Trivia

At the time of his death, he had regained partial movement in his fingers and toes, and said he could feel a pin prick anywhere on his body as well as differentiate hot and cold temperatures.

While Reeve was filming Somewhere in Time (1980), the local theater decided to show his breakout hit Superman (1978). Many Somewhere in Time cast members joined locals for the event. Early into the screening, the sound went out. Reeve, who was seated next to co-star Jane Seymour, stood up in the audience and delivered all the lines.

Was roommates with Robin Williams at Juilliard. They remained close friends for the remainder of his life. Williams helped pay his medical bills during his final years and dedicated his Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement award to Reeve.

The last character he played before his riding accident was a paralyzed individual in Above Suspicion (1995), which was released six days before the accident.

At the height of his popularity as Superman, a group of children who recognized him in a park purposefully threw their Frisbee over a fence and then asked him to fly after it. Trying hard not to hurt their feelings, Reeve replied he couldn't fly after the Frisbee because his cape was in the washer, so they settled for him just reaching over the fence and handing it back to them.

After he died, a number of memorial cartoons to commemorate his death were Superman-themed. Many artists drew Reeve as Superman flying away from the wheelchair. In one picture, Superman came to Reeve's grave with flowers. In another picture, a grief-stricken Superman reads the news of Reeve's death in the Daily Planet newspaper and says to the reader, "He was my hero." In another, Captain America, Spider-Man and Batman come to Reeve's grave with Batman, commenting, "He really was a super man." In another, a young boy in a wheelchair tells the reader, "He was the Man of Steel. He had incredible vision. He used his powers to save people. Nothing could stop him. And I think before that he acted in some Superman movies." Some pictures depicted Reeve arriving in heaven dressed as Superman; in one, he says to Gabriel, "You can keep the wings." In another, dressed as a regular angel, he declines the wings by saying, "No thanks, I'd rather walk.".

Said that after he was paralyzed, it was his wife's support that kept him from choosing death over living on a respirator.

Was only 24 years old when he was cast by Richard Donner in Superman (1978), making him the youngest actor ever to play the part of Superman.

Made his Broadway debut starring opposite Katharine Hepburn in a production of "A Matter of Gravity" in 1976. Hepburn became very fond of him, both as an actor and as a person, and teased him that he would take care of her when she retired. Ironically, Reeve's reply was "Miss Hepburn, I don't think I'll live that long.".

Was a licensed hang glider pilot. This proved useful during the making of Superman (1978), as his knowledge of how flying works allowed him to create distinctive movements for Superman during the flight scenes.

Before his accident, Reeve had been a qualified pilot, pianist, sailor, scuba diver, skier and accomplished horse rider.

At the time he was paralyzed, he had been doing a film on horseback-riding safety.

His close friend Jane Seymour used to call him Superfoot because of his tendency to step on her toes while filming their dance scenes from Somewhere in Time (1980).

Jane Seymour's son was named after him.

Wrote an autobiography, "Still Me". The book was a bestseller, and he was working on another book at the time of his death.

The Smallville (2001) episode "Devoted" was dedicated to his memory, with the caption at the end of the credits reading: "He made us believe a man could fly.".

Took some criticism for his portrayal of Clark Kent (Superman's alter ego) as a weak, bumbling nerd. This characterization (which he said was based on a younger Cary Grant), in Reeve's opinion, was necessary because he felt that there had to be some kind of a difference between Superman and Clark Kent, otherwise "it's just the same guy in glasses."

Close friend Robin Williams dedicated his winning of the Cecil B. DeMille award to Reeve, 2004.

Received a two-minute standing ovation at the 68th Annual Academy Awards in 1996. He was introducing a film montage recognizing how Hollywood has tackled social issues.

Was a caller into Dr. Frasier Crane's radio show on the second episode of the situation comedy Frasier (1993).

April 9, 1979: After meeting Reeve at the Academy Awards, John Wayne, then ill with cancer, turned to Cary Grant and said, "This is our new man. He's taking over." Two months and two days later, June 11, 1979, Wayne died.

His weight trainer for Superman (1978) was British weightlifting champion David Prowse, who played Darth Vader in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983).

May 3, 2002: He and wife Dana Reeve opened a center devoted to teaching paralyzed people to live more independently in Short Hills, New Jersey. Known as the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center, the facility operates a website, publishes "Paralysis Resource Guide" and houses the largest U.S. collection of paralysis-related publications. The Reeve Family Foundation has also distributed grants to paralysis researchers totaling some $22 million.

The ending credits of Superman Returns (2006), a sequel of sorts to his Donner-directed films, features a tribute to him and his wife Dana Reeve that reads: "To Christopher and Dana Reeve, a pair of real-life superheroes''.

Was a huge fan of the television series Law & Order (1990). He claimed that watching it helped him through his physical therapy.

