Christopher Reeve's 3 Children: All About Matthew, Alexandra and Will

Christopher Reeve was not only Superman on the screen, but also for his three children: Matthew, Alexandra and William.

The Superman the actor welcomed his first two children, Matthew Reeve (44) and Alexandra Reeve Givens (40), with ex-partner Gae Exton. He later married Dana Reeve in 1992 and the couple had a son, William “Will” Reeve, 32, the same year.

Christopher died on October 10, 2004, nine years after a riding accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down. On Father’s Day 2021, his youngest son paid tribute to him with a sweet letter posted on Good morning America.

“In our short time together, Dad gave me everything: his love and attention, his values ​​and passions,” Will wrote. “When he died, I was sure that it was my purpose in life be himto seamlessly carry on his legacy, leaving no difference between where Christopher Reeve ended and Will Reeve began.”

He continued: “Like many who miss their main character every third Sunday in June, I never feel completely whole on Father’s Day. But I find peace and strength in the fact that the greatest gift I can give my dad is to keep him in my heart as I follow him wherever whatever leads me.”

Matthew Reeve, Alexandra Reeve Givens and Will Reeve at Variety Sundance Studios on January 20, 2024.

John Salangsang/Variety/Getty

In January 2024. Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Storya documentary looking back at Christopher’s life, including his marriage and casting as Superman, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and all three of his children were in attendance.

During an appearance on the channel in September 2024 Good morning America to promote the documentary, Christopher’s children spoke about what it was like to see their father paralyzed for the first time. Alexandra said their stepmother, Dana, encouraged her and her siblings to “hold his hand” and to “ignore” the medical wires and machines that might scare them.

“As far back as I can remember, my first words were just, ‘I love you. We’re here,'” Matthew said.

From following in their father’s footsteps to starting their own family, here’s everything you need to know about Christopher Reeve’s children.

Matthew Reeve, 44

Christopher Reeve and son Matthew Reeve in September 2002.

Kevin Mazur/WireImage

Christopher’s first son, Matthew, was born on December 20, 1979 in London. At the time, Christopher was filming Somewhere in time with Jane Seymour — whom he was secretly seeing, she revealed in 2022 Entertainment Weekly — when his ex-girlfriend Exton called to tell him she was pregnant. Christopher then returned to Exton to help raise Matthew.

Matthew grew up working in the film industry like his father, listing himself as a writer, director and producer in his X biography. After graduating from Brown University in 2002, Matthew shared Christopher Reeve: Hope in Motion which was nominated for an Emmy.

According to his IMDb, he has been writing ever since Transparency, The land that never was and nine episodes Agent Hamilton.

Along with his two siblings, Matthew also sits on the board of directors of the Christoper & Dana Reeve Foundation, which was founded by the actor and his wife before his death, and is dedicated to finding a cure for spinal cord injuries. In 2009, he ran the New York City Marathon in an effort to raise money for the cause, according to The New York Times.

Matthew Reeve attends the premiere of “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” during the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.

Michael Loccisano/Getty

At the premiere of the film Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve StoryMatthew spoke to PEOPLE about a special moment in his father’s life when he made a surprise appearance at the 1996 Academy Awards — his first public appearance since the accident — and received a standing ovation for several minutes.

“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 amazing,” he said.

He continued: “And what stuck with me the most was after that incredibly warm welcome and standing ovation he got, his introduction – after that he gave a wonderful speech about how cinema and movies are at their best when they not only entertain, but they inform and educate and solve problems.”

Alexandra Reeve Givens, 40

Christopher Reeve with wife Dana Reeve and daughter Alexandra Reeve at the premiere of “In the Gloaming” on April 7, 1997.

Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive/Getty

Four years after welcoming Matthew, Exton gave birth to Alexandra, Christopher’s first and only daughter, on November 25, 1983, in London.

Now grown, Alexandra did not follow her family into the film industry, instead turning to a career in politics and law. After graduating from Yale University and earning a law degree from Columbia University, Alexandra served as Chief Counsel for Technology and Consumer Protection in the United States Senate, according to her LinkedIn profile.

She currently serves as president and CEO of the Center for Democracy and Technology where she “leads a diverse team that puts democracy and individual rights at the center of the digital revolution,” according to her bio on the Center for a New American Security website.

