| Christopher Reeve  Born: 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 by family
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
Rear Window (22-Nov-1998)
Above Suspicion (21-May-1995)
Village of the Damned (28-Apr-1995)
Speechless (16-Dec-1994)
The Remains of the Day (5-Nov-1993)
The Sea Wolf (18-Apr-1993)
Nightmare in the Daylight (22-Nov-1992)
Noises Off... (20-Mar-1992)
Death Dreams (25-Jun-1991)
The Great Escape II: The Untold Story (6-Nov-1988)
Switching Channels (4-Mar-1988)
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (24-Jul-1987)
Street Smart (20-Mar-1987)
The Aviator (8-Mar-1985)
The Bostonians (May-1984)
Superman III (17-Jun-1983)
Monsignor (22-Oct-1982)
Deathtrap (19-Mar-1982)
Superman II (19-Jun-1981)
Somewhere in Time (1980)
Superman (15-Dec-1978)
Gray Lady Down (10-Mar-1978)
Author of books:
Nothing Is Impossible: Reflections on a New Life (2002, memoir)
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