"disaster movie ""Gray Lady Down"". He then acted in the play ""My Life"" at the Circle Repertory Company with friend William Hurt. During ""My Life"", Stark Hesseltine told Reeve that he had been asked to audition for the leading role as Clark Kent/Superman in the big budget film, ""Superman"" (1978). Lynn Stalmaster, the casting director, put Reeve's picture and résumé on the top of the pile three separate times, only to have the producers throw it out each time. Through Stalmaster's persistent pleading, a meeting between director Richard Donner, producer Ilya Salkind, and Reeve was set in January 1977 at"
"Christopher Reeve Christopher D'Olier Reeve (September 25, 1952 – October 10, 2004) was an American actor, director, producer, screenwriter, author, activist, and equestrian, best known for his portrayal of Superman, beginning with the acclaimed ""Superman"" (1978), for which he won a BAFTA Award. He also appeared in other critically acclaimed films such as ""The Bostonians"" (1984), ""Street Smart"" (1987), and ""The Remains of the Day"" (1993). He received a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Golden Globe Award nomination for his performance in the television remake of ""Rear Window"" (1998). On May 27, 1995, Reeve was left quadriplegic after being"
"father. Christopher Reeve Christopher D'Olier Reeve (September 25, 1952 – October 10, 2004) was an American actor, director, producer, screenwriter, author, activist, and equestrian, best known for his portrayal of Superman, beginning with the acclaimed ""Superman"" (1978), for which he won a BAFTA Award. He also appeared in other critically acclaimed films such as ""The Bostonians"" (1984), ""Street Smart"" (1987), and ""The Remains of the Day"" (1993). He received a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Golden Globe Award nomination for his performance in the television remake of ""Rear Window"" (1998). On May 27, 1995, Reeve was left quadriplegic after"
"has a good, often wisecracking, sense of humor. Reeves, who first appeared as the character in the 1951 film ""Superman and the Mole Men"", was older than subsequent Superman actors. In 1978, the first of four Superman films was made in which Clark Kent and Superman were portrayed by Christopher Reeve (with teenage Kent played by Jeff East in the first film). This was followed nearly two decades later by a fifth film called ""Superman Returns"" with Brandon Routh giving a performance very similar to Reeve's. In contrast to George Reeves' intellectual Clark Kent, Reeve's version is much more of"
"wheelchair to get in and out of cars. Reeve was then offered the lead in ""Kidnapped"", to be shot in Ireland. He was excited to be going to Ireland, and he and Dana decided that they would conceive their second child there. Reeve also planned to direct his first big screen film, a romantic comedy entitled ""Tell Me True"". Not long after making these plans, the family went to Culpeper, Virginia, for an equestrian competition. Following the first Superman movie, Reeve realized that Hollywood producers wanted him to be an action star. He later said, ""I found most of the"
"Reeves interviewed several celebrated directors including James Cameron, Martin Scorsese, and Christopher Nolan. Reeves's first directorial film, ""Man of Tai Chi"", premiered in 2013 with showings at the Beijing Film Festival and Cannes Film Festival. The work was awarded in Beijing and praised by recognized director of action genre films, John Woo. Reeves has continued acting while exploring other forms of artistry. In October 2014, he played the title role in the action thriller ""John Wick"". The film, which stars Reeves as a retired hitman, opened to positive reviews and performed well at the box office. He reprised the role"
"York in his own plane to shoot on location at the American Museum of Natural History. Also, in 1985, DC Comics named Reeve as one of the honorees in the company's 50th-anniversary publication ""Fifty Who Made DC Great"" for his work on the Superman film series. In 1986, he was still struggling to find scripts that he liked. A script named ""Street Smart"" had been lying in his house for years, and after re-reading it, he had Cannon Films green-light it. He starred opposite Morgan Freeman, who was nominated for his first Academy Award for the film. The film received"
"Five days after the film premiered, Reeve had an accident while horseback riding. He was seriously injured in the fall, resulting in his becoming paralyzed. He lived as a quadriplegic for the remainder of his years. Above Suspicion (1995 film) Above Suspicion is a 1995 American made-for-television thriller-drama film starring Christopher Reeve, Joe Mantegna and Kim Cattrall. The screenplay was written by William H. Macy, who also has a small role in the film. It premiered on HBO on May 21, 1995. In the film, Reeve plays a paralyzed cop who plots to murder his wife. Christopher Reeve stars as"
