Christopher Reeve (b. September 25, 1952 – d.October 10, 2004) was an American actor best known for portraying Superman in Superman: The Movie and its sequels, and is regarded by many to be the best actor to take the role.
Christopher Reeve was an American actor best remembered for his portrayal of Superman in Richard Donner's 1978 film Superman: The Movie, widely celebrated by critics and audiences as the best onscreen adaptation of the character. Reeve reprised the role in the similarly celebrated Superman II, and the critically maligned Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, the latter of which he wrote the story that was used to develop the screenplay.
Years after he was paralyzed in a horse-riding accident, Reeve returned to portray Virgil Swann on Smallville, which became his final role due to his passing in 2004. After Reeve's death, the Smallville team included Swann in future episodes through archive footage.
In 2006, previously unseen footage of Reeve as Superman was used in the director's cut of Superman II, archive footage was used in the documentary Look, Up in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman, and Brandon Routh appeared as Superman in Superman Returns, a film meant to be a sequel to Superman II, with Routh's casting based on his resemblance to Reeve. In 2023, deepfake technology and archive footage allowed his Superman to return by way of the multiverse in The Flash, with Reeve's facial features being superimposed onto another actor's face.
