Christopher Reeve
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Christopher Reeve (September 25, 1952 – October 10 2004) was an American actor, director, producer and writer renowned for his film portrayal of Superman/Clark Kent in four films from 1978-1987, for his wide body of stage work, and for his humanitarian efforts in the treatment of spinal cord injury and other neurological disorders.
In 1995, Reeve was rendered a quadriplegic during an equestrian competition and was confined to a wheelchair for the remainder of his life. Christopher Reeve became a spokesman for disabled people and a vocal supporter of stem cell research. His persistent physical regimen led to partial regeneration of his nervous system never before seen in his type of injury. He died on October 10, 2004 after suffering cardiac arrest.
Acting career
He was born in New York City to writer Franklin Reeve and journalist Barbara Lamb. In 1970 Reeve graduated from Princeton Day School in Princeton Township, New Jersey. He attended Cornell University as a member of the class of 1974, but left before earning his degree and began studying at the Juilliard Drama School under John Houseman. While at Juilliard, he became friends with Robin Williams, as well as with Kevin Conroy (who would later be the voice actor for the animated television series).Reeve's first big break as an actor came in 1975 when he was selected to co-star opposite Katharine Hepburn in the Broadway play A Matter Of Gravity. Reeve stayed with the play throughout its year-long run and was given very favorable reviews. He and Hepburn became very close and stayed in contact until her death in 2003. A romance was rumored, but Reeve laughed it off saying, "That was wild, that thought. She was 66 and I was 22. But that, you know, that could be fun." He did admit to having a boyhood crush on her: "When I was a kid I would have crossed the country on my hands and knees just to say hi." Reeve credited the legendary actress with giving him many valuable lessons on acting. Hepburn in turn praised her young co-star. She predicted great things for him and joked that he would "support me in my old age." Reeve is reported to have joked back, "I don't think I'll live that long, Miss Hepburn."
Reeve continued to work on the stage, as well as on the soap opera Love of Life. His first role in a Hollywood film was a small part as a submarine officer in the disaster movie Gray Lady Down in 1977.
Superman
Reeve's good looks and tall (6'4") stature paid off when he beat out thousands of others for the role of Superman in the 1978 film directed by Richard Donner. This film was a critical and financial success and led the way to three sequels. Coincidentally, Christopher Reeve's good friend Robin Williams highlighted on his own star vehicle, Mork & Mindy. Ironically, the episode dealt with Mork being jealous of Mearth's love for Superman; in actual fact Williams and Reeve gained stardom simultaneously.
Contrary to myth, Christopher Reeve is not related to George Reeves, who played Superman on television in the 1950s. George Reeves' real name was, in fact, George Brewer, and the similarity in their names is only coincidental.
Although he was certainly tall enough for the role, Reeve's build was decidedly unmuscular, and he began a training regimen under former British weightlifting champion Dave Prowse, who, a short time later, would gain fame as the man who would give physical form to Darth Vader in George Lucas' immensely popular Star Wars films. Reeve had a driver who was paid to take him to the gym no matter how much he cursed or resisted. The training regimen consisted of several hours at the gym every day, and eating two of everything; two breakfasts, two lunches and two dinners. Reeve put on 30 pounds of muscle to his thin 195 lb frame, and put on even more for Superman III. Once he reached the peak of his bulk, he decided to put more emphasis on cardiovascular workouts and became leaner.
Superman was the kind of part Reeve usually disdained. He once said, "I want to challenge myself in my roles, not run around on screen with a machine gun." However, Reeve did find that he could play the character with depth and challenge himself with the role. He said that there had to be something more to the Clark Kent character, otherwise you just had a "pair of glasses standing in for a character." He successfully split the Superman and Clark Kent roles into two completely different characters. As a result, Christopher Reeve was roundly hailed for his masterful acting in the title role. He essentially redefined Superman — no small feat, considering what a global icon the character was and still is.
