Christopher Reeve Is Still the Best Superman Actor of All Time

When James Gunn’s Superman trailer released in December 2024, it was a good reminder as to why we love the iconic superhero. But when you close your eyes and picture Superman in your mind, who do you see? Well, there’s a very good chance that it’s Christopher Reeve. Although he last appeared as the titular character in Superman IV: The Quest for Peace in 1987, Christopher Reeve has been forever memorialized as an icon in Hollywood, which he established with some of Superman’s biggest cinematic moments. With just four minor acting credits to his name at the time, the actor managed to score the role of a lifetime and launch his career into Hollywood stardom. With his towering height, athletic build, and striking good looks, it was almost as if Christopher Reeve was born to play one of the most famous comic book characters of all-time.

From Dean Cain to Tom Welling to Henry Cavill, several actors have tried their best to live up to the stature of Christopher Reeve’s Superman, but each of them haven’t quite reached the heights that he was able to take the character. Christopher Reeve was not only able to establish his Superman legacy on the big screen, but off of it as well. Following a tragic horse-riding accident in 1995 that left the actor paralyzed from the neck down, Christopher Reeve still managed to honor the red cape. The actor became a vocal activist in the fight to find a cure for spinal cord injuries and became one of the leaders in advocating for disability rights. Considering his legacy combining all facets of his life, it’s not exactly a tough choice to call Christopher Reeve the best Superman actor of all time.

“Look! Up in the Sky!”

In general, most of the actors who have been chosen to play Superman have been relatively unknown at the time of their casting. The only real exception was George Reeves, who was a veteran actor with over 70 credits to his name before his casting in Adventures of Superman in 1952. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Christopher Reeve had appeared in just three TV series roles before being cast in his first movie, Gray Lady Down in 1978. But he wouldn’t have to wait much longer before seeing his career really take off. When Superman: The Movie was released in December of 1978, Christopher Reeve would soon become a household name.

In a 1979 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Christopher Reeve noted the impact that being cast in Superman: The Movie had on his personal life, especially with his own father.

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“My family pretty much wrote me off,” said Reeve. “Their attitude was, ‘There goes Chris, he’s going Hollywood.’ And it was pretty clear that if I turned typically Hollywood my father and I would break off relations. He thought it was the ultimate sellout.”

As a classically trained actor at the Julliard School for Drama, Christopher Reeve always had his eye on performing some of the greatest stories ever told. Before his big break in Hollywood, he was even making his mark on Broadway, starring in A Matter of Gravity with Katharine Hepburn. But in just a matter of months, Christopher Reeve went from a budding Broadway actor to a full-blown Hollywood star. And while it wasn’t exactly what he had imagined, it was certainly earned. His performance in Superman: The Movie was what fans of the comic had been waiting for. He delivered both a nuanced and commanding presence to not only Superman, but to Clark Kent as well. His classical training helped prepare him to properly play the dual roles unlike anyone that had come before him, or even after. After appearing in four films as Superman, Christopher Reeve assured himself a lasting legacy that would continue on into the future. He even sported the best Superman costume across all media.

Building a Lasting Legacy

As of 2025, Christopher Reeve is still synonymous with his Superman character. And while that wasn’t his primary objective when signing on to star in the film, it certainly isn’t anything to wave away. When Superman was first created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in 1938, it would have been impossible to predict the pop culture impact that their comic book character would have on the world. It also would have been equally difficult to predict that Christopher Reeve would become the iconic live-action counterpart to the character just 40 years later.

In the wake of his tragic horse-riding accident, Christopher Reeve could have easily stepped away from the limelight and lived the remainder of his life in complete isolation. Far away from prying eyes and curious diehard fans. But much like Superman, Christopher Reeve continued to press forward and aim to leave a positive mark on this planet. Just a year after his accident, he established what is now known as the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation in an effort to find a cure for spinal cord injuries. So while Christopher Reeve turned his role in Superman into a career-defining performance, it was his work off the screen that cemented his title as the best Superman actor of all time.