Wikipedia

Margot Kidder

This is thelatest accepted revision,reviewedon19 November 2024.

Margaret Ruth Kidder(October 17, 1948 – May 13, 2018) was a Canadian–American actress and activist. She amassedseveral film and television creditsin her career spanning five decades, including her best known portrayal ofLois Lanein the originalSupermanfilms(1978–1987). Her accolades included twoCanadian Film Awards,anEmmy Award,aGenie Awardand aSaturn Award.

Margot Kidder
Kidder in 1970
Born
Margaret Ruth Kidder

(1948-10-17)October 17, 1948
Yellowknife,Northwest Territories,Canada
DiedMay 13, 2018(2018-05-13)(aged 69)
Livingston, Montana,U.S.
Citizenship
  • Canada
  • United States (from 2005)
Occupations
  • Actress
  • activist
Years active1965–2018
WorksFull list
Spouses
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    (m.1976;div.1977)​
  • ​
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    (m.1979;div.1980)​
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    (m.1983;div.1984)​
Children1
Awards

Born inYellowknifeto a Canadian mother and an American father, Kidder was raised in theNorthwest Territoriesas well as several Canadian provinces. She began her acting career in the 1960s, appearing in low-budget Canadian productions and winning theCanadian Film Special Awardin1969.She first received attention for appearing in the comedy filmQuackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx(1970), the horror filmsSisters(1972),Black Christmas(1974) andThe Reincarnation of Peter Proud(1975), and the drama filmsA Quiet Day in Belfast(1974) andThe Great Waldo Pepper(1975).

Kidder's internationalbreakthroughcame with playing Lois Lane inSuperman(1978) andKathy LutzinThe Amityville Horror(1979), which wereblockbuster films.For these roles, she was twice nominated for theSaturn Award for Best Actress,winning in1978forSuperman.She reprised the role of Lois in threeSupermansequels (1980–1987), and also played Rita Harris in the comedy filmHeartaches(1981) and made her stage debut with the playBus Stop(1982). After a stint of films and projects that were ambivalently received, Kidder sustained serious injuries in a car accident that left her temporarily paralyzed in 1990, and suffered from a highly publicizedmanicepisode andnervous breakdownin 1996 stemming frombipolar disorder.

Kidder thereafter maintained steady work inindependent filmsand television, notably appearing in the hockey filmChicks with Sticks(2004) and the horror pictureHalloween II(2009), and playing a guest role onR.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour(2015). She maintaineddual citizenshipand was an outspokenpolitical,environmentalandanti-waractivist.[1]Kidder died on May 13, 2018, of an alcohol and drug overdose, which was ruled asuicide.[2]

Early life

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Margaret Ruth Kidder, one of five children, was born on October 17, 1948, inYellowknife,Northwest Territories,the daughter of Jocelyn Mary "Jill" (néeWilson), a history teacher fromBritish Columbia,and Kendall Kidder, an American explosives expert and engineer originally fromNew Mexico.[3][4][5][6]She was ofWelshandEnglishdescent.[7]

Kidder was born in Yellowknife because of her father's employment, which required the family to live in remote locations.[8]Her father subsequently served as the manager of the Yellowknife Telephone Company from 1948 to 1951. She had one sister, Annie,[a]who is an actress and executive director of the People for Education charity, and three brothers: John, Michael and Peter. Two of her siblings married notable Canadians: Annie married actorEric Petersonand John married politicianElizabeth May.[9]Kidder's nieceJanet Kidderis also an actress.[10]

Recalling her childhood in northern Canada, Kidder said: "We didn't have movies in this little mining town. When I was 12 my mom took me toNew Yorkand I sawBye Bye Birdie,with people singing and dancing, and that was it. I knew I had to go far away. I was clueless, but I [have done] okay. "[11]In addition to Yellowknife, she also spent some time growing up inLabrador City,Newfoundland and Labrador.[12]Kidder became interested inpoliticsfrom a young age, which she credited to debates her parents would have over the dinner table; her mother hadsocialistleanings, while her father was a conservativeRepublican.[13]

