Superman curse
Encyclopedia
The Superman Curse refers to a superstition
that is based on a series of misfortunes that have plagued creative people involved in adaptations of Superman
in various media, particularly actors who have played the role of Superman on film and television. The "curse" is frequently associated with George Reeves
, who starred in Adventures of Superman
on television from 1952 to 1958, and died of a gunshot wound at age 45 under disputed circumstances (officially ruled a suicide); and Christopher Reeve
, who played the superhero in four theatrical films from 1978 to 1987, was paralyzed in a 1995 horseback riding accident, and died nine years later at age 52.
The curse is often invoked whenever misfortune is experienced by actors and other personnel who work on Superman adaptations, so much so that some talent agents cite the curse as the reason for the difficulty in casting actors in the role in live-action feature films.
George Reeves
George Reeves
played Superman in the 1951
film Superman and the Mole Men
and the ensuing television series Adventures of Superman
. Like Alyn and Reeve, he was too closely associated for that role in order to find other ones. On June 16, 1959, days before he was to be married, Reeves was found dead of a gunshot wound at his home with his Luger near him. The death was ruled a suicide, but controversy surrounds the death, as Reeves' prints were never found on the gun, and he had been having an affair with the wife of MGM exec Eddie Mannix
. It was Reeves' death that inspired the conspiracy theories and the urban legend of a curse associated with the character.
Bud Collyer
Bud Collyer
voiced the first Superman cartoon from 1941-43. He went on to enjoy a career in TV, creating and hosting the game show To Tell the Truth
. He returned to Superman by voicing The New Adventures of Superman for CBS in 1966. Three years later, he was dead of a circulatory ailment.
Lee Quigley
Lee Quigley, who played Superman as a baby in the 1978 film, died in 1991 at age 14 due to solvent abuse.
Kirk Alyn
Kirk Alyn
played Superman in two low-budget 1940s serials but failed to find work afterwards because he was too closely identified with the role, and was relegated to voice-overs, commercials and uncredited screen roles. He later appeared as Lois Lane
's father in the 1978 Superman film. Alyn suffered from Alzheimer's disease later in his life and died in 1999.
Christopher Reeve
Christopher Reeve
played Superman/Clark Kent in the Superman film series, Superman: The Movie (1978
), Superman II
(1980
), Superman III
(1983
), and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
(1987
). Like Kirk Alyn, Reeve was so closely identified with the character that it was difficult for him to acquire lead parts in other films, and was largely relegated to Superman sequels and supporting roles. The actor was paralyzed
from the neck down after being thrown from his horse in a cross-country equestrian
riding event on May 27, 1995. Reeve died on October 10, 2004 due to heart failure stemming from his medical condition.
Actress Kate Bosworth
, who played Lois Lane in Superman Returns, reportedly blamed the curse for her breakup with Orlando Bloom
, and was seen as an it girl
before being cast in the film.
Margot Kidder
Margot Kidder
, who played Superman’s love interest Lois Lane
opposite Christopher Reeve
suffers from intense bipolar disorder
. In April 1996, she went missing for several days and was found by police in a paranoid, delusional state. Kidder dismisses the notion of a curse, remarking in a 2002 interview, "That is all newspaper-created rubbish. The idea cracks me up. What about the luck of Superman? When my car crashed this August, if I hadn't hit a telegraph pole after rolling three times, I would have dropped down a 50ft to 60ft ravine. Why don't people focus on that?"
Richard Pryor
Comedian Richard Pryor
, who had previously suffered from a drug addiction that led to a near fatal suicide attempt, starred as villain Gus Gorman in 1983
’s Superman III
, but later took Superman's side near the end of the movie and became a hero. Three years later, he announced that he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis
. He died of cardiac arrest
on December 10, 2005.
Dana Reeve
The curse has been mentioned regarding the death of the widow of actor Christopher Reeve, who, despite being a non-smoker, died of lung cancer in 2006 at the age of 44.
Miscellaneous
The curse was invoked after two people involved in the creation of DVD new Superman Returns suffered injuries, one of whom fell down a flight of stairs. Another was mugged and beaten up and a third smashed into a glass window. Director Bryan Singer remarked, "My DVD crew absorbed the curse for us."