"days before he was to be married, Reeves was found dead of a gunshot wound at his home with his Luger near him. The death was ruled a suicide, but controversy surrounds the death, as Reeves's fingerprints were never found on the gun, and he had been having an affair with the wife of MGM exec Eddie Mannix. It was Reeves's death that inspired the conspiracy theories and the urban legend of a curse associated with the character. Christopher Reeve played Superman/Clark Kent in the Superman film series, ""Superman: The Movie"" (1978), ""Superman II"" (1980), ""Superman III"" (1983), and """""
"Premiering to rave reviews during CBS Sweeps Week in the winter of 1996, the film was also noted for a touching and memorable performance by Christopher Reeve, in his first acting role after his tragic horseback riding accident. In 2003, Goldberg directed the short film, ""Where's Angelo?"", a ""Get Shorty""-style production, which starred Robert Forster, Michael Madsen, Beverly D'Angelo, and Wolfgang Bodison and was honored at the Hollywood Film Festival. Goldberg became friends with ""SNL"" alum Rob Schneider, and together they gave a series of stand-up comedy performances, including co-hosting the Montreal Comedy Festival and a memorable appearance on ""Late"
"Matthew Reeve Matthew Exton Reeve (born 20 December 1979) is a British-American producer, director, screenwriter, and activist. Born in London, he is the eldest son of Christopher Reeve from his long-term partnership with Gae Exton. After graduating from Brown University in 2002, Reeve produced and directed the documentary ""Christopher Reeve: Hope in Motion"" - which won the Communicator Award for Excellence in documentary filmmaking and was nominated for an Emmy. The film first aired on ABC on September 18, 2002 (as ""Christopher Reeve: Courageous Steps"") and then later on BBC 1 on 9 February 2003 and in numerous other countries."
"before Reeve's accident, the Salkinds sold the rights to the character of Superman again, this time to Warner Bros. at large. ""There was supposed to be a fifth Superman movie titled ""Superman Reborn"", but because of studio shifts, the terrible box office [""Superman IV""] got, and...Reeves's [sic] accident, it never saw the light of day."" Reeve's first role after 1978's ""Superman"" was as Richard Collier in the 1980 romantic fantasy ""Somewhere in Time"". Jane Seymour played Elise McKenna, his love interest. The film was shot on Mackinac Island in mid-1979 and was Reeve's favorite film ever to shoot. After the"
"His first film was 2001’s ""Ghost World"". Based on Clowes's comic of the same name and written with director Terry Zwigoff, the film is set in a nondescript American town and follows the misadventures of two best friends, Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson), who detest most of their high school classmates. After graduation they plan on moving in together and avoiding college, but they grow apart as adult pressures take their toll. The girls play a prank on a nerdy record collector named Seymour (Steve Buscemi), who quickly becomes Enid's unlikely friend and confidante, as her relationship with"
"the Planet of the Apes"" (2017). In February 2017, Warner Bros. announced that Reeves will write and direct the superhero film ""The Batman"", which is set in the DC Extended Universe. Reeves was born in Rockville Centre, New York, and raised in Los Angeles, California. He began making movies at age eight, directing friends and using a wind-up camera. Reeves met and befriended filmmaker J.J. Abrams when both were 13 years old and a public-access television cable channel, Z Channel, was airing their short films. When Reeves and Abrams were about 15 years old, Steven Spielberg hired them to transfer"
"for four months, with a final budget of $1.7 million. ""River's Edge"" was the first major film for many of its actors, including Daniel Roebuck and Ione Skye. On casting Keanu Reeves, casting director Carrie Frazier recalled: ""He walked in the door, and I went, ""Oh my god, this is my guy!"" It was just because of the way he held his body—his shoes were untied, and what he was wearing looked like a young person growing into being a man. I was over the moon about him."" Ione Skye was cast in the film after a casting director saw"
"He then acted in a small role in the film ""A Step Towards Tomorrow"". Reeve was elected Chairman of the American Paralysis Association and Vice Chairman of the National Organization on Disability. He co-founded the Reeve-Irvine Research Center, which is now one of the leading spinal cord research centers in the world. He created the Christopher Reeve Foundation, now the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, to speed up research through funding and to use grants to improve the quality of the lives of people with disabilities. The Foundation to date has given more than $65 million to research and more"