In 1983, following the mixed reaction to Superman III, which made a decent but uninspiring $60 million at the box office, Reeve and the producers, father and son team Alexander and Ilya Salkind, assumed that the Superman films had run their course. Reeve was slated to make a cameo in 1984's Supergirl but was unavailable. Four years later, Ilya Salkind sold the Superman franchise to Golan & Globus of Cannon Films.
According to Reeve, Golan & Globus Films did not have a script in mind when they first approached him about doing the fourth installment; they simply wanted him to reprise his role. Reeve himself admitted in his autobiography Still Me that he really wasn't sure that he wanted to do another Superman film, especially if it was going to be treated as a farce, which had been the case with the third film, an approach that Reeve felt was disrespectful to fans and the source material. The new filmmakers then offered Reeve a deal he couldn't refuse – in exchange for starring in the fourth Superman film, they would produce any project of his choosing, and also promised him story input (there was also talk of having Reeve direct a fifth Superman film in case the fourth one proved successful). Reeve accepted, and in exchange, Golan & Globus produced the gritty crime drama Street Smart (see below).
After reviewing various scripts, Reeve suggested the storyline of Superman becoming involved in the global political issue of nuclear warfare, in order to give the film a more serious feel to distance itself from the previous film. Unfortunately, Golan & Globus had so many other films in the pipeline at the time that their money was spread too thinly to properly accommodate what became , released in 1987, forcing the film's veteran director Sidney J. Furie to cut corners everywhere. The film was universally panned by critics and fans alike, who were disgusted by the film's cheap special effects, which paled in comparison to the earlier films, and performed poorly at the box office.
Feeling a need to move on with his life and career, and openly disappointed over the less than inspiring end of what would remain his most beloved character portrayal, Reeve publicly stated that his days as the Man of Steel were over. Adding insult to injury, Reeve was subsequently accused of plagiarism by two screenwriters who claimed he had stolen their story ideas, which Reeve vehemently denied for the remainder of his life. The two screenwriters tried to sue Reeve, but the courts dismissed the case in Reeve's favor because the screenwriters had no evidence to validate their accusations against Reeve, thus vindicating the former Superman star.
To this day, Reeve's portrayal of Superman is still considered the definitive on-screen interpretation by most fans.
After Superman
Throughout his career, Reeve maintained a good reputation for being a courteous, polite, and professional actor among his collaborators. In short: easy to work with. In 1980, Reeve co-starred with Jane Seymour in Somewhere in Time, a time travel romance. Although this film was not popular at the time it was released, it has since inspired a wide "cult" following. Seymour thought so highly of Reeve in the 1990s that she named one of her twin boys Kristopher, in honor of Reeve and singer Kris Kristofferson.
In 1984, Reeve won critical acclaim for his role as a 19th century southern lawyer in The Bostonians. He often said this was the best movie role of his career. It was immediately afterwards that he scored another triumph on the stage, this time in London. Reeve had always been fond of England and jumped at the chance to co-star with his friend Vanessa Redgrave in The Aspern Papers, an adaptation of a Henry James novel. Critics were astounded by his performance, and local headlines blurted "Superman can act!"
In 1987 Reeve traveled to Chile, at that time under the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, to stand in solidarity with several dozen actors and writers who had been threatened with death for their left-wing views. He was later given the Bernardo O'Higgins Condecoration in 1998 by then Foreign Minister Soledad Alvear for this action. Alvear said at the time: "He visited our country in 1987 during very difficult times in our history. He came to lead a support celebration for the 77 national artists who were threatened and this action meant him two awards from international human rights organisms, but we hadn't had the chance of thanking him for his noble gesture".
In the same year, , a movie demonstrating his anti-nuclear political ideology, was released. Reeve helped write the screenplay because he wanted to send a powerful message about world peace. The plot focused on Superman ridding the world of nuclear weapons. Superman IV was a box office failure, and Reeve jokingly recommended that people skip it and only watch the first two movies and maybe the third. Also in 1987, Reeve starred in the gritty Street Smart as a reporter who falsified a story about a pimp. Morgan Freeman was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his role as the pimp "Fast Black", but Reeve's performance was dismissed by the critics; one even mocked, "Look up in the sky, it's a bird, it's a plane... it's Newsman!"