Dean Cain
McKernan points out that Dean Cain
, who became a household name in the mid-1990s for to his portrayal of Superman/Clark Kent in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
, went on to have other varied roles in shows such as Frasier
and Law & Order
, made-for-TV movies, and a cameo appearance in Smallville, though ABC News' Buck Wolf comments, "but he has yet to find the right role".
Brandon Routh
Actor Brandon Routh
, who played Superman in the 2006 film Superman Returns
, dismisses the notion of the curse, stating that what occurs to one person or set of people will not necessarily occur to everyone, and that he does not live his life in fear.
Superstition
Superstition is a belief in supernatural causality: that one event leads to the cause of another without any process in the physical world linking the two events....
that is based on a series of misfortunes that have plagued creative people involved in adaptations of Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
in various media, particularly actors who have played the role of Superman on film and television. The "curse" is frequently associated with George Reeves
George Reeves
George Reeves was an American actor best known for his role as Superman in the 1950s television program Adventures of Superman....
, who starred in Adventures of Superman
Adventures of Superman (TV series)
Adventures of Superman is an American television series based on comic book characters and concepts created in 1938 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The show is the first television series to feature Superman and began filming in 1951 in California...
on television from 1952 to 1958, and died of a gunshot wound at age 45 under disputed circumstances (officially ruled a suicide); and Christopher Reeve
Christopher Reeve
Christopher D'Olier Reeve was an American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, author and activist...
, who played the superhero in four theatrical films from 1978 to 1987, was paralyzed in a 1995 horseback riding accident, and died nine years later at age 52.
The curse is often invoked whenever misfortune is experienced by actors and other personnel who work on Superman adaptations, so much so that some talent agents cite the curse as the reason for the difficulty in casting actors in the role in live-action feature films.
Deceased Superman actors who allegedly became victims of the curse
The following actors who played Superman have sometimes been cited as victims of the "Superman curse".George Reeves
George Reeves
George Reeves
George Reeves was an American actor best known for his role as Superman in the 1950s television program Adventures of Superman....
played Superman in the 1951
1951 in film
The year 1951 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Sweden - May Britt is scouted by Italian film-makers Carlo Ponti and Mario Soldati-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:...
film Superman and the Mole Men
Superman and the Mole Men
Superman and the Mole Men is a 1951 superhero film starring George Reeves as Superman and Phyllis Coates as Lois Lane. It is the first theatrical feature film based on the DC Comics character Superman, although two live-action Superman films had already been shown in cinemas, they appeared in a...
and the ensuing television series Adventures of Superman
Adventures of Superman (TV series)
Adventures of Superman is an American television series based on comic book characters and concepts created in 1938 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The show is the first television series to feature Superman and began filming in 1951 in California...
. Like Alyn and Reeve, he was too closely associated for that role in order to find other ones. On June 16, 1959, days before he was to be married, Reeves was found dead of a gunshot wound at his home with his Luger near him. The death was ruled a suicide, but controversy surrounds the death, as Reeves' prints were never found on the gun, and he had been having an affair with the wife of MGM exec Eddie Mannix
Eddie Mannix
Edgar Joseph "Eddie" Mannix was an American film studio executive....
. It was Reeves' death that inspired the conspiracy theories and the urban legend of a curse associated with the character.
Bud Collyer
Bud Collyer
Bud Collyer
Bud Collyer was an American radio actor/announcer who became one of the nation's first major television game show stars...
voiced the first Superman cartoon from 1941-43. He went on to enjoy a career in TV, creating and hosting the game show To Tell the Truth
To Tell the Truth
To Tell the Truth is an American television panel game show created by Bob Stewart and produced by Goodson-Todman Productions that has aired in various forms since 1956 both on networks and in syndication...
. He returned to Superman by voicing The New Adventures of Superman for CBS in 1966. Three years later, he was dead of a circulatory ailment.
Lee Quigley
Lee Quigley, who played Superman as a baby in the 1978 film, died in 1991 at age 14 due to solvent abuse.
