Christopher Dennis, the street artist best known as the Hollywood Boulevard Superman, will have a public memorial, and be buried in his costume, according to a representative for his family. Dennis passed away on November 2 at the age of 52. According to reports that emerged after his passing, Dennis had been homeless, off and on, for three years prior to his passing, sometimes sleeping in shelters. Family, friends, and fans who had helped him find lodgings over the years, hope to raise funds to give him a final resting place. A crowdfunding campaign has been launched to raise funds for a funeral service, cremation, grave/niche plot, and a memorial plaque at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
The GoFundMe page was created on behalf of Dennis’s widow, Bonnie Finkenthal Dennis, by Vladislav Kozlov, his long-time friend and director, who produced of a short film starring Christopher, as himself, and film legend Franco Nero, called “The Kid,” and has been filming with Christopher for the hybrid documentary feature about Christopher’s life, called American Superman, since 2013.
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According to a statement from Kozlov, “The news coverage of Chris’s passing and reporting on his life and the mark he made in Hollywood have been a beautiful tribute to Christopher Dennis and his memory. The crowdfunding campaign strives to help Hollywood Superman find his final rest in the Hollywood land to which he truly belongs.”
June 10, 1991 was the date Chris first stepped foot on the boulevard as Hollywood Superman, according to his Instagram profile. Chris gave smiles to the millions of tourists from all over the world for over 25 years of his Hollywood Boulevard residency and there are thousands and thousands of photographs of Chris with visitors to Hollywood Boulevard online and in photo albums around the world.
Dennis was born on June 16, 1967. When he was 6, he was put into orphanage by his father. Chris spent his childhood in shelters and group homes. At the age of 18, Chris came to Hollywood to pursue his dream of becoming an actor. When he was waiting tables, numerous people told him that he resembled Christopher Reeve who famously portrayed Superman. Chris decided to dress as Superman and go out on the Hollywood Boulevard in the hopes of being noticed by studio producers. Eventually, Chris started coming to the strip every day since he found out that he was a huge hit with the tourists who wanted to take a picture with him as Hollywood Superman.
