Christopher Reeve

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Birthday:

25 September 1952, New York City, New York, USA

Height:

193 cm

Christopher D'Olier Reeve was born September 25, 1952, in New York City, to journalist Barbara Johnson (née Barbara Pitney Lamb) and writer/professor F.D. Reeve (Franklin D'Olier Reeve). He came from an upper-class family; his paternal grandfather was CEO of Prudential Financial, and one of his maternal great-grandfathers was Supreme Court justice Mahlon Pitney.When he was four, his parents divorced. His mother moved sons Christopher and Benjamin to Princeton, New Jersey, and married an investment banker a few years later. After graduating from high school, Reeve studied at Cornell University while at the same time working as a professional actor. In his final year at Cornell, he was one of two students selected (Robin Williams was the other) to study at New York's famous Juilliard School, under the renowned John Houseman. Although Christopher is best known for his role as Superman (1978), a role which he played with both charisma and grace, his acting career spans a much larger ground. Paralyzed after a horse riding accident, he died suddenly at age 52 after several years of living and working with his severe disability. Show less «

Either you decide to stay in the shallow end of the pool or you go out in the ocean.

What makes Superman a hero is not that he has power, but that he has the wisdom and the maturity to use the power wisely. From an acting poi...Show more »

What makes Superman a hero is not that he has power, but that he has the wisdom and the maturity to use the power wisely. From an acting point of view, that's how I approached the part. Show less «

A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.

[on Robin Williams' visiting him in the hospital shortly after the accident] There was this guy wearing a blue scrub hat and a yellow gown a...Show more »

[on Robin Williams' visiting him in the hospital shortly after the accident] There was this guy wearing a blue scrub hat and a yellow gown and with a Russian accent, being some insane Russian doctor... I laughed for the first time, and I knew that life was going to be okay. Show less «

I have seen first-hand how Superman actually transforms people's lives. I have seen children dying of brain tumors who wanted as their las...Show more »

I have seen first-hand how Superman actually transforms people's lives. I have seen children dying of brain tumors who wanted as their last request to be able to talk to me, and have gone to their graves with a peace brought on by knowing that their belief in this kind of character is intact. I have seen that Superman really matters. They're connecting with something very basic: the ability to overcome obstacles, the ability to persevere, the ability to understand difficulty and to turn your back on it. Show less «

I asked Sean Connery how to avoid being typecast and he said, "First you have to be good enough that they ask you to play it again and again...Show more »

I asked Sean Connery how to avoid being typecast and he said, "First you have to be good enough that they ask you to play it again and again.". Show less «

[on making sequels] You know, when you make sequels, they have to be better each time. And you have to spend the money. I remember on Superm...Show more »

[on making sequels] You know, when you make sequels, they have to be better each time. And you have to spend the money. I remember on Superman II (1980), we once went down to St. Lucia in the Caribbean from Pinewood--took a whole crew to get a shot of Superman picking a flower by a stream. And we had just been to Norway to get some shots of him in the snow fields. All that was scaled down by the producers of Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987), and I think the film looks ersatz as a result. Show less «

[Jerry Siegel] and [Joe Shuster] created a piece of American mythology. It was my privilege to be the onscreen custodian of the character in...Show more »

[Jerry Siegel] and [Joe Shuster] created a piece of American mythology. It was my privilege to be the onscreen custodian of the character in the '70s and '80s. There will be many interpretations of Superman, but the original character created by two teenagers in the '30s will last forever. Show less «

[on director Richard Lester's filming of Superman III (1983)] [He] was always looking for a gag - sometimes to the point where the gags invo...Show more »

[on director Richard Lester's filming of Superman III (1983)] [He] was always looking for a gag - sometimes to the point where the gags involving Richard Pryor went over the top. I mean, I didn't think that his going off the top of a building, on skis with a pink tablecloth around his shoulders, was particularly funny. Show less «

[on the weight training he did for Superman (1978)] I actually thought I was in pretty good shape before, but by the time we were done, I fe...Show more »

[on the weight training he did for Superman (1978)] I actually thought I was in pretty good shape before, but by the time we were done, I felt like I was ready to take on Muhammad Ali! Show less «

Your body is not who you are. The mind and spirit transcend the body.

