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Christopher Reeve’s children are telling his story and remembering his legacy. The actor, who played the beloved character Superman in 1978 with three sequels, left a mark on the entertainment industry and is known for his resilience and advocacy for spinal cord injury research and treatment after a horse-riding accident in 1995 left him paralyzed from the neck down.
Christopher made his first appearance after the accident at the Academy Awards on March 25, 1996. As they welcomed him to the stage, the audience, filled with actors, filmmakers, and industry professionals, gave him a standing ovation that lasted over 1 minute.
It’s a moment that his oldest son, Matthew Reeve, holds close to his heart. Along with his siblings, Alexandra and Will Reeve, the 44-year-old is currently at the Sundance Film Festival for the premiere of the documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story.
Talking to PEOPLE, Matthew, who was around 16 at the time, recalled, “I remember I was in London, it was a school night and we stayed up until three or four in the morning to watch it. And it was absolutely incredible.” “And what sticks with me most was after that incredible warm welcome and that very long ovation that he received,” he continued. In the audience were stars like Jim Carey, Winona Ryder, Brad Pitt and Gwyneth Paltrow, Tom Hanks, John Travolta, Meryl Streep, and Nicholas Cage.
Christopher introduced a film montage recognizing how Hollywood has tackled social issues. “When I was a kid, my friends and I went to the movies just for fun, but then we saw Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove. It started us thinking about the madness of nuclear destruction. Stanley Kramer’s The Defiant Ones taught us about race relations, and we began to realize that films could deal with social issues,” he said in his speech.
The documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, comes 20 years after his death at 52 on October 10, 2004, from an infection. It dives into his family life, career, friendship with Robin Williams, and the aftermath of his paralysis. The premiere left the audience sobbing, according to the Washington Post.
Reeve’s three children, are featured in the film.