Even before Christopher Reeve had his life forever changed when he was plucked from 200 hopefuls to star in Superman, the 1978 genre-defining blockbuster that spawned three sequels, he had a knack for beating the odds. In 1973, he was one of 20 candidates out of 2000 to win a place to study drama at the elite Juilliard School, where he and his best friend and roommate, the late comic genius Robin Williams, were the only two students in their year selected for the school’s Advanced Program.
Away from work, the handsome, thrill-seeking sportsman loved to push things to the limit – as a risk-taking skier, accomplished sailor and licensed pilot who flew solo twice across the Atlantic.
Tragically, during a low-stakes equestrian competition on May 27, 1995, Reeve fell from his horse when it failed to navigate a three-foot-high rail jump, suffering a spinal cord injury that left him paralysed from the shoulders down and dependent on a ventilator.
“He was very clear-eyed that it was a really s–tty fluke,” Reeve’s daughter, Alexandra, said in an interview with The Sun while promoting the recently released feature-length documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story. “But it could have been a fluke in the other direction, and he could have died on the spot.”
Reeve survived for almost a decade, passing away at age 52 on October 10, 2004, after going into cardiac arrest while being treated for an infection. Twenty years on from his death, his children – Alexandra, 40, and son Matthew, 44, whose mum is British model agent Gae Exton, and son Will, 32, whose mother Dana died from lung cancer 17 months after her husband’s passing – say their dad’s most significant legacy lies beyond his superhero alter ego.
“Heroism is so much more than superficial strength and a glossy image,” Will, who was just shy of 3 years old when his dad was paralysed, told People Magazine. “It’s about integrity, showing up for your family, persevering through hard circumstances, and still having that joy for life. That was our dad.”
In the same interview, Alexandra noted that there was even a silver lining to the family’s difficult circumstances. “Our dad had a near-death experience, so he knew not to leave things unsaid,” she said. “Because we suddenly weren’t doing physical activities, we had a lot more time to sit and have conversations hanging out in his office. That was a true gift.”
Reeve said as much in 1998, sounding philosophical just three years after the life-altering event. “Who knows why an accident happens? The key is what do you do afterwards,” he said in an interview with Ability magazine.
“There is a period of shock and then grieving with confusion and loss. After that, you have two choices. One is to stare out the window and gradually disintegrate. And the other is to mobilise and use all your resources, whatever they may be, to do something positive. That is the road I have taken. It comes naturally to me.”
Dealing with his disability, the actor was supported by Dana, who gave up her career as a singer and actress to fully take care of Reeve and the kids until her death at age 44.
“She wasn’t doing it from some, you know, elevated sense of nobility. If it were pity alone, it wouldn’t have worked,” Alexandra said in an interview with NPR. “My dad was her partner, and he was holding her up the whole time that she was holding him up.”
Reeve harnessed his expectation-defying nature towards making the best of things, teaching himself to breathe independently for up to 90 minutes without a ventilator. “I would say driven rather than competitive,” Alexandra reflected in an interview with The Guardian. “There was an intense focus on pushing his body beyond what the doctors told him it was capable of doing.” Will added that his dad’s drive was just being refocused.
“Prior to the accident, he could never sit still,” he said. “The accident forced him to literally sit still, but figuratively he still couldn’t. He continued to push himself in every way – to grow as a husband, father and contributor to society.”
Indeed, Reeve, who had long been a passionate political activist, became a high-profile advocate for the paralysed community. Today, all three of the star’s children work with the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, advancing innovative research into spinal cord treatments and improving the quality of life for individuals and families impacted by paralysis, continuing their dad’s work.
“After his accident he came to the realisation that a hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles,” Will told the Daily Mail.
“That is the Christopher Reeve story.”
