Line #13 Creator/ChristopherReeve


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9	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_christopher_reeve.png]]
10	[[caption-width-right:350:He made us all believe a man could fly.]]
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12	->''"He wasn't just here to be an actor. He was Franchise/{{Superman}}."''
13	-->-- '''Richard Donner'''
14
15	Christopher D'Olier Reeve (September 25, 1952 – October 10, 2004) was an American actor best-known for portraying [[Franchise/{{Superman}} Clark Kent[=/=]Superman]] [[Film/SupermanFilmSeries on film]]. In a professional sense, he showed that brilliant acting always has its place -- even in special-effect-heavy films like those of the {{superhero}} genre -- but also left behind an awesome personal legacy of perseverance and advocacy.
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17	Originally from New York City, he studied at Cornell and Juilliard, counting the first year of the latter as the last year of the former. At Juilliard, he formed a lifelong friendship with fellow legend Creator/RobinWilliams. His major professional gigs were simultaneously in the SoapOpera ''Series/LoveOfLife'' and in the Broadway play, ''A Matter of Gravity''. In the latter, he became a close enough friend to the play's star Creator/KatharineHepburn to get the gossip columns fluttering (despite the fact that she was old enough to be his mother). Eventually, he left and eventually appeared in his first Hollywood film, ''Film/GrayLadyDown''.
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19	While it would become his StarMakingRole, Reeve was rejected three times for the role of Superman during the producers' frustrating hunt to find the right actor. It wasn't until his face-to-face meeting with director Creator/RichardDonner and producer Ilya Salkind that he was chosen. Even then, he was signed on with an exercise regime supervised by Creator/DavidProwse (better known to the world as the guy wearing the [[Franchise/StarWars Darth Vader costume]]).
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21	In the film, Reeve proved a more valuable asset than anyone could have guessed: as a hobby, Reeve piloted a glider; this made his "flying" scenes feel realistic, as he understood better than most the way an object moves in and through the air (even if a character like Superman wouldn't really have to care about aerodynamics that much). Even more amazingly, Reeve demonstrated the plausibility of ClarkKenting when practiced by a good-enough actor. Both skills, as well as general acting prowess, allowed Reeve to instantly eclipse his top-billed co-stars Creator/MarlonBrando and Creator/GeneHackman as the true star of ''Film/{{Superman\|The Movie}}''. Overnight, he became the leading light of the rise of the modern fantasy film. For instance, after the ''Series/TheMuppetShow'' did their gloriously wacky ''Franchise/StarWars'' episode, the only way to follow up on that classic was to have the other contemporary fantasy superstar, Reeve, do the next one.
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23	After the success of the first two Superman films, it appeared that Reeve was poised to become one of Hollywood's next great leading men (Creator/JohnWayne himself reportedly proclaimed him as such). However, his career unfortunately proved turbulent. His artistic standards and his desire to avoid typecasting led him to turn down roles in ''Film/AmericanGigolo'', ''Literature/TheWorldAccordingToGarp'', ''Film/{{Splash}}'', ''Film/FatalAttraction'', ''Film/PrettyWoman'', ''Film/RomancingTheStone'', ''Film/LethalWeapon'' and ''Film/BodyHeat''. Instead, he starred in a mixed bag of films like ''Film/SomewhereInTime'', ''Street Smart'', ''Film/TheRemainsOfTheDay'' and ''Film/VillageOfTheDamned1995''. At the same time, the ''Superman'' series was gradually cheapened by producers who dismissed Donner and replaced him with Creator/RichardLester; Lester's fatal contempt for the comics eventually drove the franchise into the ground. His villainous role in ''Film/{{Deathtrap}}'' is generally highlighted as Reeve's best non-Superman performance.
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25	Even his real life had heroic moments. He once went to Chile, which was under the murderous tyranny of UsefulNotes/AugustoPinochet, to help a group of arrested artists. Later, he appeared in commercials for the 1988 referendum to urge the people to vote for the "No" side and strip the dictator of his power (this can be seen in the UsefulNotes/AcademyAward-nominated Chilean film ''Film/{{No}}'').
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27	On May 27, 1995, Reeve had a serious horseriding accident. This accident led to a catastrophic spinal cord injury, rendering him quadriplegic. However, with the support of his second wife Dana, and long-time friends like Williams (Reeve was quoted as saying he hadn't smiled once since his accident until Williams burst into his hospital room dressed as a doctor claiming he was there to perform a colonoscopy), Reeve refused to surrender to his despair and instead went on to become a universally hailed advocate for spinal cord research and the disabled, determined to live the best life he could. He even regained some mobility, eventually being able to breathe for up to 90 minutes without a respirator and feel minor sensations and temperature throughout his body, in addition to regaining partial movement in his fingers and toes. He continued his career as a director, also starring in a remake of Creator/AlfredHitchcock's ''Film/RearWindow'' on TV and later making guest appearances on ''Series/{{Smallville}}''.
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29	Sadly, he died on October 10, 2004 at the age of 52, a day after being treated for an infected pressure ulcer. Before and since his death, he has been praised as a hero without a cape.
30	----
31	!!Christopher Reeve works with TV Tropes pages:
32	[[foldercontrol]]
33
34	[[folder:Film roles]]
35	* ''Film/GrayLadyDown'' (1978) as Lieutenant JG Phillips
36	* ''Film/SupermanTheMovie'' (1978) as Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman
37	** ''Film/SupermanII'' (1980)
38	** ''Film/SupermanIII'' (1983)
39	** ''Film/SupermanIVTheQuestForPeace'' (1987)
40	* ''Film/SomewhereInTime'' (1980) as Richard Collier
41	* ''Film/{{Deathtrap}}'' (1982) as Clifford Anderson
42	* ''Film/{{Street Smart\|1987}}'' (1987) as Jonathan Fisher
43	* ''Film/SwitchingChannels'' (1988) as Blaine Bingham
44	* ''Film/NoisesOff'' (1992) as Frederick Dallas/Philip Brent
45	* ''Film/TheRemainsOfTheDay'' (1993) as Congressman Jack Lewis
46	* ''Film/{{Village of the Damned\|1995}}'' (1995) as Dr. Alan Chaffee
47	* ''Film/{{Above Suspicion\|1995}}'' (1995) as Dempsey Cain
48	[[/folder]]
49
50	[[folder:Television roles]]
51	* ''Series/LoveOfLife'' (1974–76) as Ben Harper
52	* ''Series/TheMuppetShow'' (1 episode, 1980) as Himself – Special Guest Star
53	* ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' (1 episode, 1980) as Himself – Host
54	* ''Series/FaerieTaleTheatre'' (1 episode, 1983) as Prince Charming
55	* ''Literature/AnnaKarenina'' (TV movie, 1985) as Alexei Vronsky
56	* ''Series/RoadToAvonlea'' (1 episode, 1992) as Robert Rutherford
57	* ''Series/TalesFromTheCrypt'' (1 episode, 1992) as Fred
58	* ''Series/{{Frasier}}'' (1 episode, 1993) as Leonard (voice)
59	* ''Literature/TheSeaWolf'' (TV movie, 1993) as Humphrey Van Weyden
60	* ''Film/RearWindow'' (TV movie, 1998) as Jason Kemp
61	* ''Series/SesameStreet'' (1 episode, 2000) as Himself
62	* ''Series/ThePractice'' (1 episode, 2003) as Kevin Healy
63	* ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' (2 episodes: "[[Recap/SmallvilleS02E17Rosetta Rosetta]]" and "[[Recap/SmallvilleS03E17Legacy Legacy]]", 2003–04) as Dr. Virgil Swann
64	[[/folder]]
65
66	[[folder:Director]]
67	* ''WesternAnimation/EveryonesHero'' (2006)
68	[[/folder]]
69
70	[[folder:Writer]]
71	* ''Film/SupermanIVTheQuestForPeace'' (1987)
72	* ''Series/ThePractice'' (1 episode, 2003)
73	[[/folder]]
74
75	----
76	!!Christopher Reeve and his works provide examples of:
77	%%As with all Creator/ pages, trivia tropes about the creator specifically are to be posted here, not a Trivia/ page, as they technically are InUniverse in the case of the person's career.
78	%%However: As with all Creator/ pages, items that could go on a specific work's trivia page go there, not here.
79	* ApprovalOfGod: He was thoroughly impressed with Creator/TomWelling's portrayal of Clark Kent on ''Smallville'' and appeared on the show as Dr. Swann, the man who tells Clark about Krypton. He reportedly enjoyed this so much that refused to leave the set after his scenes were done. According to Welling himself, he only left after his caregiver threatened to ''call the police'' on him, as being away from home for so many hours could be dangerous given his condition.
80	* DisabledCharacterDisabledActor: After his accident, all of his roles became this trope by necessity. He was the original inspiration for the creation of the trope page.
81	* IAmNotSpock: He was just starting to escape his role as Superman. A new generation of moviegoers was just coming up and most of them hadn't seen [[Film/{{Superman\|TheMovie}} that movie]]. Then he gets crippled and the newspapers can't say anything but "best known for his role as Superman".
82	* LargeHam: Although he's primarily known for nuanced dramatic performances, he'd occasionally show off a sillier side and overact his heart out to get a laugh (his performance of ''Hamlet'' on ''Series/TheMuppetShow'' being a good example).
83	* LifeImitatesArt: Reeve became paralyzed only six days after the premiere of ''Above Suspicion'', where he plays a character who becomes paralyzed.
84	* ShoutOut: The Superman of ''Manga/SupermanVsMeshi'' heavily resembles Reeve, down to his TallDarkAndHandsome appearance and IcyBlueEyes, and the manga also has a lot of references to the 1978 movie.
85	* StarDerailingRole: In his autobiography, ''Still Me'', Reeve claims that the failure of ''Film/SwitchingChannels'', along with ''Film/SupermanIVTheQuestForPeace'', ''The Aviator'', and ''Street Smart'' (which he in part agreed to do ''Superman IV'' under the condition that he was allowed to star in this long time "pet project" of his), knocked him off the A-list in Hollywood and he would have to audition for major roles for the rest of his career.
86	** Reeve also expressed regret in making ''Switching Channels'' (Reeve took on the role because he felt that making a comedy would be a good distraction from the depression steaming from his split with his longtime girlfriend Gae Exton), believing that he had "made a fool of himself" (Reeve [[PlayingAgainstType played decidedly against type]] as Creator/KathleenTurner's hapless fiancé) and had to act as a referee for constantly feuding costars Turner and Creator/BurtReynolds.
87	* TallDarkAndHandsome: He stood at 6'4" and still holds the record of being the tallest actor to play Superman as of 2023. (TV Supermen Creator/DeanCain and Creator/TylerHoechlin are both 6'0" while Creator/TomWelling is 6'3". Film Supermen Creator/BrandonRouth and Creator/HenryCavill are 6'2" and 6'1" respectively).
88	* TrueCompanions: With Creator/RobinWilliams who had been his close friend since their days at Julliard together. Reeve once said that the support of both him and his wife were what got him through his darkest periods after his accident.
89	* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
90	** During the height of his career, Reeve turned down the lead roles in ''Film/AmericanGigolo'', ''Literature/TheWorldAccordingToGarp'', ''Film/{{Splash}}'', ''Film/FatalAttraction'', ''Film/PrettyWoman'', ''Film/RomancingTheStone'', ''Film/LethalWeapon'', and ''Film/BodyHeat''.
91	** Reeve was originally slated for the lead role in ''Film/TheBounty'' after Creator/KatharineHepburn recommended him to Creator/DavidLean (the original director of the project) but Reeve dropped out at the last minute and was replaced by Creator/MelGibson.
92	** During his post-injury career, he had accepted the role of Mason Verger in ''Film/{{Hannibal}}'' and was enthusiastic about the opportunity. But -- not having read the book beforehand -- when he found out that he was to play a facially disfigured child rapist, he withdrew from the project in disgust.

Context Creator / ChristopherReeve