Christopher Reeve: The Man of Steel for All Time

Christopher Reeve was Superman on screen but all too human in real life.

Christopher Reeve died Sunday October 10th of heart failure in Mount Kisco, New York. He will be remembered as a movie star and as a spokesman for the paralyzed. He was only 52.

Reeve burst onto the pop culture scene in 1978 playing the title role of Superman. It is and will always be the role he will be forever linked to. An actor could certainly do worse. Superman holds up very well as a superhero movie. Many recent ones, such as The Punisher and Daredevil pale in comparison. Reeve once noted that he actually enjoyed playing Superman's alter ego Clark Kent more than he did Superman.

It is in his portrayal of Clark Kent that Reeve demonstrates what he brought to that movie. His Clark Kent is a good-hearted nerd. To this day, I use the word "swell" because of the scene in Superman where Lois points out, to Clark, that it is out of fashion. Reeve is a tall good looking guy here but he down plays it all as a country bumpkin geek in glasses. His portrayal of Clark Kent is awkwardly sincere.

In fact, Reeve was best when playing against type. In Somewhere in Time, he plays a variation of Clark Kent. His Richard is a lovelorn time traveler. Like Kent in Metropolis, Richard is a fish out of water. What works so well for these roles is that Reeve is over 6 feet tall and built like an athlete. He should fit in anywhere, yet he plays the role of a nervous outsider to great effect. In these movies, he has the looks of a model and the awkwardness of a shy newcomer. The combination created a very charming persona.

In 1995 Reeve was paralyzed in a horse riding accident. However, he continued to act. He starred in the made for television version of Hitchcock's Rear Window, about a wheel chair bound witness to a murder. His career came full circle on the Superman television show Smallville. Reeve appeared in two episodes, but not as Superman.

Death is rarely welcomed, but when a movie star dies, we at least have the film left behind. In a way, movie stars never die. My sons love Superman and watch it often on video. Christopher Reeve will forever be the man of steel for many generations.