In 1988, Reeve co-starred with Burt Reynolds and Kathleen Turner in the comedy Switching Channels. This was a modern-day remake of the 1930s stageplay The Front Page and also provided a rare comedic role for Reeve. However, the movie flopped at the box office and Reeve next turned up doing movies for cable and television.
Reeve was able to again showcase his comedic talents alongside all-star comedy veterans Carol Burnett, Marilu Henner, and John Ritter in 1992's Noises Off, a slapstick film version of the Michael Frayn stage play of the same name. The film also reteamed him with Deathtrap co-star Michael Caine. He also had the role of an American ambassador in The Remains of the Day, which some believed would revitalize his career, but when the film came out his performance was hardly acknowledged. He followed this with an understated role in another comedy, 1994's Speechless, where he played the ex-fiance newsman of Geena Davis's Democratic campaign speech writer, in which his romantic rival for her was former Batman star Michael Keaton as the Republican campaign speech writer.
In his career, he was offered many roles such as Richard Gere's role in American Gigolo (which he turned down reportedly because he found the film's subject matter "distasteful"), Mel Gibson's role as Fletcher Christian in the 1984 film The Bounty (reportedly he declined because of the bad experience he had with Monsignor) and Arnold Schwarzenegger's role in The Running Man, which he declined in favor of films he found more meaningful. His last theatrical film was director John Carpenter's 1995 remake of Village of the Damned, where he played the local everyman doctor protagonist trying to save the town from the demonic children, the leader of whom was his "daughter."
Reeve had a great love for the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Williamstown, Massachusetts. He served as an apprentice and on its Board of Directors. Despite having become famous for his Superman role, he returned every summer until his accident. Reeve often faulted fellow actors for shunning stagework, claiming they were dishonoring their craft. He appeared in over 150 plays during his career.
Shortly before his accident, Reeve played a paralyzed police officer in the HBO special Above Suspicion. His wife was also in the movie, playing a female detective who smoked.
After his accident, he would direct and star in several important movies about disabilities such as In the Gloaming and The Brooke Ellison Story. He also starred in a remake of the Alfred Hitchcock classic Rear Window.
Injury
On May 27 1995 Reeve was paralyzed from the neck down after being thrown from his horse, "Eastern Express," in a cross country riding in the Commonwealth Dressage and Combined Training Association finals at the Commonwealth Park equestrian center in Culpeper, Virginia. It was the second of three trial events in that equestrian competition.Reeve had been approaching the third of 18 jumps -- a triple-bar about 3 1/2 feet high -- on the course when his horse apparently did not find the right spot to make the jump. The horse abruptly stopped, (a refusal) causing Reeve to "roll up the horse's neck and fall on his head on the other side of the jump," according to Monk Reynolds, the equestrian center's owner. After being thrown, he landed on his head. He was wearing a helmet and a protective vest at the time. Initially, he had no movement or spontaneous respiration. However, paramedics told him that he fought them off and that it was very hard to get him in the ambulance.
Reeve was considered an able rider and a proponent of equestrian safety and was about to pose for a safety poster sponsored by the U.S. Combined Training Association. He was confined to a wheelchair and unable to breathe, except for short periods, without the assistance of a mechanical respirator, for the remainder of his life.
Interview about injury
-->[A transcript of Christopher Reeve's appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman, May 12, 1998]
LETTERMAN: Tell me exactly what it is. What is broken? What happened here?
REEVE: Well, I totally decimated my first cervical vertebra and my second, and so my body and my spine and my head were not connected. Only my neck muscles were holding my head on, and fortunately I didn't suffer any brain damage, at least none that I can detect. [laughter] But, you know, that's what they tell me at any rate. But they literally had to put my head back on my body, and a wonderful surgeon, Dr. John Jane at the University of Virginia, was the one who operated on me, and they had to make it up. They had never done anything like this before, because this is what is called a hangman's injury, you know, like if you get dropped through the trap door and then cut down, sent to rehab and told to have a nice life.
