Al Pacino

The quality of Pacino's performances, as well as his larger-than-life onscreen presence (Pacino stands about 5'6"), have established him as one of the greatest actors in motion picture history. In the week prior to his death, Reeve was being treated at Northern Westchester Hospital for a pressure ulcer, a common ailment for paralytics, that had subsequently become seriously infected. Pacino has turned down a number of key roles in his career, including that of Han Solo in Star Wars, Captain Willard in Apocalypse Now and Edward Lewis in Pretty Woman. He was only 52 years old. Pacino's more recent body of work remains impressive, boasting a number of fine performances that include the somewhat under-recognised 1990's crime thrillers Carlito's Way, Heat (movie), Donnie Brasco and The Recruit. Reeve died of heart failure on October 10, 2004 after suffering cardiac arrest and falling into a coma the previous day. However, 1985's Revolution was arguably the worst film to ever feature Pacino and he returned to stage work for four years, re-surfacing in film in 1989's Sea of Love, which was to signal a welcome return to form. Margot Kidder, who played Lois Lane in the Superman films will continue the plot as Swann's assistant.

Pacino has not received another nomination from the Academy since those two, but has won two Golden Globes since the turn of the century, the first being the Cecil B. On April 25, 1998 Random House published Reeve's autobiography, Still Me. (The actress Julianne Moore repeated the feat in 2003, however she did not win either award). For example, in the new film he sends emails by using speech recognition software (instead of the telephone used in the original). Pacino won himself Best Actor and was also up for the supporting award for his role in Glengarry Glen Ross, the only actor to ever receive both nominations in the same year. This distinguishes the film clearly from the original. Despite further nominations, it wasn't until 1993 that Pacino would win an Oscar, this time for his portrayal of the irascible, retired and blind Lieutenant_Colonel Frank Slade in Martin Brest's Scent of a Woman. As an example, in 1998 he appeared in a re-make for TV of the famous film Rear Window, originally by Alfred Hitchcock. This re-make is set in the time in which it was made and is characterized by its depiction of (useful) gadgets for wheelchair users.

His performace earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and, by the end of the 1970s he would have three more nominations, all for Best Actor. Reeve also appeared in television movies after his accident, in his wheelchair. Although numerous established actors, including Robert Redford, Warren Beatty, and Robert De Niro, were vying for the part, director Francis Ford Coppola selected the relatively unknown Pacino. [1] (http://www.accessibility.com.au/news/internat/reeve_vs_biggies.htm). His meteoric rise to fame came after portraying Michael Corleone in the blockbuster Mafia film The Godfather 1972. He also lobbied against the U.S. government's restrictions on stem cell research. His talent shone through and by the end of the decade he had won an Obie award for his stage work in The Indian Wants the Bronx and a Tony Award for Does the Tiger Wear a Necktie? His big screen debut came in 1969's Me, Natalie but it was the 1971 film The Panic in Needle Park that would really show off his talents and bring him to the attention of director Francis Ford Coppola. With his wife Dana, he opened the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center, a facility in Short Hills, New Jersey devoted to teaching paralyzed people to live more independently.

In the late 1960s, Pacino studied under legendary acting coach Lee Strasberg, finding acting a therapeutic outlet in a youth which saw him depressed and so impoverished he could barely afford the bus fares required to get him to his next audition. He largely retired from the production of films after his paralysis, instead devoting his time to rehabilitation therapy. He is of Sicilian heritage; Pacino's maternal grandparents immigrated to the United States from Corleone, Sicily. Reeve has often said that these were the words that literally saved his life. His parents divorced while Pacino was still a child. You are still you". He was born Alfred James Pacino in The Bronx, New York, the son of Salvatore and Rose Pacino. She told him, "I still love you no matter what.

Al Pacino (born April 25, 1940) is an American film actor. He credits his wife with pulling him out of his depression. Merchant of Venice' (2004). Reeve later admitted that he briefly thought of suicide after realizing the extent of his disability. Angels in America (2003). On May 27, 1995, Reeve was paralyzed from the neck down after being thrown from his horse, "Eastern Express", in a cross country riding competition at Culpeper, Virginia. The Recruit (2003). Reeve appeared in over 150 plays during his career.

S1m0ne (2002). Reeve often faulted fellow actors for shunning stagework claiming they were dishonoring their craft. People I Know (2002). Despite becoming famous as Superman, he returned each summer until his accident. Insomnia (2002). He served as an apprentice and on its Board of Directors. Any Given Sunday (1999). Reeve had a great love for the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Williamstown, Massachusetts.

