Christopher Reeve

Christopher D' Olier Reeve ( born September 25, 1952 in New York City; † 10 October 2004 in Mount Kisco, New York ) was an American actor, director and author. He was known by the appearance of the comic hero Superman in four films lying somewhere between 1978 and 1987. Starting in 1995, Reeve was paralyzed in an accident, however, occurred sporadically continue on as an actor.

Life

Reeve made ​​1974 a university degree in humanities at Cornell University, after he was accepted to the Juilliard School of Performing Arts. During this time he completed his classmates Robin Williams friendship.

Reeve also worked on stage and in the soap opera Love of Life, until he got the chance to embody the role of the internationally renowned Superman in the film by Richard Donner. This film was a great success and led to three sequels. Reeve was never particularly identified with this part of his work, preferred to play classical pieces on stage. He once said, "I want to challenge myself in my roles, not run around on screen with a machine gun" ( "I want to challenge myself in my roles, not with a machine gun on the screen running around ").

In 1980, he starred with Jane Seymour in Somewhere in Time, a time travel love story. Although this film aroused no great stir when it was released, he soon acquired cult status, especially among students. Seymour so thought highly of Reeve that they named one of their children after him. 1984 Reeve received good reviews for his role as a lawyer in The Bostonians.

As of 1992, Reeve was married to actress Dana Reeve. The two have a son ( William). With his former partner Gae Exton he has a son ( Matthew ) and a daughter ( Alexandra).

On May 27, 1995, Christopher Reeve from the neck down paralyzed ( quadriplegia ) when he crashed during a cross-country equestrian event in Charlottesville, Virginia, off his horse " Eastern Express " (called " Buck " ) and two cervical vertebrae broke. The paraplegia caused him to largely withdraw from the film production. Instead, he focused on the rehabilitation and founded with his wife, the " Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center ," a device in Short Hills, New Jersey, which takes care to assist paraplegics going to live more independently. He also campaigned for stem cell research.

Despite the disability, he was also from time to time to see as an actor, such as in the remake of the Alfred Hitchcock film Rear Window, in which he took over the formerly played by James Stewart starring role.

On 25 February 2003, he appeared in the television series Smallville as " Dr. Virgil Swann, "the young " (the future Superman ) gives deeper insight Clark Kent " in its origin. This episode was praised by critics - the audience saw her as a successful combination of Superman generations. On April 14, 2004, he played again with in a sequence.

In 2004, he led the Director Brooke Ellison Story in The Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio with in the lead role.

On 10 October 2004 Reeve died at the age of 52 years after he had fallen the day before after a cardiac arrest in a coma. The cause was an infection he had contracted by a bedsore site. Ironically, the night before the former presidential candidate John Kerry had proclaimed in the public televised debate with George W. Bush that he wanted to ease the difficult ethical reasons stem cell research again in order to help people like his friend Christopher Reeve can.

The film Superman Returns (2006), which is an indirect continuation of the Superman movies with Reeve, is dedicated to Christopher Reeve and his wife Dana. Also episode four of the fourth season ( " Cuddle Monster" ) of the series Smallville Christopher Reeve is dedicated. ("In loving memory of Christopher Reeve: " He made ​​us believe a man could fly " )

Selected filmography

Television series and movies

Selected Literature

  • Christopher Reeve: I still - My second life. Earthscan, Munich 1999, ISBN 3-426-62209-2.
  • Christopher Reeve: Nothing Is Impossible - Reflections of a New Life. Random House, London, Munich, New York, 2003, ISBN 0-09-944659-6.
  • Christopher Reeve: Thoughts about my life. Bombus -Verlag, Munich 2004, ISBN 3-936261 -30- X.
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