Kidder hadmental healthissues from a young age, which stemmed from undiagnosedbipolar disorder.[14]"I knew I was different, had these mind flights that other people didn't seem to have," she recalled.[14]At age 14, sheattempted suicide.[14]Kidder found an outlet in acting as she felt she could "let my real self out... and no one would know it was me."[14]"Nobody ever encouraged me to be an actress," she recalled. "It was taken as a joke... As a teenager, I envisioned myself in every book I read. I wanted to beHenry MillerandThomas Wolfe.I wanted to eat everything on the world's platter, but my eyes were bigger than my stomach. "[15]

She attended multiple schools during her youth through her family's relocations, eventually graduating fromHavergal College,a high-school level boarding school inToronto,in 1966.[16]In 1966, she found herself pregnant by her boyfriend, who arranged for an illegal abortion. The abortionist was located in a hotel room and filled Kidder's uterus withLysolto terminate the pregnancy.[17]After graduating from Havergal, Kidder relocated toVancouverto attend theUniversity of British Columbia,but dropped out after one year.[15]She returned to Toronto, where she found work as amodel.[15]

Career

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1960s

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Kidder's television debut was in an episode ofWojeckaired January 16, 1968. She made her film debut in a 49-minute film titledThe Best Damn Fiddler from Calabogie to Kaladar(1968), a drama set in a Canadian logging community, which was produced by theChallenge for Change.[18]Kidder's 1969 appearance in the episode "Does Anybody Here Know Denny?" on the Canadian drama seriesCorwinearned her aCanadian Film Awardfor "outstanding new talent."[19]

Kidder's first major feature was the 1969 American filmGaily, Gaily,aperiodcomedy starringBeau Bridges,in which she portrayed a prostitute.[20]She subsequently appeared in a number of TV drama series for theCBC,[20]including guest appearances onAdventures in Rainbow Country,and a semi-regular role as a young reporter onMcQueen,[21]and as a panelist onMantrapwhich featured discussions centered on a feminist perspective.[22]

1970s

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Kidder (right) withJennifer SaltandWilliam FinleyinSisters,(1973)

During the 1971–72 season, she co-starred as barmaid Ruth inNichols,aJames Garner–led Western,[23]which aired 22 episodes onNBC.During an August 3, 1970, interview onThe Dick Cavett Show,Kidder stated that she was ambivalent toward having a film career, and was considering working as afilm editorin the future.[24]At this time, she had become an acquaintance of directorRobert Altman,and served as an apprentice assisting him in editingBrewster McCloud(1970).[20]She subsequently appeared in "Such Dust As Dreams Are Made On", the first pilot forHarry Owhich aired in March 1973. She was aguest starin a 1972 episode of theGeorge Pepparddetective seriesBanacek.[25]

After moving toLos Angeles,Kidder was cast oppositeGene WilderinQuackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx(1970)[26]as an exchange student in Ireland who becomes the love interest of a poor horse manure collector in Dublin whom she almost runs over with her car. After filming in Ireland, Kidder relocated toNew York Cityto further study acting.[27]A year later, she returned to California, and was cast in theBrian De PalmafilmSisters(1972), which gained notoriety for both director and Kidder, who as leading lady, portrayedconjoined twins,one of whom is a suspect in a brutal murder.[11]Kidder had been in a relationship with De Palma at the time, and had been roommates with co-starJennifer Saltin Los Angeles.[28]Sisterswent on to achieve critical recognition, being considered among the best American films of the decade by criticRobin Wood,[29]as well as one of the most important films in Kidder's career by film critic G. Allen Johnson.[30]

In 1974, she starred in the slasher filmBlack Christmas,for which she won a Canadian Film Award for Best Actress;[19]followed by a role as a prostitute in theTerrence Malick–scriptedThe Gravy Train(1974).[28]She received another Canadian Film Award for Best Actress for her performance in the war dramaA Quiet Day in Belfast(1974).[19][31]Also in 1974, Kidder made her directorial debut with a 50-minute short film produced for theAmerican Film Institute,titledAgain.[32]The film follows a woman who pastes photographs of her former lovers on her wall, continuously searching for "Mr. Right."[32]

