Biography
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 Bill 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.
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What Do You Think?
Sadly, after waging a good fight against his paralysis, Reeve passed
away on October 10, 2004. Before Reeve’s accident it was considered a
medical fact that nerves do not regenerate and spinal cord paralysis was
forever. He dismayed and then inspired the disabled community with his
claim that he would walk out of his wheel chair before he died. Indeed,
Reeve is the first documented quadriplegic to make significant
improvements many years after an accident. He worked out constantly and
led the American Paralysis Foundation in the development of research
breakthroughs and new therapies. He was a powerful fundraiser and earned
as much as ex-presidents on the motivational speaker circuit. Seven
years after his paralysis, Reeve wrote an inspirational book to teach
able-bodied people and society as a whole how to overcome inner
paralysis. Though he tired of the comparison, it was always hard not to
keep seeing him in light of his most famous role - Superman. (There’s an
astrological reason for this as well. His personal chart has the same
ascending degree as the DC comic book hero whose chart we also posted on
the web site.).
- One would expect Superman should have a prominent Jupiter and Mars.
Sure enough, Jupiter and Mars are both at the tips of two separate yods.
But there’s lots more power in this chart with seven major points
between 18-22 degrees. There are so many ways in which his chart screams
“the man of iron” – Superman. Let’s have fun and catalog them.
- What gave him the vision and stamina to believe that he would walk
one day? He said he never had a dream of himself in a wheel chair.
- What significant factors were going on in his chart when he broke
his vertebrae on May 27, 1995? And at his death?
- His accident forever changed his life and his legacy. He became a
role model for others who suffer similar fates, an advocate for spinal
injury victims, and a powerful fund-raiser for research. What in his
chart might suggest that his legacy would be so profound?
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