Christopher Reeve, born in 1952 in New York, was first known for his role as Superman. Reeve began acting at age 8, performing in school plays; then he joined a local professional theater.
While receiving his education at University, Reeve worked at theaters in Europe and for two years was a cast member of the soap opera Love of Life.
His film debut was in Gray Lady Down in 1978. Later that year, he got the role of Superman. The first problem Reeve faced in this role was that director Richard Donner thought he was too skinny to play Superman, so after the cast, Reeve started exercising and gained around 30 pounds of muscle.
“My picture had been shown to director Donner and producer Ilya Salkind three or four times, and every time they said no. They felt that I looked too skinny and didn’t have the right look for the part. Finally, in January 1977, casting director Lynn Stalmaster presented my picture again, and they finally agreed to meet me briefly in New York. The next day I was asked to go to Shepperton Studios outside London for a screen test, where I did two scenes from “Superman II”. I was told that I had the part even before I got on the plane to fly home,” he said.
Reeve’s last portrayal of the superhero was in 1987’s Superman IV: The Quest for Peace.
After that role, Reeve wanted to try something different, and he starred in several other movies, including Somewhere in Time, Deathtrap, and The Aviator.
In the 1985 adaptation of Anna Karenina, Reeve had learned to ride horses for his part; then he started riding horses regularly, often training multiple days a week, until on May 27, 1995, the actor injured his spinal cord after falling off his horse in an equestrian competition, which left him with quadriplegia.
One year after Reeve returned to acting in A Step Toward Tomorrow, he narrated the HBO documentary special Without Pity: A Film About Abilities.
The accident made him more involved in activism and charity work to support people with disabilities. In 1996, he established the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation to fund spinal cord injury research and provide medical support.
In 1998, Reeve worked with ABC to host a variety show fundraiser for spinal cord research, Christopher Reeve: A Celebration of Hope.
At that time, Reeve also started directing, working on projects with health themes. His directorial debut was the 1997 HBO drama In the Gloaming. In 2004, he directed The Brooke Ellison Story, and in the middle of his third directing production, Reeve passed away from cardiac failure after receiving treatment for an infected ulcer.
Happy heavenly birthday, Christopher!
Ask us! What questions do you have about content, strategy, pop culture, lifestyle, wellness, history or more? We may use your question in an upcoming article!
Like MediaFeed’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was syndicated by MediaFeed.co
