Christopher Reeve Never Let His Tragic Accident Stop Him From Being a True Inspiration

Despite the horseback riding accident that left him paralyzed in 1995, Christopher Reeve continued to walk, sail and fly in his dreams. “I never had a dream where I’m in a wheelchair,” he confessed. “In the mornings, when I wake up, it always takes a while to adjust, and then I remember I can’t move my arms or I can’t move my legs.”

In the nine years between his accident and his death, the handsome Juilliard-trained actor, who rose to stardom in the Superman films, packed in a lot of living despite his physical limitations. “He only made it to 52 years,” his youngest son, Will, says. “But, man, did he make those years count.”

A new documentary, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, recently enjoyed a limited release to theaters and will be available to stream on HBO Max. “It is a beautiful story that pivots on the bitter irony of the man who played Superman losing all his physical powers,” directors Peter Ettedgui and Ian Bonhôte exclusively tell Closer. “Quadriplegic and dependent on a ventilator to breathe after his life-changing accident, he is left with nothing but his voice, his intellect and his big heart.”

Who Is ‘GMA’ Host Will Reeve? 5 Facts About the News Reporter

Christopher, a lifelong athlete who did his own stunts in 1978’s Superman, didn’t allow the accident in which he was thrown from a horse during competition to destroy his spirit, but it was not easy, especially at first. “I don’t think people realized the extent to which he was insisting on pulling the plug,” says Christopher Andersen, author of Somewhere in Heaven, a book about Christopher and his wife, Dana. “Here was a guy who got up every morning not knowing whether he was going to fly a plane, sail his yacht or play tennis, and now he can’t feel and he can’t move.” But Dana convinced him to stay. “She said, ‘I still love you.’ Then she made a pact with him,” says Andersen. “‘Hold on for two years. If you still feel this way, we will reconsider this question.’”

Christopher Reeve Went Through a ‘Period of Shock’ After Accident

Christopher eventually rose to the challenge, finding comfort and joy in his family and friends and hope in his quest for a cure for paralysis. “There is a period of shock and then grieving with confusion and loss,” he admitted. “After that, you have two choices. One is to stare out the window and gradually disintegrate. And the other is to mobilize and use all your resources, whatever they may be, to do something positive. That is the road I have taken.”

He found great joy in watching his son Will, who was just shy of his third birthday when Christopher was injured, grow up. “He is a source of pride and joy as well as amusement,” said Christopher. “Spending time with him is almost always an uplifting experience.” Despite the difficulties he had traveling, Christopher cheered on Will at his hockey games. “I’ll never forget getting into the van after a game and getting hit with an avalanche of compliments,” Will recalls. “I’d be like, ‘All right, Dad, stop!’”

His accident also drew Christopher closer to his older children, Matthew and Alexandra, who were raised by their mother, British modeling agent Gae Exton. They met in London while Christopher was filming 1978’s Superman, and although the relationship didn’t last, the couple found a way to coparent. “They gave us this gift of having a united set of parents, even after they separated,” says Alexandra, who adds that Christopher never shied away from telling his children that he loved them. “Our dad had a near-death experience, so he knew not to leave things unsaid,” she explains. “Because we suddenly weren’t doing physical activities, we had a lot more time to sit and have conversations. That was a true gift.”

Christopher Reeve Left a Lasting Legacy

Christopher never attained his goal of walking again, but he used the power of his fame to campaign for insurance reform and champion stem cell research. In 2002, he made headlines after he was able to move small parts of his body following a course of electrical stimulation and exercise of his muscles. He also returned to entertainment as the director of 2004’s The Brooke Ellison Story, a TV film about a quadriplegic who graduated Harvard. “He showed the value and impact a single human life can have both within the family setting and in the wider world,” say the directors of Super/Man. “He embodied so many qualities: fighting for what you believe in, persevering even in the most adverse circumstances, and finding meaning in acts of kindness.”

Today, Chris’ three children carry on the work he and Dana began with the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. (Dana, a nonsmoker, died from lung cancer in 2006.) “In that short window of time I got with my parents, they raised me in a normal, human, grounded way which, mostly, gives me a sane approach to everything that life throws at you,” says Will, who was 13 when his mom died. “I’m so proud to be their son, to be part of this family. Honestly, it’s just a privilege that we can carry them with us into this future that so needs heroes.”

—Reporting by Fortune Benatar