Christopher Reeve
Christopher Reeve was born on September 25, 1952 in New York. He died on 11 October 2004.
Reeve made his film debut in Gray Lady Down but it was with the eponymous role in Superman (1978) that he shot to fame.
In 1987, Christopher Reeve faced tear gas when he travelled to Chile to support writer Ariel Dorfman and demonstrate for artists threatened with death warrants by the Pinochet regime.
In May 1995, Reeve was thrown from his horse, and was paralysed from the neck down.
Subsequently, Christopher Reeve became very involved in disability issues.
There is a detailed biography of him at Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation.