History Creator / ChristopherReeve

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 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}}''.

* EveryoneWentToSchoolTogether: He and Creator/RobinWilliams were classmates at Julliard together and Reeve was nearly roommates with Creator/KevinConroy. That's right, Batman and Superman were nearly roommates.

* PosthumousCredit: Despite his 2004 death, Reeve still managed to get a posthumous directorial credit for ''WesternAnimation/EveryonesHero''.

* TookTheBadFilmSeriously: He intended ''Superman IV'' to have a serious anti-nuclear war message, and took the project very seriously. Unfortunately, due to factors outside his control, the movie ended up as a complete disaster, marking the final time he played the Man of Steel.

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}}'').

* 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 is 6'2 and Creator/HenryCavill is 6'1").

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. 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.

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 refused to surrender to his despair and instead went on to become a universally hailed advocate for spinal cord research and the disabled and determining to live the best life he could and even regaining some mobility, able to breathe for up to 90 minutes without a respirator, feel minor sensations and temperature throughout his body and 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}}''.

* 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/TomWelling are respectively 6'0" and 6'3", while Creator/BrandonRouth is 6'2" and Creator/HenryCavill 6'1")

* TallDarkAndHandsome: He stood at 6'4" and still holds the record of being the tallest actor to play Superman as of 2023.

* 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}} that movie]]. Then he gets crippled and the newspapers can't say anything but "best known for his role as Superman".

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 refused to surrender to his despair and instead went on to become a universally hailed advocate for spinal cord research and the disabled and determining to live the best life he could and even regaining some mobility, able to breathe for up to 90 minutes without a respirator, feel minor sensations and temperature throughout his body and 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 a guest appearances on ''Series/{{Smallville}}''.

* ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' (2 episodes: "[[Recap/SmallvilleS02E17Rosetta Rosetta]]" and "[[Recap/SmallvilleS02E23Exodus Exodus]]", 2003–04) as Dr. Virgil Swann

* ApprovalOfGod: He was thoroughly impressed with Tom Welling'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 Tom 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.

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 wife and long-time friends like Williams, Reeve refused to surrender to his despair and instead went on to become a universally hailed advocate for spinal cord research and the disabled and determining to live the best life he could and even regaining some mobility, able to breathe for up to 90 minutes without a respirator, feel minor sensations and temperature throughout his body and 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 a guest appearances on ''Series/{{Smallville}}''.

* DyeingForYourArt: Was thin as a rail when he was cast as Superman and pressured to wear a suit with muscle padding, but refused, instead choosing to pursue a grueling workout regimen and packed on an impressive 40lbs of muscle.
** Reeve actually dyed his hair darker for his role as Superman since he actually had naturally brownish hair.

* LifeImitatesArt: Reeve became paralyzed only six days after the premiere of "Above Suspicion", where he plays a character who becomes paralyzed.

* TallDarkAndHandsome: He stood at 6'4 and still holds the record of being the tallest actor to play Superman as of 2023.

* DisabledCharacterDisabledActor: After his accident, all of his roles became this trope by necessity. He was, though, the original inspiration for the creation of the trope page.

* ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' (2 episodes -- "[[Recap/SmallvilleS02E17Rosetta Rosetta]]" and "[[Recap/SmallvilleS02E23Exodus Exodus]]", 2003–04) as Dr. Virgil Swann