Latest news with #Reeve
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Superman's original cast now from homeless horror to immense family tragedy
As new Superman remake is about to hit cinemas, we take a look at the personal and professional struggles of the original stars of the acclaimed 1978 movie directed by Richard Donner A new Superman is soaring into UK cinemas, with the cast following in the footsteps of movie legends. Sadly, this piece of Hollywood history hasn't always been a happy one, with many former stars plagued by tragedy. In this latest retelling, relative newcomer David Corenswet will star as the Man of Steel, in a blockbuster epic that follows Clark Kent's early days at the Daily Planet. The 31-year-old actor is joined by The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel's Rachel Brosnahan as love interest Lois Lane, with British actor Nicholas Hoult stepping into the role of arch nemesis, Lex Luthor. The first major release in the new DC Universe, overseen by Marvel's former Guardians of the Galaxy visionary James Gunn, superhero fans can catch Superman in UK cinemas from Friday, July 11. Those who've followed Superman's adventures from the very beginning will no doubt be reminiscing over the original 1978 blockbuster and the stars who made cinema goers believe that a man really could fly. Here, the Mirror takes a look at what happened to the cast in the iconic film that breathed life into the superhero franchise. Christopher Reeve Handsome actor Christopher Reeve played the Man of Steel in all four movies. His final Superman movie, The Quest for Peace, was released in 1987. Reeve was so linked to the character that it was difficult for him to get lead roles in other films. The movies he did get a lead role in, sadly, did not do well at the Box Office. Then tragedy struck on May 27, 1995, cutting short his leading man status, when Reeve suffered a riding accident. He was thrown off his horse, breaking his back and paralysing him from the neck down and needing a ventilator to breathe. The father of three's documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (available to watch on NOW TV and Sky Documentaries), following his life and career before and after becoming disabled, was lauded by critics. Reeve died in October 2004, aged 52, after going into cardiac arrest. Margot Kidder Margot Kidder played Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane, Clark Kent/Superman's love interest, in a role that cemented her as a Hollywood legend. Already established in Tinseltown, she'd appeared in movies The Amityville Horror, Some Kind of Hero and Black Christmas. She had a significantly reduced role in Superman 3 due to tension with the new director, Richard Lester, after Richard Donner was fired by producers. The actress dated Superman 3 co-star Richard Pryor while making Some Kind of Hero in 1982. Sadly, Kidder struggled with bipolar disorder in later years and suffered from an extreme manic episode in 1996, which left her homeless for four days. She was found by police in a paranoid, delusional state. She was found in a stranger's back garden in Glendale, California. Kidder was dirty and disoriented, with her two front teeth missing. She described it herself as "the most public freak out in history." A passionate campaigner for mental heath charities, the three-times married actress was still working up to her death, starring in "The Vagina Monologues" on Broadway. She passed away aged 69 in May 2018. Her death was ruled a suicide after taking an alcohol and drug overdose. Kidder was mum to daughter Maggie, now 47. Gene Hackman The multi-award-winning actor played Superman's arch enemy, Lex Luthor, in three of the four films. A veteran Hollywood star, his movie credits include The French Connection, Unforgiven, Mississippi Burning, The Poseidon Adventure and A Bridge Too Far. Already an Academy Award-winner and three-time nominee when he played Lex Luthor, he also received two BAFTAS and three Golden Globes. Hackman was found dead, aged 95, at his home in New Mexico in February this year. His cause of death was given as heart disease and complications from Alzheimer's. He was found dead close to the body of his wife, Betsy Arakawa. Betsy was ruled to have died around a week before her husband, who may not have been aware of her death due to his progressive Alzheimer's disease. Marlon Brando The actor credited as being one of the most influential in film history played Superman's father, Jor-El, in the original movie and was paid 2 million dollars for his role of about 10 minutes. On screen, son Reeve was not impressed with Brando. In a TV interview, when asked if it was exciting to work with Brando, Reeve replied: 'Not really. No. I had a wonderful time, but the man didn't care. He just took the $2 million [salary] and ran.' Reeve also said in another interview he did not 'worship at the altar of Brando', and explained he was frustrated by Brando's "lack of professionalism" on set. After Superman, he starred in Apocalypse Now, The Freshman, A Dry White Season, The Brave and Free Money. In addition to The Godfather trilogy, he was lauded for his appearances in The Ugly American and Last Tango in Paris. In his personal life. The three-times-married actor suffered immense tragedy. His son, Christian, shot his half-sister Cheyenne's boyfriend in 1990 and was imprisoned for ten years. Brando admitted in court that he had failed his son and daughter. Grief-stricken Cheyenne later died by suicide in 1995. Brando became a recluse in later life and died in July 2004 from lung failure, aged 80. It was three months before Christopher Reeve's death. Ned Beatty Ned Beatty played Lex Luthor's sidekick Otis. He had previously appeared in hit films All The President's Men (1976) and Network ( 1976). Along