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Chris Reeve

October 12, 2004: More Tributes for Christopher Reeve

Christopher Reeve died Sunday after developing a serious bloodstream infection from a bedsore, a common problem for paralyzed people. He went into cardiac arrest Saturday at his home in Pound Ridge, N.Y., then fell into a coma, dying the next day in hospital. His wife, Dana, and other family members were with him.

Tributes have been pouring in from all corners of the world. Here are a few from Christopher's friends and colleagues...

Noel Neill (the original Lois Lane, who made a cameo appearance in Superman: The Movie as Lois Lanes mother) emailed the Superman Homepage with this about Christopher Reeve, "I first met Chris Reeve while he and Margot Kidder were shooting a scene for the first Superman film. I had already completed my train cameo in the same film in Canada earlier, but I was passing though London on a trip and was invited onto the set to watch them work. After knowing that my co-star George Reeves had fallen while working with wires, I was surprised to see that they were using wires with Chris, too. Later in the day Chris, Margot and I lunched and both were so nice and so respectful of the work that we had done with the serials and the tv show. I would not see Chris again until 1994, the year before his riding accident. Success had not changed him at all. He was still the nice, sweet and pleasant person I had first met. I do believe that the world was a better place with him, and we're now a little less secure without him. I'll miss him."

Bob Holiday, the actor who played Superman in the 1966 Broadway Musical, also emailed the Superman Homepage with these comments, "My heart dropped to "shallow" and "stunned" as I opened my browser and saw the photographs of Christopher Reeve. I am still in remorse. The two photographs portrayed by the media will be etched in my mind and soul as long as I live. To me, Christopher Reeve was "The Strongest Man In the World". To me Christopher Reeve has gone up, up, and away and will always be a "Super Man" and role model to all of humanity. May God Bless you Christopher Reeve for all the Super Strength you have shared with us."

Actor Jack O'Halloran (who played the Kryptonian villain "Non" in Superman: The Movie and Superman II) contacted the Superman Homepage with the following message, "Anyone who walks thru the tunnel and sees the light. And I am sure Chris did this when his accident occurred. And unless you have been on death's doorstep and truly at the mercy of whomever runs this life span. You never know the feeling of spiritual washing that happens when life comes back to your brain. Amazing the first thing you wonder is why have you been given this second chance. What really comes into your mind is that you are here for a reason. And you begin the search as to what that reason really is. This brings on a humility so real you never question it you just go with the flow. The moment of suicide always presents itself but only for a moment for some. Chris was left in a situation that allowed him to directly help a lot of people in his situation and certain things that surround his particular problem. So when speaking of his own fight which was very visible. Chris reached inside a lot of similar and not so bad as he. And he instilled tremendous strength of conviction and courage. And for this reason Christopher Reeve was truly a real life Superman."

Actor Gene Hackman, who played Superman's archrival Lex Luthor, said, "No one better demonstrated courage, strength and dedication to others than Chris accomplished in these past hard years."

Actress Mary Tyler Moore, who suffers from diabetes and advocates for stem cell research, said: "Christopher Reeve has long held my admiration for his work on spinal cord injury research and for his tireless efforts on behalf of stem cell research."

Jane Seymour, his co-star in the 1980 film "Somewhere in Time," said, "He never gave up. He told me, 'so many of us able-bodied people' are paralyzed in our own lives. He was not."

Margot Kidder, who played Lois Lane to Reeve's Superman, was devastated. "I am so sad," she told USA TODAY. "I'm just heartbroken. He was doing so well. He grew into such a glorious example of triumph over everything."

Jeph Loeb, comic book writer and Supervising Producer on "Smallville" emailed the Superman Homepage with these comments, "He was a hero in every sense of the word. It is one thing to play Superman as an actor, entirely another to actually pull it off in real life. We were incredibly lucky to have him part of the Smallville legacy and those shows he acted in will leave an indelible mark. Simply put... he'll be missed."

The last word goes to comic book writer and Superman fan Mark Millar, who emailed the Superman Homepage with these comments...

"It always seems insincere when someone writes about an actor they've never met and says they're affected a little by their death. That said, it's impossible for someone who does what we do or reads what we read NOT to be affected in some way by this morning's news.

I grew up knowing that Reeve was born on September 25th, his brother was a doctor, he was 6'4, he did a broadway play with Katharine Hepburn shortly before being cast as Superman, had a beard briefly in the early eighties, wanted to play Superman blond in Superman 5, was an Anglophile and a Democrat. As a kid, I'd rented everything from Monsignor to Gray Lady Down (where Reeve's bit-part was simply counting backwards from ten) just because I'd heard Reeve was in these flicks. We were FANS, inspired (of course), by the fact that Reeve had brought Superman to life in what was and always will be my all-time favourite movie.

Hearing that he'd died this morning, my first thoughts were that it wasn't true. The weird thing was that it sounded unbelievable because he planned to walk again and, somewhere deep down, you always felt like Superman doesn't get beaten. This wasn't part of the script. The fact that he's lived nine years after what would have been, to anyone else, a fatal accident shows how much spirit the guy had and how passionate he was about getting his life back. I just hope something positive can come of this and he continues to be a beacon for the stem-cell work he advocated so much when he was alive.

The timing of his death is also odd when we're just a few months from principal photography on a new Superman movie. With George Reeves dying prematurely long before the 1978 outing, it's almost like the world only has room for one Superman at a time. With Dick Donner on board as an exec for the new feature, at least we know who this picture should and will be dedicated to."


2004 Movie News

Listed below are all the Movie News items archived for 2004 organized into 5 categories:

New “Superman” Movie News:

Christopher Reeve Movie News: George Reeves Movie News: “Supergirl” Movie News: Other Movie News:

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