Christopher Reeve was loved by millions for playing Superman in four movies from 1978 to 1987. But he was also his hero to his children.
Reeve had three children – Matthew, Alexandra and Will – before a horrific horse riding accident in 1995 left him paralyzed from the neck down. He would continue to raise his children with his wife Dana by his side until his death in 2004 while still in a wheelchair and on a ventilator.
Christopher Reeve and his wife Dana in 1998. Ron Galella/Getty
The new documentary “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” tells the story of Reeve’s life from beloved movie star to disability advocate along with Dana, who died of lung cancer two years after Reeve’s death. Doc also offers an unexpected look inside the Reeve family through rare home videos and interviews with the children.
Here’s everything you need to know about Reeve’s three children.
Matthew Reeve, 44 years old
Christopher Reeve and Matthew Reeve in 2002. KMazur/WireImage/Getty
Matthew was born on December 20, 1979, in London, during Reeve’s 10-year relationship with model manager Gae Exton. At the time of Matthew’s birth, Reeve was filming the romantic movie “Somewhere in Time” with Jane Seymour. Seymour revealed to Entertainment Weekly in 2022 that she and Reeve were “madly in love” during filming. But with Matthew’s birth, Reeve stayed with Exton to raise him.
Exton took part in the film, and Matthew praised her for sharing her thoughts on camera while talking to People.
He said: “We were going to share things that we never remembered on camera. “My mother is very brave to tell her the story and I am proud of her.”
After graduating from Brown University in 2002, Matthew began his career as a producer and director. He filmed “Christopher Reeve: Hope in Motion,” which was nominated for an Emmy and aired on the BBC a year after graduating from Brown. In 2009, he filmed “Over The Water,” about World Champion kiteboarder Aaron Hadlow.
Matthew, along with his siblings, sit on the board of directors of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, which aims to find a cure for spinal cord injuries.
40-year-old Alexandra Reeve Givens
Dana, Christopher, and Alexandra Reeve in 1997. Ron Galella/Getty
Born in 1983, Alexandra was Reeve’s second child with Exton.
Instead of going into show business, Alexandra focused on politics and law. He graduated from Yale and received his law degree from Columbia University.
He began his legal career as an attorney at Cravath, Swaine & Moore in New York City. He also taught as an adjunct professor at Columbia for several years.
Alexandra served as senior counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee for IP and antitrust. He was also the executive director of the Center for Law and Technology Policy at Georgetown Law.
He is currently the president and CEO of the Center for Democracy and Technology. Alexandra is married and has a son named Christopher by her father.
Alexandra credits her father for giving her and her siblings a solid work ethic.
“My father was a very strong person. He did nothing with little effort,” Alexandra said on “Good Morning America.” “And I think all three of us have inherited a little bit of that. And that dedication and focus that your work has to be more than you, it has to be more than you and what how do you give back to yourself. the world you are in, which created each of us today.”
Reeve, 32
(LR) Will, Dana, and Christopher Reeve with family friend Robin Williams. Evan Agostini/Getty Images
Will, born on June 7, 1992, is Reeve’s youngest child and the only child he had with his wife, Dana.
Will was three when his father was injured and just 12 when Reeve died. Less than two years later, when his mother also died, he went to live with a family friend.
Will attended Middlebury College and became a journalist. He worked at MSG Network and was an anchor and writer for ESPN.
He is currently an ABC News correspondent, appearing frequently on “Good Morning America” and “World News Tonight with David Muir.”
In July, Variety reported that Will will make a cameo in James Gunn’s upcoming Superman film. He will play a TV reporter.
Will told TMZ that even though he only had to hold one call for his cameo, he was still “more nervous” than being on TV for his day job.
“Anger is more than superficial strength and a flashy image,” Will told People of his father’s legacy. “It’s about honesty, showing your family, persevering in difficult situations, and you still have that joy of life. That was our father.”
“Super/Man” is in theaters now.