Christopher Reeve

Christopher Reeve
Reeve after the opening night of The Marriage of Figaro at the Circle in the Square Theatre, New York City, 1985
Born	Christopher D'Olier Reeve (1952-09-25)September 25, 1952 New York City, US
Died	October 10, 2004(2004-10-10) (aged 52) Mount Kisco, New York, US
Resting place	Ferncliff Cemetery, Greenburgh, New York
Education	Cornell University (BA) Juilliard School (GrDip)
Occupations	Actor director author activist
Years active	1970–2004
Works	Full list
Board member of	Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation
Spouse	Dana Morosini ​ (m. 1992)​
Partner	Gae Exton (1978–1987)
Children	3, including Matthew
Parent	F. D. Reeve (father)
Family	Franklin D'Olier (great-grandfather) Mahlon Pitney (great-grandfather) Beatrice Pitney Lamb (grandmother) Mary Schenck Woolman (great-great-grandaunt) Ferdinand Schureman Schenck (great-great-great-great-grandfather)
Website	christopherreeve.org

Christopher D'Olier Reeve^[1] (September 25, 1952 – October 10, 2004) was an American actor, film director, author, and activist, best known for playing the title character in the film Superman (1978) and its three sequels. Born in New York City and raised in Princeton, New Jersey, Reeve discovered a passion for acting and theater at the age of nine. He studied at Cornell University and the Juilliard School, making his Broadway debut in 1976. After his acclaimed performances in Superman and Superman II, Reeve declined many roles in action movies, choosing instead to work in small films and plays with more complex characters. He later appeared in critically successful films such as The Bostonians (1984), Street Smart (1987), and The Remains of the Day (1993), and in the plays Fifth of July on Broadway and The Aspern Papers in London's West End.

On May 27, 1995, Reeve was paralyzed from the shoulders down after being thrown from a horse during an equestrian competition in Culpeper, Virginia. He used a wheelchair and ventilator for the rest of his life. Reeve returned to creative work, directing In the Gloaming (1997) and acting in the television remake of Rear Window (1998). He also made several appearances in the Superman-themed television series Smallville, and wrote two autobiographical books, Still Me and Nothing Is Impossible. Over the course of his career, Reeve received a BAFTA Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, an Emmy Award, and a Grammy Award.

Beginning in the 1980s, Reeve was an activist for environmental and human-rights causes and for artistic freedom of expression. After his accident, he lobbied for spinal injury research, including human embryonic stem cell research, and for better insurance coverage for people with disabilities. His advocacy work included leading the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation and co-founding the Reeve-Irvine Research Center.^[2] Reeve died in 2004 from heart failure at a hospital near his home in Westchester County, New York.