The Insider (1999). The movie flopped and Reeve was unable to land a major film role for the next four years. The Devil's Advocate (1997). This was a modern day remake of the 1930s stageplay "The Front Page" and also provided the first comical role for Reeve. Donnie Brasco (1996). In 1988, Reeve co-starred with friends, Burt Reynolds and Kathleen Turner, in the comedy Switching Channels. City Hall (1996). it's Newsman!".

Heat (1995). Reeve's performance was dismissed by the critics; one even mocked, "Look up in the sky, it's a bird, it's a plane.. Scent of a Woman (1993). Also in 1987, Reeve starred in the gritty Street Smart as a reporter who falsified a story about a pimp. Morgan Freeman won an Academy Award nomination as best supporting actor for his role as the pimp "Fast Black". Carlito's Way (1993). The plot focused on Superman ridding the world of nuclear weapons. Glengarry Glen Ross (1992). Reeve helped write the screenplay because he wanted to send a powerful message about world peace.

The Godfather Part III (1990). In the same year, the third Superman sequel was released. Sea of Love (1989). Aboard his aircraft, he piloted them to safety and was widely praised as a humanitarian hero. Revolution (1985). In 1987 he travelled to Chile, at that time under the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, to stand in solidarity with several dozen actors and writers who had been threatened with death for their left wing views. Scarface (1983). Critics were astounded by his performance and headlines blurted "Superman can act!".

Author! Author! (1982). Reeve had always been fond of England and jumped at the chance to co-star with his friend Vanessa Redgrave in The Aspen Papers which was an adaptation of a Henry James novel. Cruising (1980). This time it was on a London stage. ...And Justice for All (1979). It was immediately afterwards that he scored another triumph on the stage. Bobby Deerfield (1977). He often said this was the best movie role of his career.

Dog Day Afternoon (1975). In 1984, Reeve won critical acclaim for his role as a 19th century southern lawyer in The Bostonians. The Godfather Part II (1974). Seymour thought so highly of Reeve that she named one of her children after him. Serpico (1973). In 1980, Reeve co-starred with Jane Seymour in Somewhere in Time, a time travel romance. Although this film was not popular at the time it was released, it has since inspired a wide "cult" following. Scarecrow (1973). He once said, "I want to challenge myself in my roles, not run around on screen with a machine gun".

The Godfather (1972). He was a stage actor at heart who preferred doing classical period plays and films that really required him to "act". The Panic in Needle Park (1971). Superman was the kind of part Reeve usually disdained. Coincidentally, Christopher Reeve's good friend Robin Williams also became a star that same year with the television show Mork & Mindy. This film was an enormous success and inspired three sequels.

In 1978, he was selected to portray the international icon Superman in the 1978 film directed by Richard Donner. Reeve continued to work on the stage, as well as on the soap opera Love of Life His first role in a Hollywood film was a small part as a submarine officer in the disaster movie Grey Lady Down in 1977. Reeve joked back "I don't think I'll live that long Miss Hepburn". Hepburn in turn praised her young co-star. She predicted great things for him and joked that he would "support me in my old age".

He and Hepburn became very close. Reeve credited the legendary actress with giving him many valuable lessons on acting. Reeve's first big break as an actor came in 1975 when he was selected to co-star opposite Katharine Hepburn in the Broadway play A Matter Of Gravity. Reeve stayed with the play throughout its year long run and was given very favorable reviews. In 1995 Reeve was paralyzed in a riding accident and spent the rest of his life wheelchair-bound, becoming a spokesperson for the disabled and for stem cell research. While at Juilliard, he became friends with a wildly improvisational classmate named Robin Williams.

He received a Bachelor of Arts degree at Cornell University in 1974, after which he was selected to study at Juilliard School of Performing Arts under John Houseman. Reeve was born in New York City to writer Franklin Reeve and journalist Barbara Johnson. Christopher Reeve (September 25, 1952–October 10, 2004) was an American actor, director, producer and writer renowned for his film portrayal of Superman/Clark Kent.
.

Love of Life (1974-1976) TV Series. Superman (1978). Superman II (1980). Somewhere in Time (1980).

Deathtrap (1982). Monsignor (1982). Superman III (1983). The Bostonians (1984).

Anna Karenina (1985) (TV). Superman IV: The Quest For Peace (1987). Switching Channels (1988). Noises Off (1992).

The Sea Wolf (1993) (TV). The Remains of the Day (1993). Earth Journeys with Christopher Reeve (1994)(TV). Village of the damned (1995).

Rear Window (1998) (TV).