Robin Williams was the first person to visit Christopher Reeve at the hospital, Christopher’s son Will Reeve recently revealed. Christoper and Robin's friendship was reportedly so strong that they considered themselves siblings. The new heartwarming revelation comes amid the release of the upcoming Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story documentary.
Highlights
- Robin Williams was the first person to visit Christopher Reeve at the hospital.
- Christopher Reeve and Robin Williams shared a bond so strong they considered themselves siblings.
- Will Reeve revealed Robin and Marsha's immense support for the Reeve family after Christopher's accident.
- The Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story documentary showcases Robin and Christopher’s deep friendship.
"Robin was dad's best friend, and you show up for your friends," Will told People on Thursday (September 12).
The Hollywood stars, who first met in the early 1970s when they were theater students at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York, USA, reportedly grew so close they called each other "brother."
"Our dad and Robin had a singular bond," Will revealed. "They had a friendship that someone should make a movie about, but what shone through in that was just their love and respect for each other, and that never wavered."
Robin Williams was the first person to visit Christopher Reeves at the hospital
Image credits: Ron Galella Collection/Getty Images
Image credits: Frank Edwards/Getty
Will said that Robin was the first friend to show up at the hospital in Virginia, USA, after his dad’s fall from a horse that left him paralyzed from the neck down.
On May 27, 1995, Christopher, who had been eventing since the 1980s, suffered an accident after his horse made a refusal when he began a third fence jump and suddenly stopped.
Christopher consequently fell forward off the horse, holding on to the reins. His hands reportedly became tangled in them, and the bridle and bit were pulled off the horse.
Christopher’s son, Will Reeve, recently made the revelation
Image credits: Evan Agostini/Getty
The Superman star landed head-first on the far side of the fence, shattering his first and second vertebrae.
The resulting cervical spinal injury paralyzed him from the neck down and halted his breathing, the Washington Post reported at the time.
Despite a heartbreaking diagnosis that he would spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair and a long recovery in the hospital, Robin, notable for his iconic wits, managed to make Christopher laugh by pretending to be a Russian proctologist.
Will recalled: "No one was better at showing up with love and with the right dose of humor than Robin Williams and his wife Marsha, who we call our fairy godmother.
"We are still so incredibly close with her."
The Good Will Hunting star married Marsha Garces in 1989 when she was six months pregnant with their first child, daughter Zelda Rae Williams. In 1991, they welcomed a son, Cody Alan Williams.
Robin and Marsha divorced in 2010. The comedian went on to marry his third wife, graphic designer Susan Schneider.
Christoper and Will’s friendship was so strong that they considered themselves siblings
In the highly anticipated documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, which will feature in select theaters on September 21 and September 25, Robin and Christopher’s friendship is displayed through vintage footage.
The film also paints a full portrait of Christopher's life, both before and after his accident, including his early days as an actor, when he first grew close with Williams, People reported.
In his 1998 memoir Still Me, Christopher recalled a first impression of Robin, writing that when they met, the Oscar-winning actor “wore tie-dyed shirts with tracksuit bottoms and talked a mile a minute.”
Christopher added: "He was like an untied balloon that had been inflated and immediately released.
"I watched in awe as he virtually caromed off the walls of the classrooms and hallways. To say that he was 'on' would be a major understatement."
Will said after his dad's accident, it wasn't just Robin who rallied around the family, as per People.
This comes amid the release of the new Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story documentary
Image credits: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
The late actor's son admitted: "We were fortunate enough to live in a tight-knit community and had big groups of friends and teachers and coaches and people from the past and people from the present just chipping in however they could always."
Nevertheless, Robin and Marsha's presence was especially impactful, as Will said: "Robin and Marsha did so much for us, things that we'll never be able to repay them for.
"We owe them an eternal debt of gratitude for the way that they supported us and loved us, and still do."
Image credits: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Christopher died on October 10, 2004, at the age of 52, due to heart failure caused by complications from an infection related to his paralysis.
Nearly a decade later on August 11, 2014, Robin took his own life at the age of 63, following a battle with severe depression and the effects of undiagnosed Lewy body dementia.
Both actors left lasting legacies, with Christopher advocating for spinal cord injury research and Robin raising awareness for mental health.
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