopi Goldberg, Bridget Fonda and David Strathairn. Dana Reeve said, "there's such a difference in his outlook, his health, his overall sense of well-being when he's working at what he loves, which is creative work." In 1998, Reeve produced and starred in Rear Window, a remake of the original Alfred Hitchcock film. On April 25, 1998, Random House published Reeve's autobiography, Still Me.

Throughout this time, Reeve kept his body as physically strong as possible through a variety of exercise machines built for the paralyzed. Reeve then moved his left index finger on command. "I don't think Dr. MacDonald would have been more surprised if I had just walked on water," said Reeve in an interview.

In 2002, the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center, a federal government facility created through a 2001 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention non-compete grant, was opened in Short Hills, New Jersey. Reeve said, "when somebody is first injured or as a disease progresses into paralysis, people don't know where to turn.

Reeve also lobbied against the U.S. government's limited federal funding on human embryonic stem cell research on lines established on or before August 9, 2001, instead wanting scientists who take federal money to be unfettered in their research on human embryonic stem cell lines made later.

On February 25, 2003, Reeve appeared in the television series Smallville as Dr. Swann in the episode Rosetta.

In April 2004, Random House published Reeve's second book, Nothing is Impossible. This book is shorter than Still Me and focuses on Reeve's world views and the life experiences that helped him form them.

Also in 2004, Reeve completed the film The Brooke Ellison Story which he directed for A&E. In addition, Reeve at this time was directing the animated film Everyone's Hero.

Death

Reeve had an unusual medical history.

In 2003 and 2004, Reeve fought off a number of serious infections believed to have originated from the bone marrow. On October 9, Reeve felt well and attended his son Will's hockey game. 18 hours later, on October 10, 2004, Reeve died of heart failure at the age of 52.

Dana Reeve headed the Christopher Reeve Foundation after Christopher's death.

They are survived by their son, Will, and Christopher's son Matthew and daughter Alexandra. Matthew and Alexandra now serve on the board of directors for the Christopher Reeve Foundation.

Selected filmography

Year	Title	Role
1978	Superman: The Movie	Superman/Clark Kent/Kal-El
1980	Somewhere in Time	Richard Collier
1980	Superman II	Superman/Clark Kent/Kal-El
1982	Deathtrap	Clifford Anderson
1982	Monsignor	Father John Flaherty
1983	Superman III	Superman/Evil Superman/Clark Kent/Kal-El
1984	The Bostonians	Basil Ransome
1985	The Aviator	Edgar Anscombe
1987	Street Smart	Jonathan Fisher
1987	Superman IV: The Quest for Peace	Superman/Clark Kent/Kal-El
1988	Switching Channels	Blaine Bingham
1992	Noises Off	Frederick Dallas/Philip Brent
1993	The Remains of the Day	Lewis
1994	Speechless	Bob 'Baghdad' Freed
1995	Village of the Damned	Dr. Alan Chaffee
1995	Above Suspicion (TV)	Dempsey Cain
1996	Without Pity: A Film About Abilities	Narrator
1996	A Step Toward Tomorrow	Denny Gabrial
1998	Rear Window (TV)	Jason Kemp
2006	Everyone's Hero	(director) (executive producer)
2006	Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut	Superman/Clark Kent/Kal-El

Television

The Brooke Ellison Story (director) (A&E) (nominated by Directors Guild of America) Smallville (guest star in Legacy and Rosetta) The Practice (guest star in Burnout) Rear Window (actor and executive producer) (Screen Actors Guild Award Winner for Best Actor, Emmy nomination for Best Actor) In the Gloaming (director) (HBO - Five Emmy nominations, won four Cable Ace awards) Black Fox (CBS miniseries) The Sea Wolf (TNT movie of the week) Mortal Sins (USA Network movie of the week) Nightmare in the Daylight Tales from the Crypt (HBO) Death Dreams (Lifetime) Bump in the Night (CBS movie of the week) Road to Avonlea (guest star on Disney Channel series) The Road from Runnymede (PBS/Constitution Project) Carol and Company (guest star) The Rose and the Jackal (TNT) The Great Escape: The Untold Story (NBC movie of the week) Last Ferry Home (WCTV-Boston/Hearst Entertainment) Anna Karenina (CBS) Sleeping Beauty (TV episode) The American Revolution (PBS) Love of Life (CBS)

Theater

Broadway

The Marriage of Figaro Fifth of July A Matter of Gravity The Aspern Papers (London)

Off-Broadway

The Winter's Tale My Life

Regional

The Guardsman Death Takes a Holiday Love Letters (Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco) Richard Cory The Greeks Summer and Smoke The Cherry Orchard The Front Page Camino Real Holiday The Royal Family John Brown's Body Troilus and Cressida The Way of the World The Firebugs The Plow and the Stars The Devil's Disciple As You Like It Richard III The Merry Wives of Windsor Love's Labour's Lost South Pacific Finian's Rainbow The Music Man Galileo