[from an interview three months before the release of Superman III (1983)] Look, I've flown, I've become evil, loved, stopped and turned the...Show more »

[from an interview three months before the release of Superman III (1983)] Look, I've flown, I've become evil, loved, stopped and turned the world backward, I've faced my peers, I've befriended children and small animals, and I've rescued cats from trees. What else is there left for Superman to do that hasn't been done? Show less «

[from a Barbara Walters interview a few months prior to his death] I am getting older and time is ticking. The more time goes by the more I ...Show more »

[from a Barbara Walters interview a few months prior to his death] 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. Show less «

Hollywood needs to do more. Let's continue to take risks. Let's tackle the issues. In many ways our film community can do it better than any...Show more »

Hollywood needs to do more. Let's continue to take risks. Let's tackle the issues. In many ways our film community can do it better than anyone else. Show less «

[on his post-accident role in Rear Window (1998)] I was worried that only acting with my voice and my face, I might not be able to communica...Show more »

[on his post-accident role in Rear Window (1998)] 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. Show less «

The key to success is letting the relationships in your life grow to the highest levels they possibly can... not putting yourself first in l...Show more »

The key to success is letting the relationships in your life grow to the highest levels they possibly can... not putting yourself first in life and remembering that the more you give away, the more you have. Show less «

[on the reshoots of Superman II (1980) after changing directors] It was usually done whenever a set doubled or we had a problem with expensi...Show more »

[on the reshoots of Superman II (1980) after changing directors] It was usually done whenever a set doubled or we had a problem with expensive actors being available. I remember we did many scenes from the Daily Planet, if not all of them, while we were doing Part One. So those were pretty much in the bank. Gene Hackman, to the extent that he was in Part Two, was also done while he was around for Part One. I don't remember that he came back again. Show less «

[on the famous fight scene in Superman II (1980)] The Salkinds [producers Alexander Salkind and Ilya Salkind] wanted to make a splash. Their...Show more »

[on the famous fight scene in Superman II (1980)] The Salkinds [producers Alexander Salkind and Ilya Salkind] wanted to make a splash. Their vision was really big. I remember much of that as being fun. The strong wind blowing the cars around, from the three baddies with their super breath, that was all staged by [Richard Lester]. And it had an element of humor to it, so it was fun for us to think of gags. Show less «

So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.

[on Superman's enduring popularity] He's a friend. Everybody needs a friend. That's why he's still here.

I often refer to Abraham Lincoln, who said, "When I do good I feel good. When I do bad I feel bad. And that is my religion." I think we all ...Show more »

I often refer to Abraham Lincoln, who said, "When I do good I feel good. When I do bad I feel bad. And that is my religion." I think we all have a little voice inside us that will guide us. It may be God, I don't know. But I think that if we shut out all the noise and clutter from our lives and listen to that voice, it will tell us the right thing to do. Show less «

A hero is someone who in spite of weakness, doubt or not always knowing the answers goes ahead and overcomes anyway.

I refuse to allow a disability to determine how I live my life. I don't mean to be reckless, but setting a goal that seems a bit daunting ac...Show more »

I refuse to allow a disability to determine how I live my life. I don't mean to be reckless, but setting a goal that seems a bit daunting actually is very helpful toward recovery Show less «

What you probably don't know is that I left New York last September and I just arrived here this morning. And I'm glad I did because I would...Show more »

What you probably don't know is that I left New York last September and I just arrived here this morning. And I'm glad I did because I wouldn't have missed this kind of welcome for the world. Thank you. [After he received a standing ovation when he appeared at the 68th Annual Academy Awards to present a film reel on how Hollywood has tackled social issues] Show less «

[on Smallville (2001)] I was, at first a bit skeptical but the writing, acting and the special effects are all quite remarkable.

I feel that every generation should have a Superman for its own time. I was the right Superman for the 1970s and early 1980s. If they want t...Show more »

I feel that every generation should have a Superman for its own time. I was the right Superman for the 1970s and early 1980s. If they want to do it again, there ought to be a Superman for this time. [Comics Scene magazine, May 1995] Show less «

[on his close friend Robin Williams] Thank God I wear a seat-belt in this chair, because I would have fallen out laughing. In the middle of ...Show more »

[on his close friend Robin Williams] Thank God I wear a seat-belt in this chair, because I would have fallen out laughing. In the middle of a tragedy like this, in the middle of a depression, you can still experience genuine joy and laughter and love. And anyone who says life's not worth living is totally wrong, totally wrong. Show less «