with Kidder, Beatty was highly critical of Richard Donner's sacking from directing "Superman II," and he chose not to reprise his role in later films. Later appearing in movies such as Friendly Fire, Touched, he also starred alongside Gene Wilder in the 1976 railroad comedy Silver Streak. One of his most popular roles in recent years was voicing Lots o'Huggin' Bear in the 2010 film Toy Story 2. Beatty, who had eight children from four marriages, died, aged 83, in June 2021 from natural causes. Terence Stamp The British actor made a cameo appearance in the first Superman movie, before returning to play arch villain General Zod in Superman II. He also starred in Chessgame, Link, and Wall Street and received critical acclaim for his role in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Stamp also appeared in The Hunger, The Haunted Mansion, Wanted, and Valkyrie, alongside Tom Cruise. The actor was a notorious ladies' man and dated the likes of model Jean Shrimpton and actress Julie Christie. At the age of 64, Stamp married Elizabeth O'Rourke in 2002, who was 29 at the time. The couple divorced in 2008. In 2011, Stamp stunned Radio 2's Graham Norton yesterday with a below-the-belt Superman anecdote. The actor was telling him about filming Superman with Marlon Brando. Stamp said, 'One day he came over and said, 'You see those two girls? They want your d***'. I said, 'What about your d***, Marlon?' And he said, 'They've had my d**k.'' Norton interrupted and said, 'We are live.' Stamp is now 86 and lives in London. Superman is released in UK cinemas on Friday, July 11. If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email jo@ or visit their site to find your local branch
Spectator
5 days ago
- Business
- Spectator
Is the Bank of England turning on Rachel Reeves?
It appears that the Chancellor Rachel Reeves does not have many supporters left. The bond markets don't think much of her. Business groups have rubbished her policies, and so have many of the UK's largest companies. Meanwhile, Labour backbenchers are furious about both the chaos over the winter fuel allowance and the cuts to the welfare budget. And now, following the latest remarks from its governor, it looks as if the Bank of England may have turned on her as well. We might expect the Bank's governor Andrew Bailey to avoid any direct criticism of the Chancellor. After all, she is his boss, and a public split between the UK's two most important financial officials would be deeply damaging, especially given the vast amounts of money the UK has to borrow on the global markets every year. Even so, speaking to the House of Lords economic affair committee yesterday, he sounded a lot more critical than usual. Just about everybody, except possibly Reeves, can see that the British economy is heading for big trouble The obsession with the 'fiscal rules', Bailey argued, risked turning into a distraction, with too much emphasis on a single number, and not enough attention paid to the country's longer-term fiscal challenges. Even more seriously, he argued that the steep rise in National Insurance was starting to destroy jobs. 'We are starting to see a softening of the labour market, and that is the message I get when I go around the country talking to firms,' he said. These are hardly minor points. The 'fiscal rules' are a centrepiece of Reeve's plans, designed to create a framework of stability that will encourage investment and boost growth. And the NI rise was meant to stabilise the public finances, as well as raise the extra money needed for investment in public services and new industries. If they are the wrong policies, then Reeve's entire economic strategy starts to fall apart. In reality, it is not hard to work out what is going on here. Just about everybody, except possibly Reeves herself, can see that the British economy is heading into big trouble. Reeves's first Budget killed off growth, spending is spiralling out of control, and borrowing is soaring. In the autumn, the Chancellor will be forced into another big round of tax increases, and that will plunge the economy into a full-blown recession. There may well be a gilts crisis as well if the markets lose faith in the Labour government's ability to balance the books. The Bank is quite rightly trying to avoid the blame for that – and the only way it can do that is by putting as much distance between the governor and the Chancellor as possible.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Caitlin Clark's Team USA Snub Controversy Resurfaces With New Statement
Caitlin Clark's Team USA Snub Controversy Resurfaces With New Statement originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Caitlin Clark's rookie season in the WNBA featured several highly-publicized storylines, including her omission from Team USA's Olympic basketball roster. Advertisement Despite her rising superstardom and elite on-court production, Clark was left off the Olympic roster that ultimately went on to win gold at the 2024 Paris games. The decision to leave Clark off the team sparked some serious controversy around the basketball world. USA Today writer Christine Brennan even accused Team USA coach Cheryl Reeve of "stunningly bad behavior" regarding Clark's consideration in the selection process. Before the 2024 WNBA season, Reeve publicly criticized the league for only advertising Clark's preseason debut with the Indiana Fever. These social media posts came out during the Olympic selection process. Now a year later, this controversy is resurfacing. Advertisement Earlier this week, Brennan doubled down on her criticism of Reeve with comments on "The Adam Gold Show." 'How on earth is that okay with the Olympic and Paralympic Committee and USA basketball, that its coach is actively tweeting and going on social media about someone who is in the selection pool?' Brennan asked. A few days later, Reeve fired back with a response on "Golic & Golic." 