Kidder inThe Reincarnation of Peter Proud(1975)

Kidder had a central supporting role in the airplane-themed dramaThe Great Waldo Pepper(1975) oppositeRobert RedfordandSusan Sarandon,followed by a lead role in the psychological horror filmThe Reincarnation of Peter Proud,directed byJ. Lee Thompson,in which she portrayed a woman about whom a college professor has recurring nightmares.[33]Varietypraised her performance in the latter film as "outstandingly rich."[34]In the summer of 1975, Kidder was hired to direct adocumentary shortchronicling the making ofThe Missouri Breaks(1976), a Western film starringMarlon BrandoandJack Nicholson.[32]"I was such a jerk," she recalled. "I mean, I thought they wanted a real documentary. So I filmed all the behind-the-scenes rows and arguments and shot footage of the vet shooting up the horses with tranquilizers so the actors would look as if they rode well. What an idiot I was. Then when they fired me, I realized what they'd wanted was a publicity film."[32]

She subsequently co-starred withPeter Fondain92 in the Shade,also in 1975, a drama directed by novelistThomas McGuane,based on his own book.[35]Kidder then took a hiatus from acting, though she appeared in the March 9, 1975, edition ofThe American Sportsman,learning how tohang glide,and providing the narration, with a remote microphone recording her reactions in flight; the segment concluded with Kidder doing solos soaring amid the Wyoming Rockies.[36]She was also photographed byDouglas Kirklandfor the March 1975 issue ofPlayboy,accompanied by an article written by Kidder herself.[37]

Christopher Reeve(left) and Kidder (right) at the premiere ofSupermanin 1978

In 1977, eager to return to acting, Kidder read for the character ofLois LaneinSuperman: The Movie,only one month before principal photography was scheduled to begin.[15]Kidder was flown to England for screen-tests.[28]Upon meeting with directorRichard Donner,Kidder tripped while walking into the room.[38]Donner recalled: "I just fell in love with her. It was perfect, this clumsy [behavior]."[38]She was ultimately cast in the role, which would become her most iconic.[28]Filming lasted approximately eighteen months.[39]

Supermanwas released during Christmas 1978 and was a major commercial success, grossing $300 million worldwide.[40]She was deemed "most charming" byVincent CanbyinThe New York Times.[41]James Harwood ofVarietysaid that she "plays perfectly off both of his [Reeve's] personalities and her initial double-entendre interview with Superman is wickedly coy, dancing round the obvious question any red-blooded girl might ask herself about such a magnificent prospect. "[42]Sonia Saraiya ofVanity Fairpraised her ability to balance Lois's ditzy nature with her ambition and no-nonsense attitude, and wrote: "Kidder played a human woman who could believably both attract and deserve a man who is canonically perfect, with the physique of a Greek god and the moral compass of a saint."[43]For the role, Kidder won theSaturn Award for Best Actress.[44]

After completing filming forSuperman,Kidder starred as Kathy Lutz in the supernatural horror filmThe Amityville Horror(1979), which further cemented her status as one of Hollywood's leading ladies.The Amityville Horrorwas a major commercial success, grossing over $86 million in the United States, but it received mixed reviews from critics.[45]Janet MaslinofThe New York Times,though giving the film a mixed review, said Kidder "stubbornly remains the bright-eyed life of the party [in the film]."[46]In retrospect, Kidder called the film "a piece of shit."[28]The same year, Kidder hosted an episode of the American sketch comedy TV showSaturday Night Live.[25]