"inviting people to support the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation. ""Rosetta"" set ratings history for The WB network. The fan community met the episode with rave reviews and praised it as being among the series' best to this day. Reeve also appeared in the ""Smallville"" episode ""Legacy"", in which he met again with fellow stage actor John Glover, who played Lionel Luthor in the show. In April 2004, Random House published Reeve's second book, ""Nothing Is Impossible"". This book is shorter than ""Still Me"" and focuses on Reeve's world views and the life experiences that helped him shape them. Also, in"
"first two ""Superman"" films starring Christopher Reeve. The effects were filmed at the location also used by Chilvers for the ""Superman"" films: Pinewood Studios. Using the same facilities meant efficiency for Chilvers to create the effects he desired, reusing the equipment from ""Superman"" and adapting it for ""Condorman"". A problem Chilvers encountered was being unable to fit the mold used by Reeve to Michael Crawford, requiring him to make a new set of molds for Crawford. He also enforced a strict gag rule among his 12-man crew to never disclose the methods used to create the effects after the film's"
"his first film since gaining international fame playing the character Hercules in ""Hercules"" (1958) and ""Hercules Unchained"" (1959). After he was cast, the plot of the film was modified to take advantage of Reeve's physique adding more spectacular scenes: an underwater fight with a crocodile; a sequence where the column of a temple is lifted and the confrontation with the lions. Reeves, cleanly shaven this time around, injured his shoulder while filming an early scene when he saves Ione from driving her chariot into a wall, the wound was further complicated during the swimming scene fight with the crocodile. This"
"his films. After a few minor roles, Reeves received a sizeable role in the 1986 drama film ""River's Edge"", which depicted how a murder affected a group of teens. Following this film's critical success, he spent the late 1980s appearing in a number of movies aimed at teenage audiences, including the lead roles in ""Permanent Record"" and the unexpectedly successful 1989 comedy, ""Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure"", along with its 1991 sequel, ""Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey"". The same year he had a breakout role in the movie ""Parenthood"". From 1991, Reeves played bass guitar in the grunge band Dogstar."
"During the early 1990s, Reeves started to break out of his teen-film period. He appeared in high-budget action films like ""Point Break,"" for which he won MTV's ""Most Desirable Male"" award in 1992. He was involved in various lower-budget independent films, including the well-received 1991 film, ""My Own Private Idaho"" with River Phoenix. In 1992, he played Jonathan Harker in the Francis Ford Coppola-directed blockbuster ""Bram Stoker's Dracula"". In 1994, Reeves's career reached a new high as a result of his starring role in the action film ""Speed."" His casting in the film was controversial, since, except for ""Point Break"","
"than $8.5 million in quality-of-life grants. The Foundation has funded a new technology called ""Locomotor Training"" that uses a treadmill to mimic the movements of walking to help develop neural connections, in effect re-teaching the spinal cord how to send signals to the legs to walk. This technology has helped several paralyzed patients walk again. Of Christopher Reeve, UC Irvine said, ""in the years following his injury, Christopher did more to promote research on spinal cord injury and other neurological disorders than any other person before or since"". In 1997, Reeve made his directorial debut with the HBO film ""In"
"aspiring actor in those days — no pay and provide your own wardrobe — and was given bit parts. While staying at Bradford, where he had his first engagement, he met the actors James Anderson and Mrs. Warner, who were at the same hotel. The great tragedian earnestly advised him to abandon all thoughts of the stage; advice ignored of course. Shortly afterwards Reeve was given the part of ""Frederick"", the walking gentleman in ""The Wonder"", a comedy by Susanna Centlivre. Reeve unfortunately forgot his lines, and thenceforth was reduced to walk-on non-speaking parts, with no prospect of advancement, so"
"performed on live television anthology programs, as well as on radio, and then returned to Hollywood in 1951 for a role in a Fritz Lang film, ""Rancho Notorious"". In 1953, Reeves played a minor character, Sergeant Maylon Stark, in ""From Here To Eternity"". The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and gave Reeves the distinction of appearing in two ""Best Picture"" films. In June 1951, Reeves was offered the role of Superman in a new television series titled ""Adventures of Superman"". He was initially reluctant to take the role because, like many actors of his time, he considered"
"to be his true breakthrough role. He also considers the role to be his favorite Oscar-nominated performance. Street Smart (film) Street Smart is a 1987 American thriller-drama film directed by Jerry Schatzberg and starring Christopher Reeve, Morgan Freeman and Kathy Baker. It was shot in New York City and Montreal, Quebec. Magazine reporter Jonathan Fisher (Christopher Reeve), in danger of losing his job, promises to write a hard-hitting story on prostitution. When no one on the street will talk to him, he fabricates a story of a pimp that's so well-received it puts his career back on track. However, the"
