Christopher Reeve

American actor on stage, film and TV. Tall and handsome, he played in the TV soap "Love of Life," in the movie "Gray Lady Down" and on Broadway with Kate Hepburn in "A Matter of Gravity." He was most noted for his lead role in "Superman," 1977, for which he earned $250,000. Reeve played in three sequels and ten other films. He went on to appear in a total of 17 feature films, a dozen TV-movies, and about 150 plays. In addition, he has hosted or narrated numerous documentaries and TV specials, many of which involve interests of his such as aviation or stunt work. His compelling autobiography, "Still Me," was released in April 1998 and quickly hit the bestseller lists. From a moneyed East Coast background, Christopher studied classical piano and learned to love sailing and equestrian sports, including skiing, skating and tennis. On May 27, 1995, while riding at the Commonwealth Dressage event, which is a three-day competition in precision horsemanship, he was thrown forward and hit his head, suffering multiple fractures of the first and second cervical vertebrae in his spine. The trauma left him paralyzed and unable to breathe on his own. He had surgery to fuse the two vertebrae on June 5, 1995 at Charlottesville, VA. After the accident, Reeve became a spokesman for those who have been struck down in crippling accidents, speaking up for rehab methods and funding. He also produced several screenplays from his wheelchair. On August 17, 2000, during routine physical therapy, his left leg broke and he had to undergo surgery to mend the bone with screws and a metal plate. Released August 23, 2000, his spokesperson said at the time that he was doing well. He was a partner with Gae Exton for some years; they had a son, Matthew, in 1978 and a daughter, Alexandra, in 1983. In April 1992, he married Dana Morosini; their son Will was born two months later. All of his family had been supportive throughout his tragedy. After his initial fear of being a burden to everyone, suicide no longer became an option when his wife, Dana, assured him, "You're still you. And I love you." From the day of his accident, Christopher never gave up but threw himself into every available therapy; various weight bearing workouts and treadmill training. There was no real effect on function until a miraculous day in September 2000. He was talking to Dana and trying to make a point when, to the astonishment of them both, his index finger rose and fell. When Dana asked him to do it again, he did! Dr. John MacDonald of the Washington Medical School, the developer of a therapy program for paralysis patients which he calls activity-based recovery, believes that the road to a cure runs through a vigorous program of exercise and electrical muscle stimulation to help waken the nervous system. For Christopher to move his finger was a massive step forward. For the next two years, he worked in Dr. MacDonald's lab and with private therapists on a sensory bicycle, receiving muscle stimulation and spending long stretches in the pool. Until recently, it was accepted that spinal tissue can never re-grow. With fortitude equal to Superman, Christopher set new standards for the paraplegic. His is the first known case in which a so-called C-2 quad has regained so much function so long after injury. His book, "Nothing is Impossible" was due for release September 17, 2002. Reeve's oldest son, Matthew Exton Reeve, entered Brown University in 1999 to study journalism and in May 2002 he graduated with an undergraduate degree. Matthew is also documenting his father's progress in recovery for three specials to be broadcast on both U.K. television and ABC television in the U.S. with the first special airing around Reeve's 50th birthday. His daughter Alexandra entered Yale University in Connecticut in 2001, where she joined the Yale Polo Squad. Battling a systemic infection stemming from a pressure wound, Reeve suffered cardiac arrest and slipped into a coma on October 9, 2004 at his New York home. He passed away of heart failure the following day. Shotly after his death, his wife Dana who had never smoked, announced that she had been diagnosed with lung cancer. Just 17 months after her husband's death, just after midnight on March 6, 2006, she succumbed to the disease at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre in New York City. She was 44, according to news reports She was born March 17, 1961 in Teaneck, NJ according to most news reports though some reports said she was born in NY and a few other dates were given. Link to Wikipedia biography Link to Astrodienst discussion forum