LETTERMAN: This is where, is it the brain stem comes out of the brain, and is that the beginning of the spinal cord? Is that what that is?
REEVE: Yes, yes. Now, if you injure your brain stem you're in really big trouble, because you can't even move your face, but I'm what's called a C2 incomplete which means the second cervical vertebra, there's a gap between the second and the third. It's only 20 millimeters wide, and that's why I am a prime candidate for recovery when they have regeneration.
Later life
Reeve later admitted that he briefly thought of suicide after realizing the extent of his disability. He credited his wife, Dana, with pulling him out of his depression. When he said to her, “Maybe we should let me go”, she famously said, “I’ll be with you for the long haul, no matter what. You’re still you and I love you.” Reeve has often said that these were the words that saved his life. He largely retired from the production of films after his paralysis, instead devoting his time to rehabilitation therapy.
With the help of a 2001 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention non-compete grant, the Reeves christened opening of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center, a federal government facility located in Short Hills, New Jersey, devoted to teaching paralyzed people to live more independently. Reeve also chaired the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation, which funds research on paralysis and works to improve the lives of the disabled. To date, the Foundation has awarded $64 million in research grants and $8 million in quality-of-life grants. After Reeve's death, his wife briefly chaired the Foundation. Reeve also lobbied against the U.S. government's limited funding on the controversial 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 concerning human embryo stem cell lines made later.[link]
Reeve also appeared in television movies after his accident. In 1998, he appeared in a remake for TV of the famous film Rear Window, originally directed by Alfred Hitchcock. This remake is set in the time in which it was made and is characterized by its depiction of adaptive devices for wheelchair users. This clearly distinguishes the film from the original. For example, in the new film he sends emails by using speech recognition software (instead of the telephone used in the original).
On April 25, 1998, Random House published Reeve's autobiography, Still Me.
On February 25, 2003, he appeared in the television series Smallville as Dr. Virgil Swann, who provides young Clark Kent with insightful clues about his Kryptonian origin. The episode, "Rosetta," was warmly received by critics and the viewing public and called one of the best episodes in the show's history. It also marked a turning point in the show; prior to this episode, Clark is only aware of the fact that he is an alien. It is Reeve (as Swann) who provides the name of the planet, becoming the first actor on Smallville to say "Krypton." Reeve appeared in the role again in the April 14, 2004 episode "Legacy". Both episodes ended with an announcement from Reeve, alongside Smallville star Tom Welling, promoting the Christopher Reeve Foundation.
The Swann character died in the episode "Sacred," which aired on February 23, 2005. Margot Kidder, who played Lois Lane in the Superman films continued the plot as Swann's assistant. Her character, Dr. Bridgette Crosby, was eventually killed in the episode entitled "Spirit", which aired on April 20, 2005.
On October 25, 2004, two weeks after Reeve's death, A&E aired Reeve's second directorial project, The Brooke Ellison Story. The film, starring Lacey Chabert and based on a true story, is about an 11-year old girl who becomes a quadriplegic in a car accident and goes on to be the first quadriplegic to graduate from Harvard University.
Death
In 2003 and 2004, Reeve fought off a number of serious infections believed to have originated from the bone marrow. He recovered from three that could have been fatal. On October 10, 2004 after suffering cardiac arrest brought on by an infection and falling into a coma, Reeve died of heart failure at 52 years of age. In the week prior to his death, Reeve was being treated at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, New York for a pressure ulcer, a common ailment for paralytics, that had subsequently become seriously infected.By the time of his death, Reeve had regained partial movement in his fingers and toes as well as feeling throughout his body, claiming he could feel pin pricks anywhere and could again differentiate between hot and cold temperatures.