"had a crush on him. Reeve denied being Superman but displayed the superpowers throughout that entire episode. He then returned to continue filming on the not yet finished production of ""Superman II"". Gae Exton, Reeve's partner at the time, gave birth to their son, Matthew Exton Reeve, on December 20, 1979, at Welbeck Hospital in London, England. After finishing ""Superman II"", the family left London and rented a house in Hollywood Hills. Soon after, Reeve grew tired of Hollywood and took the family to Williamstown, Massachusetts, where he played the lead in the successful play ""The Front Page"", directed by"
"his mother told him his stepfather had committed suicide. According to biographer Jim Beaver, Reeves did not know for several years that Bessolo was still alive. Reeves began acting and singing in high school and continued performing on stage as a student at Pasadena Junior College. While studying acting at the Pasadena Playhouse, Reeves met his future wife, Ellanora Needles. They married on September 22, 1940, in San Gabriel, California, at the Church of Our Savior. They had no children and divorced 10 years later. Reeves's film career began in 1939 when he was cast as Stuart Tarleton (incorrectly listed"
"the album itself, were nominated in six categories on the 16th annual Independent Music Awards (The IMAs). ""Think of You"" won ""Best Song - Acoustic"", ""Resurrection"" won ""Best Song - Rock or Hard Rock"" and the album won ""Best Album - Adult Contemporary"". Reeve made his first appearance on the big screen in the film ""The Saint of Fort Washington"" (1993) with a small role. In 1999, Reeve got the role of the young Ishmael Chambers in the film ""Snow Falling on Cedars."" His performance received amazing reviews and subsequently earned him the ""Best Performance in a Feature Film"" on"
"excellent reviews but performed poorly at the box office, possibly because Cannon Films had failed to properly advertise it. After ""Superman IV"" in 1987, Reeve's relationship with Exton fell apart, and they separated. He moved to New York without his children. He became depressed and decided that doing a comedy might be good for him. He was given a lead in ""Switching Channels"". Burt Reynolds and Kathleen Turner had a feud during filming, which made the time even more unbearable for Reeve. Reeve later stated that he made a fool of himself in the film and that most of his"
"& Co. In 1989 he joined Walt Disney Feature Animation. His first films there included ""The Little Mermaid"", ""The Prince and the Pauper"", ""Beauty and the Beast"", and ""Aladdin"". Later works include ""The Lion King"" (1994), ""The Hunchback of Notre Dame"" (1996), and ""Shark Tale"" (2004) His directorial projects include ""Everyone's Hero"" (2006) a film by the late Christopher Reeve that was completed by St. Pierre and Colin Brady, """" (2009), and """" (2014). While working on ""Tarzan"" (1999), he and his team at Disney developed a patented process called Deep Canvas that allowed them to animate 3-D backgrounds before"
"in which Reeve played a child molester who abducts a young boy in New York City. The movie got fair to positive reviews. Reeve felt it was important for parents of young children to see the film. It is on home video in the UK, but not in the US. In another television movie, ""Mortal Sins"" (1992), Reeve for the second time played a Catholic priest, this time hearing the confessions of a serial murderer in a role reminiscent of that of Montgomery Clift in Hitchcock's ""I Confess"". In 1994, Reeve was elected as a co-president of the Creative Coalition."
"director John Carpenter thought he was too tough looking and too old for the part, and decided to cast Kurt Russell instead. Bronson auditioned for the role of Superman for the 1978 film adaptation, but producer Ilya Salkind turned him down for being too earthy and decided to cast Christopher Reeve. His first marriage was to Harriet Tendler, whom he met when both were fledgling actors in Philadelphia. They had two children before divorcing in 1965. She wrote in her memoir that she ""was an 18-year-old virgin when she met the 26-year-old Charlie Buchinsky at a Philadelphia acting school in"
"2004, Reeve directed the A&E film ""The Brooke Ellison Story"". The film is based on the true story of Brooke Ellison, the first quadriplegic to graduate from Harvard University. Reeve during this time was directing the animated film ""Everyone's Hero"". It was one of his dream projects and he died during the middle of production for the film. His wife Dana helped out, and his son Will was a cast member in the film. Dana and Will also had small roles in ""The Brooke Ellison Story"". Reeve suffered from asthma and allergies since childhood. At age 16, he began to"