Kirk Alyn
Kirk Alyn
Kirk Alyn
-External links:...
played Superman in two low-budget 1940s serials but failed to find work afterwards because he was too closely identified with the role, and was relegated to voice-overs, commercials and uncredited screen roles. He later appeared as Lois Lane
Lois Lane
Lois Lane is a fictional character, the primary love interest of Superman in the comic books of DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in Action Comics #1 ....
's father in the 1978 Superman film. Alyn suffered from Alzheimer's disease later in his life and died in 1999.
Christopher Reeve
Christopher Reeve
Christopher Reeve
Christopher D'Olier Reeve was an American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, author and activist...
played Superman/Clark Kent in the Superman film series, Superman: The Movie (1978
1978 in film
The year 1978 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 1 - Bob Dylan's film Renaldo and Clara, a documentary of the "Rolling Thunder Revue" tour premieres in Los Angeles, California....
), Superman II
Superman II
Superman II is the 1980 sequel to the 1978 superhero film Superman and stars Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Terence Stamp, Ned Beatty, Sarah Douglas, Margot Kidder, and Jack O'Halloran. It was the only Superman film to be filmed by two directors...
(1980
1980 in film
- Events :* May 21 - Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is released and is the biggest grosser of the year ....
), Superman III
Superman III
Superman III is a 1983 superhero film and the third film in the Superman film series based upon the long-running DC Comics superhero. Christopher Reeve, Jackie Cooper, Marc McClure and Margot Kidder are joined by new cast members Annette O'Toole, Annie Ross, Pamela Stephenson, Robert Vaughn and...
(1983
1983 in film
-Events:*February 11 - The Rolling Stones concert film Let's Spend the Night Together opens in New York*May 25 - Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, the final film in the original Star Wars trilogy, is released. Like the previous films, it goes on to become the top grossing picture of...
), and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace is a 1987 superhero film directed by Sidney J. Furie. It is the fourth film in the Superman film series and the last installment to star Christopher Reeve as the Man of Steel. It is the first film in the series not to be produced by Alexander and Ilya Salkind, but...
(1987
1987 in film
-Events:*January 31 - The Cure for Insomnia premieres at The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Illinois, to officially become the world's longest film according to Guinness World Records....
). Like Kirk Alyn, Reeve was so closely identified with the character that it was difficult for him to acquire lead parts in other films, and was largely relegated to Superman sequels and supporting roles. The actor was paralyzed
Paralysis
Paralysis is loss of muscle function for one or more muscles. Paralysis can be accompanied by a loss of feeling in the affected area if there is sensory damage as well as motor. A study conducted by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, suggests that about 1 in 50 people have been diagnosed...
from the neck down after being thrown from his horse in a cross-country equestrian
Cross-country equestrianism
Cross country equestrian jumping is an endurance test, and is one of the three phases of the sport of eventing; it may also be a competition in its own right, known as hunter trials or simply "cross-country" - these tend to be lower level, local competitions.The object of the endurance test is to...
riding event on May 27, 1995. Reeve died on October 10, 2004 due to heart failure stemming from his medical condition.
Other alleged victims
Kate BosworthActress Kate Bosworth
Kate Bosworth
Catherine Ann "Kate" Bosworth is an American actress. Bosworth starred in the television series Young Americans, in which she played Bella Banks. She became known with a leading role in 2002's Blue Crush. The following year, Bosworth played the teenage girlfriend of porn star John Holmes in...
, who played Lois Lane in Superman Returns, reportedly blamed the curse for her breakup with Orlando Bloom
Orlando Bloom
Orlando Jonathan Blanchard Bloom is an English actor. He had his break-through roles in 2001 as the elf-prince Legolas in The Lord of the Rings and starring in 2003 as blacksmith Will Turner in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, and subsequently established himself as a lead in Hollywood...
, and was seen as an it girl
It girl
"It girl" is a term for a young woman who possess the quality "It", absolute attraction.The early usage of the concept "it" in this meaning may be seen in a story by Rudyard Kipling: "It isn't beauty, so to speak, nor good talk necessarily. It's just 'It'."...
before being cast in the film.
Margot Kidder
Margot Kidder
Margot Kidder
Margaret Ruth "Margot" Kidder is a Canadian-born American actress. She is perhaps best known for playing Lois Lane in the four Superman movies opposite Christopher Reeve, a role that brought her to widespread recognition....