'What she wrote is fiction. And if she were paying attention, one of the things I have done for years is hold the league accountable for their missteps, mishaps, their lack of representation of all teams," Reeve said. Advertisement "So that particular situation had nothing to do with Caitlin Clark,' she continued. 'It had everything to do with a WNBA social media post that promoted one preseason game and not all preseason games. And so I simply said that, by the way, the Minnesota Lynx are playing the Chicago Sky." Team WNBA guard Caitlin Clark (22) alongside USA Women's National Team head coach Cheryl Reeve during the 2024 WNBA All Star Game at Footprint Center.© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Reeve recognized that she's the "villain" in Brennan's story. 'If Christine Brennan were being thorough and a legitimate reporter in this situation, she would have gotten full context," the Minnesota Lynx coach concluded. "But it didn't fit the narrative. Christine Brennan likes to have a villain in her storytelling. I am Christine Brennan's villain, that's the sword she's going to die on. Advertisement "It's a fiction, the stuff that she has written about me and my interest in Caitlin Clark being on or off the team." Related: WNBA Fans React to Caitlin Clark's Historic Achievement on Sunday This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 23, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Minnesota Lynx Hanging Tough In WNBA Battles
Minnesota Lynx Hanging Tough In WNBA Battles originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Despite losing their first game on Wednesday night to the Seattle Storm, the Minnesota Lynx remain a tough team to face. The Lynx have been paced by the stellar play of Napheesa Collier so far this season, and Minnesota is hanging tough with defending WNBA champion New York. Advertisement The Lynx are now 9-1 after that defeat. Still, Minnesota has been setting the nights on fire with their excellent effort. Collier has been getting early MVP recognition, dominating on offense and able to clear the boards with relative ease. But don't think Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve is letting up on the effort. Reeve knows that her team needs to go out and play hard every night. She's going to make sure her offensive and defensive schemes work well together. Minnesota Lynx now has a chance to tweak some things after getting first loss ESPN, in a new article, has given out an "A" grade to Minnesota after the WNBA season's first month. Wednesday night, the Lynx were in a position to keep their perfect season intact. But Seattle put together a solid fourth-quarter run that derailed Minnesota's hopes for a perfect season. Advertisement After the game, Reeve noted that her team needed a little more oomph out there on the court. "You've got to play a hell of a lot better," Reeve said. ESPN reporter Michael Voepel notes that Collier is averaging 25.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 3.7 assists so far in the WNBA season. Forward Jessica Shepard is contributing a lot, too. Shepard is averaging 7.6 PPG and 7.0 RPG off the bench, giving Minnesota a boost when they need it. Now, the Lynx have to keep on playing tough as New York shows no signs of letting up on their stellar play. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
How do you coach a Hall of Fame basketball player? WNBA's Cheryl Reeve has the answers
The Athletic If you are looking for Hall of Fame basketball players, Cheryl Reeve is a good place to start. The head coach and president of basketball operations for the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx has coached four members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (Seimone Augustus, Sylvia Fowles, Maya Moore and Lindsay Whalen) and her current star (Napheesa Collier) is destined for enshrinement in the future. The list grows if you include all the members of the 2024 U.S. Olympic women's basketball team that Reeve coached. Advertisement Think about this: After this year's induction ceremony, four starters from Minnesota's 2015 and 2017 championship teams will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame. In an effort to gain insight into how to coach greatness, I spoke to Reeve about what she has learned about leadership during her four-decade coaching career. You have coached multiple Hall of Famers. What have you learned that you need to do as a coach when it comes to coaching Hall of Fame-caliber players? Hold them accountable to standards even beyond their wildest imagination for their own abilities. Great players want to be coached and great players never think that they're good enough. We have the Minnesota Hall of Famers, but I've also been around other Hall of Famers, and that is the common thread. They never think that they've arrived. There is always something else that they think they're not quite good enough at. It drives them. I think accountability is the greatest thing that a leader can do for that level of player. We would be doing them a disservice if we just let their own belief and drive in themselves be the only thing that they have. That's how I've approached coaching the Hall of Famers that we've had in Minnesota. Did you always demand accountability as a coach from the beginning, or did you have to learn how to demand accountability out of great players? I don't know the reason for it, but that's something that I've innately had. Jim Peterson was a longtime assistant for the Lynx, played in the NBA, played at the (University of Minnesota) and is now a full-time broadcaster for the Timberwolves. One of the things he said to me was, 'Cheryl, I can't believe your level of