1980s

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Kidder reprised her role as Lois Lane inSuperman II(1980), though she publicly disagreed with the decision of producersAlexander SalkindandIlya Salkindto replaceRichard Donneras director.[15][47]Superman IIwas also a box-office hit, grossing $108 million in the United States.[48]Through her appearances in theSupermanfilms, Kidder maintained a close friendship with her co-starChristopher Reeve,which lasted from 1978 until his death in 2004: "When you're strapped to someone hanging from the ceiling for months and months, you get pretty darned close," Kidder toldCBS."He was such a huge part of my life... He was complicated, very smart, really smart, and he knew he'd done something meaningful. He was very aware of that and very happy with that role."[49]Also in 1980, she appeared inPaul Mazursky's romantic comedyWillie & Phil,playing one-third of alove triangleoppositeMichael OntkeanandRay Sharkey.[50]

Kidder starred in the Canadian comedicroad movieHeartaches(1981), portraying a free-spirited woman who helps an acquaintance raise her child.[51]Vincent CanbyofThe New York Timesnoted: "Nothing happens inHeartachesthat isn't telegraphed 15 minutes ahead of time, but Miss Kidder and Miss [Annie] Potts are good fun to watch, not because they convince you of the reality of their characters but because they handle their assignments with such unbridled, comic, actressy enthusiasm. "[51]She then starred oppositeRichard Pryorin the comedySome Kind of Hero(1982), about aVietnam Warveteran who attempts to re-assimilate into civilian life.[52]While filming the picture, Kidder stated she "fell in love with Pryor in two seconds flat," and the two carried on a relationship during the production.[53]In 1982, she appeared in a stage performance ofBus Stop,playing Cherie oppositeTim Mathesonas Bo, which was broadcast onHBO.[54]

It was reported that, as a result of Kidder's previous objection to Donner's directorial replacement forSuperman II,her role in 1983'sSuperman IIIwas notably small, consisting of 12 lines and less than five minutes of footage,[32][55]though the producers have denied this in DVD commentaries. The same yearSuperman IIIwas released, Kidder also starred as a court stenographer-cum-private eye named Mickey Raymond in the comedyTrenchcoat(1983).[56]CriticRoger Ebertdisliked the film, deeming it "one of the most tired, predictable, uninteresting movies in a long time."[56]Also in 1983, Kidder produced and starred as Eliza Doolittle in a version ofPygmalionwithPeter O'TooleforShowtime.[57]

In 1984, Kidder produced and starred in the French-Canadian period television filmLouisianaas a plantation owner in the American South who returns from Paris to find her estate and holdings have been lost.[58]In 1984, she reunited with her formerNicholsco-star, James Garner, in the Hollywood crime dramaThe Glitter Dome,and appeared in the dramaLittle TreasureforColumbia Tri-Star,with co-starsTed DansonandBurt Lancaster,in which she played a distraught stripper looking for her bank robber-father's buried fortune.

In 1985, Kidder expressed ambivalence toward continuing her career, and was quoted as saying: "I don't feel comfortable as a performer and I'm a big turkey as a movie star."[32]She stated that the quote was reported out of context, but conceded: "I am in a weird frame of mind at the moment. I know acting is not going to be enough for me for the rest of my life. This business is very hard on women at a certain age, and I never want to end up just having to accept what's offered me. So I am anxious to direct, to have options."[32]

In 1986, she was selected as the English narrator for the Japanese animated seriesThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz.In 1987, Kidder reprised her Lois Lane role inSuperman IV: The Quest for Peace(1987), which she filmed in 1986.[59]Body of Evidence(1988), aCBSMovie of the Week, cast Kidder as a nurse who suspects that her medical pathologist husband is a serial killer.

1990s

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In the fall of 1990, Kidder appeared as a singer who becomes a murder victim in the Canadian television filmWhite Room(1990).[60]After her car accident, Kidder returned to the screen with an uncreditedcameo appearancein the comedy filmDelirious(1991),[61]appearing as a woman in a washroom. This was followed by a role as apsychicinTo Catch a Killer(1992), a Canadian television thriller film based on the crimes ofJohn Wayne Gacy.[62]She had several small roles in 1994, including in theDisney ChannelfilmWindrunner,[63]as well as another uncredited appearance inMaverick.[3]She played a bartender at the Broken Skull Tavern inUnder a Killing Moon,aPCFMVadventure game.[64]

