American comic-book character Superman debuted in 1938, then gained the moniker “Man of Steel” to burnish his credentials of unflinching courage, unpliable character, unwavering moral certitude, unbending fairness, and near-indestructible strength. It stuck. Forty years later, 26-year-old actor Christopher Reeve, began a 26-year journey that would last until his death in 2004, establishing him both as a Kansas-raised superman on screen and an all-American man of steel off it.
Born in 1952 in New York, Reeve studied at Cornell and Juilliard School of Performing Arts. After graduation, he worked in the theater for a couple years before his 1978 film debut as a minor character in the Charlton Heston starrer “Gray Lady Down.” The following year, producers of the new film “Superman” offered Reeve the role that would make him a global sensation.
