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Christopher Reeve

Christopher ReeveBorn: 25-Sep-1952
Birthplace: New York City
Died: 10-Oct-2004
Location of death: Pound Ridge, NY
Cause of death: Infection
Remains: Cremated (ashes scattered)

Gender: Male
Religion: Unitarian
Race or Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Actor
Party Affiliation: Democratic

Nationality: United States
Executive summary: Superman

Christopher Reeve studied drama under John Houseman at the prestigious Juilliard School of Performing Arts, where his roommate was a young Robin Williams. He played Ben Harper on the long-running soap opera Love of Life from 1974-76, then quit Juilliard to star opposite Katharine Hepburn in a Broadway play, A Matter of Gravity. Then came Superman (1978).

Reeve played a paralyzed man in Above Suspicion (1995), the last film he made before being paralyzed in a horse-riding accident. Reeve always insisted he would walk again, but at his best he was able to breathe for several hours at a time without a ventilator.

After his accident, Reeve became an activist, chairing the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation and running the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center. He criticized the Catholic church and President Bush for blocking embryonic stem-cell research that could help paralyzed people recover. He also guested on the 'Superboy' series Smallville, and starred in a so-so remake of Hitchcock's Rear Window.

Reeve died from a severe systemic infection caused by a pressure wound, an ailment typical of paralytics. The infection put him into a coma on 9 October 2004, causing his death at his New York City residence the following day.

Father: Franklin D. Reeve (literature professor)
Mother: Barbara Johnson (journalist)
Brother: Benjamin Reeve (attorney)
Girlfriend: Gae Exton (leggy ex-supermodel, one son, one daughter)
Son: Matthew Reeve (b. 1979)
Daughter: Alexandra Reeve (b. 1983)
Wife: Dana Reeve (activist, b. 1960, m. 1992, d. 6-Mar-2006 lung cancer, one son)
Son: Will Reeve (b. 1992, by Dana)

    University: AB, Cornell University (1974)
    University: Juilliard School of Drama

    Emmy 1997 for Without Pity: A Film About Abilities (shared)
    Hollywood Walk of Fame 15-Apr-1997 at 7021 Hollywood Blvd.
    Lasker Award Public Service Award (2003)
    Caring Institute Board of Trustees (Honorary)
    Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation Chairman (-2004)
    Appendectomy
    Paralyzed 1995
    Coma one day before his death
    Tracheotomy
    Wedding: Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones (2000)
    Risk Factors: Malaria, Appendicitis

    TELEVISION
    Love of Life Ben Harper (1974-76)

    FILMOGRAPHY AS DIRECTOR
    Everyone's Hero (15-Sep-2006)
    The Brooke Ellison Story (25-Oct-2004)
    In the Gloaming (20-Apr-1997)

    FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR
    Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind (Jan-2018) · Himself
    Rear Window (22-Nov-1998) · Jason Kemp
    Above Suspicion (21-May-1995)
    Village of the Damned (28-Apr-1995) · Alan Chaffee
    Speechless (16-Dec-1994) · Freed
    The Remains of the Day (5-Nov-1993)
    Morning Glory (17-Sep-1993)
    The Sea Wolf (18-Apr-1993)
    Nightmare in the Daylight (22-Nov-1992)
    Noises Off... (20-Mar-1992)
    Death Dreams (25-Jun-1991)
    Bump in the Night (6-Jan-1991)
    The Great Escape II: The Untold Story (6-Nov-1988)
    Switching Channels (4-Mar-1988) · Blaine Bingham
    Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (24-Jul-1987) · Superman
    Street Smart (20-Mar-1987)
    Anna Karenina (26-Mar-1985)
    The Aviator (8-Mar-1985)
    The Bostonians (May-1984) · Basil Ransome
    Superman III (17-Jun-1983) · Superman
    Monsignor (22-Oct-1982)
    Deathtrap (19-Mar-1982) · Clifford Anderson
    Superman II (19-Jun-1981) · Superman
    Somewhere in Time (1980) · Richard Collier
    Superman (15-Dec-1978) · Superman
    Gray Lady Down (10-Mar-1978) · Phillips

Author of books:
Nothing Is Impossible: Reflections on a New Life (2002)


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