Aleksandra joined her siblings at the premiere of the film Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story at Sundance, where she spoke proudly of the film and how it showed her father’s Hollywood acting and activist side.

“He was dedicated to his craft, of course, before the accident, but also after he was able to return to acting and directing and showed that his disability wasn’t going to stop him,” she said during a panel at Sundance, per Deadline. “So that legacy of what it means to take care of your career and keep moving even after huge obstacles is one of the key pieces.”

She continued: “But the other part is his life as a lawyer. Before being injured, he was an activist again. And then after his injury, of course, he became known around the world for his advocacy, medical research and disability rights.”

Alexandra Reeve Givens attends “Data Privacy After Roe v. Wade” during the 2023 SXSW Conference and Festival on March 10, 2023 in Austin, Texas.

Renee Dominguez/Getty

Like her siblings, Alexandra is passionate about continuing her father’s legacy with the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation and said The Hollywood Reporter that she is “proud” of how far the foundation has come since her father’s death.

“It was really a beautiful story that continues. That the investments in medical research paid off, that it paid off to advocate for the rights of people with disabilities to have no restrictions on insurance,” she told the newspaper. “Dad didn’t see it all pay off, but now we do…and it makes us incredibly proud.”

Alexandra is married to her husband, Garren Givens, and together they have a son, Christopher Russell Reeve Givens, who was born on June 13, 2015. He was named after Alexandra’s father, a family rep told PEOPLE at the time.

Will Reeve, 32

Christopher Reeve and his son Will in a throwback photo Will posted for Father’s Day 2021. Will Reeve/Instagram

The actor’s youngest child, Christopher and Dana, was born on June 7, 1992. He was only 3 years old when his father had a life-changing accident, and he was 12 when he died.

The day before he died, Christopher went to Will’s baseball game and then went home to watch sports on TV. A love of athletics was something they shared – and is part of what inspired Will to pursue a career in sports media.

“We shared a very deep bond in general, but sports were definitely a major component of our family bond,” Will told PEOPLE in 2015 after landing the ESPN job Sports center. “If it involved a ball or a bat or a racket or a bat or a puck, we either watched it or played it or talked about it together.”

Will moved in with a family friend after his mother died in 2006 and ended up attending Middlebury College. He became a television journalist and currently works as a correspondent for ABC News.

In May 2023, he published the story of a man who was able to walk again after life-changing surgery helped him recover from paralysis from the waist down. For Will, the story was a personal story as director of the board of directors of his father’s foundation.

“My dad was Christopher Reeve. He suffered a spinal cord injury in 1995. He dedicated the last nine years of his life to fighting for a cure for paralysis,” Will said during a segment on Good morning America. “For many reasons, I wish he was here today, to see how far the research has come… If I can be a proud son for a moment, you can draw a straight line from his advocacy to developments like today.”

Will Reeve at the IndieWire Sundance Studio on January 20, 2024.

Tiffany Burke/IndieWire/Getty

Will often reflects on his relationship with his late parents, telling PEOPLE in November 2021 that he will be thinking of them as he runs his second New York City Marathon.

“They would say that they are proud of me and that they love me and they wouldn’t have to be at the finish line of the marathon if I knew and felt that every day, because I feel that pride and love from them all the time,” he said while thinking about how he would his parents reacted to his impressive run. “And I felt it when they were alive and I feel it since they died. And for me, my parents are gone for almost two decades each, but I feel them all the time.”

Will was also at the premiere of the film Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Storysharing with The Hollywood Reporter that he is proud of how the film portrayed his father. He added that he encouraged the directors and producers to draw on all aspects of Christopher, even any negative ones, to show the full picture of the man he was.

During the panel, he said now that the 20th anniversary of his father’s death is approaching, he feels the “time is right” to share his family’s story alongside Matthew and Alexandra.

“We knew we wanted to, if we were ever going to do it, it had to be the right time and the right team and we were going to hand over our archive, our home movies, sit down for some raw and vulnerable interviews, and then put all our trust and faith in the team that gathered around us and let’s see what they came back with,” said Will.

“Here, too, the end result is outstanding, so our trust has certainly been rewarded,” he added.

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Source: HIS Education