, who played Superman’s love interest Lois Lane
Lois Lane
Lois Lane is a fictional character, the primary love interest of Superman in the comic books of DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in Action Comics #1 ....
opposite Christopher Reeve
Christopher Reeve
Christopher D'Olier Reeve was an American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, author and activist...
suffers from intense bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
. In April 1996, she went missing for several days and was found by police in a paranoid, delusional state. Kidder dismisses the notion of a curse, remarking in a 2002 interview, "That is all newspaper-created rubbish. The idea cracks me up. What about the luck of Superman? When my car crashed this August, if I hadn't hit a telegraph pole after rolling three times, I would have dropped down a 50ft to 60ft ravine. Why don't people focus on that?"
Richard Pryor
Comedian Richard Pryor
Richard Pryor
Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor was an American stand-up comedian, actor, social critic, writer and MC. Pryor was known for uncompromising examinations of racism and topical contemporary issues, which employed colorful vulgarities, and profanity, as well as racial epithets...
, who had previously suffered from a drug addiction that led to a near fatal suicide attempt, starred as villain Gus Gorman in 1983
1983 in film
-Events:*February 11 - The Rolling Stones concert film Let's Spend the Night Together opens in New York*May 25 - Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, the final film in the original Star Wars trilogy, is released. Like the previous films, it goes on to become the top grossing picture of...
’s Superman III
Superman III
Superman III is a 1983 superhero film and the third film in the Superman film series based upon the long-running DC Comics superhero. Christopher Reeve, Jackie Cooper, Marc McClure and Margot Kidder are joined by new cast members Annette O'Toole, Annie Ross, Pamela Stephenson, Robert Vaughn and...
, but later took Superman's side near the end of the movie and became a hero. Three years later, he announced that he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms...
. He died of cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest, is the cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively...
on December 10, 2005.
Dana Reeve
The curse has been mentioned regarding the death of the widow of actor Christopher Reeve, who, despite being a non-smoker, died of lung cancer in 2006 at the age of 44.
Miscellaneous
The curse was invoked after two people involved in the creation of DVD new Superman Returns suffered injuries, one of whom fell down a flight of stairs. Another was mugged and beaten up and a third smashed into a glass window. Director Bryan Singer remarked, "My DVD crew absorbed the curse for us."
Superman actors not generally believed to have become victims of the curse
The following actors have portrayed Superman but are not generally believed to have suffered from the "Superman curse".Dean Cain
McKernan points out that Dean Cain
Dean Cain
Dean Cain is an American actor. He is most widely known for his role as Clark Kent/Superman in the popular American television series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.-Early life:...
, who became a household name in the mid-1990s for to his portrayal of Superman/Clark Kent in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman was a live-action American television series based on the Superman comic books...
, went on to have other varied roles in shows such as Frasier
Frasier
Frasier is an American sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee in association with Grammnet and Paramount Network Television.A spin-off of Cheers, Frasier stars...
and Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
, made-for-TV movies, and a cameo appearance in Smallville, though ABC News' Buck Wolf comments, "but he has yet to find the right role".
Brandon Routh
Actor Brandon Routh
Brandon Routh
Brandon James Routh is an American actor and former fashion model. He grew up in Iowa before moving to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career, and subsequently appeared on multiple television series throughout the early 2000s. In 2006, he gained greater recognition for his role as the titular hero...
, who played Superman in the 2006 film Superman Returns
Superman Returns
Superman Returns is a 2006 superhero film directed by Bryan Singer. It is the fifth and final installment in the original Superman film series and serves as a alternate sequel to Superman and Superman II by ignoring the events of Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace .The film stars...
, dismisses the notion of the curse, stating that what occurs to one person or set of people will not necessarily occur to everyone, and that he does not live his life in fear.
See also
- HollywoodlandHollywoodlandHollywoodland is a 2006 American biographical docudrama film directed by Allen Coulter in his feature directorial debut. The film documents a fictional account of the investigation surrounding the death of actor George Reeves , the star of the 1950s television series Adventures of Superman. Adrien...
- Poltergeist curse
- MythsMythologyThe term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
External links
- "'Our Gang' Curse". Snopes. accessed September 6, 2011.