Christopher Reeve's Daughter Alexandra Reeve Names Her Son After Him But Keeps Kid Out Of The Spotlight

Aug 27, 2021 by apost team

The enigmatic actor Christoper Reeve is best remembered for his iconic role as Superman in the 1978 movie of the same name. Christopher's chiseled looks and wonderful acting led him to continue this role in the three sequels that followed. 

But his success wasn't limited to the superhero franchise, as afterward the actor concentrated on taking on roles that were complex and meaningful instead of cashing in his fame for every movie that came his way.

After appearing in more critically acclaimed movies through the 1980s and '90s, Christopher's acting career was abruptly cut short after a tragic accident during an equestrian competition. This accident left a 42-year-old Christopher a quadriplegic for the rest of his life. 

However, through the support of his wife and family, Christopher returned to creative pursuits in his life and started a foundation that helped others with similar injuries and funded agencies that could find a cure for paralysis. 

Through his three children — Matthew Reeve and Alexandra Reeve Givens, who Christopher had with his first wife Gae Exton, and William Reeve, who he had with actress Dana Morosini — Christopher's legacy lives on. 

His only daughter Alexandra is the CEO for the Center for Democracy & Technology and even serves as the Vice-Chairperson of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. She honored her father in another very special way when she named her son, whom she gave birth to in 2015, after her late dad. However, despite the elder Christopher's fame, Alexandra is choosing to keep her son out of the spotlight. 

New York City-born Christopher Reeve was fairly certain he wanted to pursue acting right after he graduated high school and planned to stay in the city to find a career in theater, but under the insistence of his mother, applied to college. He attended Cornell University but eventually made his way to Juilliard's acting program, which was extremely competitive. After some early work in theater and on a soap opera, Christopher landed the memorable role of Superman, but he revealed that it wasn't something to be proud of when he auditioned. He told Starlog magazine in 1987, as per Comics Bulletin:

"Well, the decision to play Superman was probably the most courageous career decision that I made because, at that time in 1976, the idea of a Superman film was laughable to many people."

Isn't the world glad that he had the passion to go for the role anyway! On top of his legacy of playing Superman, Christopher left behind his charitable work helping to bring awareness and a cure to paralysis-related topics, after he himself became a quadriplegic after an equestrian accident that occurred on May 27, 1995. Despite leaving him in deep shock and intense grief for a long time, he emerged from it more determined to use his power to make a difference. In an interview with Ability Magazine, Christopher said: 

"Who knows why an accident happens? The key is what do you do afterwards."

Staying true to this, Christopher campaigned with the Reeve Foundation all the way until his death in 2004 at the age of 52.

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Since then, Christopher's three children have continued on his legacy, campaigning for paralysis research and other charitable causes. Then in 2015, his daughter Alexandra Reeve Givens gave birth to her own son. Born on June 13, 2015, in Washington D.C., Alexandra and her husband Garren Givens named their firstborn Christopher after both of his grandfathers on each side. A representative for the couple told People that the two were "very important role models for Garren and Alexandra." 

However, since young Christopher's birth in 2015, Alexandra has barely shared any photos of him to the public, instead choosing to keep him out of the spotlight. Despite having a public-facing role with her job and charitable work, Alexandra is not a celebrity per se, so it makes sense that she'd want her son to grow up without the media's glare at all times. 

But one presence she does always feel around her is her late father's. When she and her siblings attended the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation's "A Magical Evening Gala" in Nov. 2019, they told Closer Weekly how they can still feel him in their lives. She said:

“I feel his presence more than ever. The cures that he talked about, the therapies that he wanted for himself seemed so far away when he was injured; we’re now seeing so much progress that these dreams are becoming a reality. ... So that makes him feel close to me — we’re continuing that work; we’re continuing his efforts and getting more momentum.”

Just as Christopher did for the remainder of his life after his accident, his children are continuing on his charitable work, and we're certain that his namesake grandson will also do the same when he grows up.

Did you know that Christopher Reeve has a grandson that was named after him? Pass this story on to others so they can learn too and find out more about the charitable work Christopher's children are doing in his name.