Remembering The Late, Great Christopher Reeve On His 69th Birthday

Sep 25, 2021 by apost team

The legendary Christoper Reeve is best remembered for his iconic role as Superman in the titular 1978 movie "Superman." Christopher's chiseled looks and incredible acting led him to continue this role in the three sequels that followed. 

His success in the Superman franchise gave him a great leg up in the movie industry, but the actor concentrated on taking on roles that were complex and meaningful instead of cashing in his fame for every movie that came his way.

After appearing in more critically acclaimed movies through the 80s and 90s, Christopher's acting career was abruptly cut short.

At the height of his fame and flourishing personal life, no one foresaw the accident that would completely turn Christopher and his family's life upside down. On May 27, 1995, Christopher was involved in an equestrian accident that broke his neck, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down. He also couldn't breathe without a ventilator for the rest of his life. This accident left him in deep shock and intense grief for a long time. However, he emerged from it more determined to use his power to make a difference. 

Through the support of his wife and family, Christopher returned to creative pursuits in his life and started a foundation that helped others with similar injuries and funded agencies that could find a cure for paralysis. His life, though successful, was filled with difficulties and challenges that he overcame time and again. 

Today, on what would have been Christopher's 69th birthday, we will look back on his incredible life, legacy and family.

After his accident, he immersed himself in activism and began the Christopher Reeve Foundation, later renamed as the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, which helped others who were afflicted with paralysis due to spinal cord injury and other neurological disorders. Christopher passed away in 2004, at the young age of 52, from an infection that spread from a bedsore, according to People. His wife, Dana, headed the foundation until her untimely death in 2006 due to lung cancer at the age of 44.

This left their son, Will, without parents. William Reeve is the youngest son of Christopher. Christopher had three children in total: a son, Matthew Reeve, and daughter, Alexandra Reeve with Gae Exton, and William with actress Dana Morosini. 

Even though Will had two famous parents, he reiterated that he had a normal upbringing. About his parents, he said, "They were the people who told me to turn off the TV, to eat my broccoli, to go to bed.” He was only 3 years old when Christopher had his accident, but he stated that his role as a father came first before anything else. 

"The fact that he was paralyzed did present its own set of challenges because we couldn’t be spontaneous," Will said. "That could be difficult, but my parents did such a good job of staying true to their values that I never felt deprived of a normal childhood, even though my experiences, at face value, were inherently different from other children my age."

Will and his father shared a love of sports. "We shared a very deep bond in general, but sports was definitely a major component of our family bond," Will said. In fact, Christopher watched one of Will's hockey games on the day he passed away.

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Will, who currently works as an ABC News correspondent, wrote a beautiful tribute to his father on Father's Day 2021 and reflected on the memories he had with him. The 29-year-old recalled that growing up, he "was obsessed with a National Geographic documentary about gray whales." He confessed that he was "fascinated and enthralled by" the "charisma and enthusiasm" of the host of the documentary, who was Christopher, and that his father inspired him to follow his dreams. 

Will also added that while in Alaska for work, he was able to feel his father's spirit when he tried recreating a moment from the documentary. "We never got to see whales together. We never got to do a lot of stereotypical father-son stuff — no catch in the backyard, no birds and the bees, no driving lessons, no prom pictures, no college visits, no guy's dinners in New York City," Will wrote.

Will also wrote about feeling as though he may never live up to his father's legacy. He always "feared (he'd) never meet the standard."

However, he continued, "I'm 29 now and have finally started to understand what honoring my dad actually means. I thought it meant following the roads he would want me to go down, or to live my life as his proxy, making up for lost time according to his thwarted dreams. Turns out, our parents want us to find out who we are and go be that. That is the ultimate form of honor." 

On what would have been Christopher's birthday, fans, media outlets, friends and family members took to the internet to celebrate the actor's life. Google even dedicated its Saturday Doodle to Christopher.

We remember Christopher Reeve and send our thoughts to his family on this day. Do you have a favorite movie that featured Christopher? Tell us about it, and be sure to pass this on to others as well.