accountability.' It struck me as, this isn't normal. He said how non-existent it was in men's sports, in the NBA, the communication part of it. That was probably the first time my eyes were open to maybe that wasn't the norm. So I thought, well, how else do you do it? I don't know of any other way. Advertisement It's not for everybody. I do know that. I do well with those that are accountable to themselves, have high standards and are high achieving. I relate to that the best. I'm not going to hold anybody more accountable than I hold myself. Can you give me a specific example of one of your Hall of Famers really defining accountability to you when you asked and demanded accountability? Our local beat writer after a game once said, 'Cheryl, why do you get on Maya so much?' I said, 'Do you realize how much she's doing wrong? She's an incredible player, but I need her to do this and this and this and for her to be even greater.' I have this thing where it has to look perfect. Take a DIY project. Someone will walk in and say, 'Oh, my gosh, that's amazing.' But I'm going, 'No, you don't know what it was supposed to look like.' Well, that, to me, is practices and games. The practices is where we are trying to hone our skills so that the game is the work of art. I am pretty critical of myself and of others. Again, that's me being Virgo or that's what I hide behind. I am a driver. The good, the bad, the ugly, I'm a driver. But I've learned how to drive a little more gracefully through the years than maybe my beginning days. I think the Hall of Famers now look at me and go, 'You weren't like that with us.' But times have changed, and there's an evolution there. Advertisement When you are coaching someone who is a Hall of Famer or Hall of Famer-to-be that you don't know as well, which would be the Olympic team, do you coach them the same way as you would the Hall of Famers who you coached every day and knew intimately? Reeve: Bill Laimbeer was the one who brought this out of me, which was being able to be comfortable in your skin, to be yourself. That is the most important thing that you can be in any space, especially a leadership space. People allowing you to be able to be yourself is also important. In the national team space, I went into it having worked for and with Geno (Auriemma) on his staff and Dawn (Staley) on her staff. One of my biggest takeaways from that was if I get this (head coaching) opportunity, being myself is the most important thing that I could do even in that space, even though there's not those relationships that you described. Sue Bird described this best about the national team experience and it is 1000 percent true: It's an uncomfortable space for everybody. Which is a really strange thing to say, but the national team experience is everyone not being able to fully be yourself. It's a fragmented version. So I tried to keep that component of leadership the same, which was holding them to the highest standards possible in the way that I felt like I best could do. What is one thing that you learned from Maya Moore that helped you coaching someone who is not Maya Moore? Patience. We all had to have patience with Maya. I remember playing the Phoenix Mercury at a time when they were launching 3s so the number one part of our game plan was controlling the tempo, making sure that we weren't fueling their ability to light us up. I'm a big shot-selection person. But Maya taught me that the shot selection for Maya Moore is different than shot selection for others. Advertisement Now, that made some others not as happy, but that's the way it goes. So off the jump ball, Maya launches a 3 and misses. Phoenix comes back down the court, boom, they splash a 3. We come up the floor again. Maya has another bad shot. Next thing you know, we are down double figures. Time out. Maya came off the court saying, 'Oh, so that's what you meant by shot selection thing and controlling the tempo.' Maya did things that no one else in the league did, and that is a blessing and a curse at times. There had to be some give and take. It's just like Caitlin Clark. When she sprints up and shoots a 3, you gotta live with it most times. I think we all learned from Maya because she could take over a game. She could do things that nobody else could do. You might have to live through some tough times, but she was certainly going to make up for it in other ways. Maya was not just a scorer. Maya led our team in deflections and things like that. So I think what Maya taught was, I use the word patience, but it's more being open-minded about what a shot selection should be for a player like that. If you could swipe a couple of leadership attributes or traits from some of the coaches that you've either worked with or that you have seen from afar, what comes to mind? My college coach, John Miller, and (former WNBA coach) Dan Hughes were similar. They made me want to a better person. They were so patient and graceful in their criticism of a player. What we call coaching is what players call criticism. I only worked for Dan Hughes for one season, in 2003, but I felt like I worked for him for 10 years. I learned so much in a year. He would tell a player that didn't do something the way they needed to do it, and we would walk away from the conversation, and I'd go, 'I felt like you just complimented them.' He just had an unbelievable way of saying, 'Hey, you didn't do that very well.' Advertisement If I could just get an ounce of that, I would feel like a far better person and a far better coach for our players. It's something I still strive for, to be better and patient and use my words better. It's been a chase for me in my life. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Minnesota Lynx, WNBA, Sports Business, Peak, Sports Leadership 2025 The Athletic Media Company