Wore nearly 25 different Superman costumes for Superman (1978), some of which were specifically for walking and others that were for flying, and some of which were turquoise for blue screen shots (in order to balance out the blue of the uniform).

Attended the Supergirl (1984) premiere with Helen Slater.

May 27, 1995: Paralyzed in a horseback-riding accident near Culpeper, Virginia. He also shares a birthday with Heidi Von Beltz who is also a quadriplegic from a stunt accident during the filming of The Cannonball Run (1981).

Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on April 15, 1997.

Was offered Richard Gere's role in Pretty Woman (1990). When he went in to do a reading, he was not given actress Julia Roberts to read with, but the casting director, giving a half hearted effort at best. Reeve felt this was extremely unprofessional and chose not to do the film.

He went to Chile in 1987 during the military dictatorship to support about 80 Chilean artists (actors and directors) whose lives were threatened by the death squads of dictator Augusto Pinochet.

He was the tallest out of the nine actors who have played Superman in movies and television, the others being Kirk Alyn, George Reeves, Gerard Christopher, Dean Cain, Tom Welling, Brandon Routh, Henry Cavill and Tyler Hoechlin.

Was not given first billing in any of the Superman films until Superman III (1983). As a relatively unknown actor at the time, he was given third billing, and a post title credit, behind Marlon Brando and Gene Hackman in Superman (1978), then given second billing behind Hackman in Superman II (1980) before achieving top billing in the third film.

Died at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, New York after suffering heart failure while being treated for a severely infected pressure wound (common among paralyzed people).

Had gained 30 pounds for the role of Superman.

He was the first actor to play Superman who was born after the character was created in 1938.

Said he had originally planned for 1995 to be his comeback year, with lead roles in Village of the Damned (1995) and Above Suspicion (1995) and other major roles in the works, including a film reuniting him with director Richard Donner. Unfortunately, his comeback was cut short by his tragic horseriding accident.

Turned down the lead role in American Gigolo (1980) which went to Richard Gere. Turned down the role of Fletcher Christian in The Bounty (1984) which went to Mel Gibson. Turned down the lead role in Body Heat (1981) which went to William Hurt. Turned down the role of Mason Verger in Hannibal (2001) which went to Gary Oldman. In 1976, turned down the role of Mark Harris in Man from Atlantis (1977) which went to Patrick Duffy. Turned down the role of Jack T. Colton in Romancing the Stone (1984) which went to Michael Douglas, who also served as one of the film's producers.

After the critical and box-office failure of Superman III (1983), he was reluctant to do a fourth Superman film, especially if it was going to be treated as a farce. He eventually agreed to do it when the producers promised him story input and that they would finance a longtime pet project of his, the gritty crime drama Street Smart (1987), in which he played an amoral reporter.

The character he portrayed on Smallville (2001), Dr. Swann, was named after longtime Superman artist Curt Swan.

He appeared in a Super Bowl XXXIV (2000) commercial for the medical company Nuveen. It was set in the future, and it portrayed Reeve as being able to walk again. However, it was a special effect that was achieved by digitally superimposing his head on the body of a double. The effect was so convincing that on the next day, the company was flooded with phone calls from people asking how they had cured him.

Casting directors were reportedly not impressed with many of his early auditions and screen tests, including the ones for Superman, due to his acting style being radically different from many other popular actors of the day.

Attended Cornell University, where he lived in Risley Hall, as a member of the class of 1974, leaving for Juilliard after his junior year.

1992: Son, with Dana Reeve, Will Reeve born.

Was offered numerous roles, such as the lead in The Running Man (1987) and Total Recall (1990) (both of which went to Arnold Schwarzenegger). He turned them down to take on more challenging ones. Conversely, Arnold was turned down for the role of Superman.

He was of English, and smaller amounts of Irish, Welsh, Scottish, Scots-Irish/Northern Irish, German, and French, ancestry. He was a descendant of the prominent D'Olier family of France, and also descended from Humphrey of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Gloucester and 1st Earl of Pembroke, son, brother, and uncle of three famous King Henrys, as youngest (fourth) son of King Henry IV of England, youngest brother of King Henry V of England, and uncle of his brother's son, King Henry VI of England.

Reeve had attended drama school with William Hirsch, Robin Williams and Treat Williams.

He had a love of Scotland and its countryside. He often visited Scotland with his family.

Following Superman (1978), he was offered a number of scripts for action films, one of which he claims was a script for a film about the Viking Eric the Red. He turned them down because he felt they didn't require much in the way of acting. Instead, he chose Somewhere in Time (1980) as his first post-Superman film, against the advice of his agent, because he liked the script and the character.

January 2004: He was decorated by the Chilean government for his humanitarian work, with the Bernardo O'Higgins Order, by the Chilean chancellor in his home in New York.