Christopher Reeve

Christopher Reeve (born September 25, 1952) is an American actor, director and writer perhaps best known for his portrayal of Superman in a number of films. Born in New York City to writer Franklin Reeve and journalist Barbara Johnson. He studied at Cornell University after which he was selected to study at Juilliard School of Performing Arts under John Houseman. He worked primarily on the stage until he was selected to portray the international icon Superman in the 1978 film directed by Richard Donner. Although he portrayed other characters in films he will always be identified with the Kryptonian icon he so successfully brought to life.

On May 27, 1995 he was paralyzed from the neck down after falling from his horse in a riding competition at Charlottesville, Virginia. He has largely retired from the production of films since his paralysis, instead devoting his time to rehabilitation therapy and, with his wife Dana, opening the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center, a facility in Short Hills, New Jersey devoted to teaching paralyzed people to live more independently.*

On February 25, 2003, he appeared as Dr. Swann in the TV series Smallville who provides young Clark Kent insightful clues as to his origins. The episode was warmly received by critics and the viewing public as a fitting connection from one generation's Superman to the next and it has been promised that Reeve's guest role will be recurring.

Selected filmography

• Superman (1978) (with Margot Kidder as Lois Lane)
• Superman II (1980)
• Somewhere in Time (1980)
• Deathtrap (1982)
• Superman III (1983)
• The Bostonians (1984)
• The Aviator (1985)
• Superman IV: The Quest For Peace (1987)
• Street Smart (1987)
• Switching Channels (1988)
• Noises Off (1992)
• The Remains of the Day (1993)
• Village of the Damned (1995)
• Above Suspicion (1995)
• Rear Window (1998) (remake of the 1954 Hitchcock movie)