Even before his death, Reeve's efforts to spread awareness for spinal cord injuries had won him popularity in many circles. Reeve stated that there was nothing truly heroic about him or what had happened to him, but that he was merely another human being dealing with an obstacle that life had placed in his path.#redirect Nevertheless, fans and admirers have taken to calling him "the real Man of Steel" and "the real Superman." He is survived by his parents, Barbara Lamb and Franklin Reeve, a former girl friend, Gae Exton, and his three children, Matthew (born 1979) and Alexandra (born 1982) (from his relationship with Exton) and William (born 1992) (from his marriage to Dana Reeve).
Dana Reeve died of lung cancer on March 6, 2006.
Tributes
After he died, a number of editorial cartoons drawn to commemorate him were Superman themed, with many depicting Reeve flying away from his wheelchair in his Superman costume. One cartoon showed a boy in a wheelchair talking about how Reeve had incredible vision, that he used his power to help others, that nothing could stop him, "and before that I think he acted in some Superman movies..." Another picture showed Batman, Spider-Man and Captain America arriving at Reeve's grave, with Batman commenting "He really was a super man..." In another picture, a sad Superman is shown arriving at Reeve's grave with flowers, while in another a grief stricken Superman looks to the reader with a newspaper in his hand, having just read the news of Reeve's death, tearfully saying "He was my hero..." Two more depicted Reeve arriving in heaven dressed as Superman, one of which had him telling Gabriel to keep the wings. In another, Reeve was shown being welcomed by Saint Peter at the pearly gates, with Reeve saying "I could have flown here but it felt so good to walk."[www.cagle.com] accessed June 2006.Reeve's Superman Costume
The famous Superman costume that Reeve wore in the movies resides at the Smithsonian Institute.The Reeve family presently is making efforts to have one of Christopher Reeve's wheelchairs on display at the Smithsonian.
Selected quotes
"I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles." - referring to the number of disabled patients he met when he was first injured."I was worried that only acting with my voice and my face, I might not be able to communicate effectively enough to tell the story, but I was surprised to find that if I really concentrated, and just let the thoughts happen, that they would read on my face. With so many close-ups, I knew that my every thought would count." (about acting in Rear Window)
"So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable."
"Either you decide to stay in the shallow end of the pool or you go out in the ocean."
"I am getting older and time is ticking. The more time goes by the more I feel a sense of urgency and I can accept anything except for complacency."
"Your body is not who you are. The mind and spirit transcend the body."
"In 1977, Christopher Reeve convinced me that a man can fly. I've seen him fly and I will see him walk again." (Richard Donner, Superman: The Movie director)
"He (Reeve) was put on this Earth for... a lot of reasons. He wasn't just here to be an actor. He was Superman." -(Richard Donner, 2006).
Selected filmography
- Gray Lady Down (1977)
- (1978)
- The Muppets Go Hollywood (1979)
- Somewhere in Time (1980)
- Superman II (1980)
- Deathtrap (1982)
- Monsignor (1982)
- Superman III (1983)
- The Bostonians (1984)
- The Aviator (1985)
- Street Smart (1987)
- (1987)
- Switching Channels (1988)
- Bump in the Night (1991)
- Noises Off (1992)
- The Remains of the Day (1993)
- Speechless (1994)
- Above Suspicion (1995)
- Village of the Damned (1995)
- Rear Window (1998)
- Smallville (2003-2004) (Guest Star)
- The Brooke Ellison Story (2004) (director)
- Everyone's Hero (2006) (director) (His last film work)
External links
- [}}}] at [Yahoo! Movies]
- [Christopher Reeve Homepage]
- [Riding Accident Paralyzes Actor Christopher Reeve]
- [National Health Promotion and Information Center for People With Paralysis (Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center) Cooperative Agreement Information]
- [Christopher and Dana Reeve Marriage Profile]
- [BBC obituary]
- [Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center : Home]
- [Why You Should Respect Christopher Reeve - by Alan Kistler] - A retrospective on Christopher Reeve's performance in the SUPERMAN movie by comic book historian Alan Kistler of www.MonitorDuty.com.
- [Cartoons paying tribute to the late Christopher Reeve]
- [Christopher Reeve] A timeline
References
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