Kidder returned to film with a lead role in the independent comedy-dramaNever Met Picasso(1997), portraying an actress living with hergayadult son (portrayed byAlexis Arquette) who is attempting to sort his life out.[65]Kevin Thomasof theLos Angeles Timeswrote that "Arquette and Kidder [were] given the chance to come across as quite appealing" in their roles.[65]She next appeared in the slasher filmThe Clown at Midnight(1998), oppositeChristopher Plummer,[66]and alongsideLynn RedgraveandJames Earl Jonesin the romance filmThe Annihilation of Fish(1999), playing the landlady of an interracial couple.[67]Critic Todd McCarthy inVarietyreferred to the film as a "would-be charmer" and "a drear moment in the careers of all concerned."[67]

2000s and 2010s

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Kidder in Toronto during theCanadian National Exhibitionin 2005

In 2000, Kidder played Eileen Canboro inApocalypse III: Tribulation,aChristian filmdealing withChristian eschatologyand therapture.Kidder stated afterwards that she did not realize until she was on the set that the movie was serious.[68]Also that year she appeared in three episodes ofPeter Benchley'sAmazon,playing a striking role as an insane Canadian woman bent on domination of all the local tribes. In 2001, she played theabusivemother of a serial killer in "Pique",an episode ofLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit.In 2002, she appeared alongsideCrispin GloverandVanessa Redgravein the film adaptation ofCrime and Punishment.[28]

Kidder appeared off-Broadway inThe Vagina Monologuesin December 2002,[69]and toured with the show for two years. After this, she appeared onRobson Arms,a Canadiansitcomset in an apartment block inVancouver's west end. She played a quirky neighbor of the main cast members. She also had a cameo inRich Hall's Election SpecialonBBC Four.In 2006, Kidder playedJenny Schecter's mother Sandy Ziskin onThe L Word;her character was a repressed Jewish woman coming to terms with her daughter's sexuality.[28]In 2007, Kidder began appearing on the television seriesBrothers and Sisters,playing Emily Craft. In 2004, Kidder briefly returned to the Superman franchise in two episodes of the television seriesSmallville,asBridgette Crosby,an emissary of Dr. Swann (played by herSupermanco-star, Christopher Reeve).[70]

In 2008, she portrayed an embattled guidance counselor in thegay-themed mystery filmOn the Other Hand, Death,as well as a supporting role asLaurie Strode's therapist, inRob Zombie'sHalloween II(2009). In an interview with theLGBTpublicationThe Advocate,Kidder discussed her later career choices: "I'm not choosy at all! I'll do practically anything. I'm the biggest whore on the block. I live in a little town in Montana, and you have to drag me out of here to get to L.A., so I'm not readily available. But unless it's something sexist or cruel, I just love to work. I've done all sorts of things, but you just haven't seen them because they're often very bad and shown at 4 in the morning."[71]

In 2015, Kidder won anEmmy AwardforOutstanding Performer in Children's Programmingfor her performance inR.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour.[72]

Other ventures

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Politics

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Kidder was a longtime supporter of the U.S.Democratic partyand voiced her support forliberalcauses throughout her career.[73]She actively supportedJesse Jackson's bid for the Democratic nomination in the1984 United States presidential election.[74]In the early 1990s, during the firstGulf War,Kidder was branded a "Baghdad Betty" and subjected to abuse for her remarks questioning the war.[75]In a piece called "Confessions of 'Baghdad Betty'", styled as a letter to her mother and printed inThe Nation,Kidder responded by explaining and defending her statements.[76]

Kidder with Annette Alt at the Barack Obama campaign headquarters in Livingston, Montana in 2008

In 2008, Kidder was a volunteer at theBarack Obamacampaign headquarters inLivingston, Montana.[77]

As of November 2009, Kidder was theMontanaState Coordinator forProgressive Democrats of America.The organization's website carried her article "Ax Max", in which she criticizedMax Baucus,Montana'sDemocraticsenator.[78]She also contributed articles toCounterPunch,aleft-wingmagazine, beginning in 2009.[79]On August 22, 2015, she was named the host of a dinner event by theYellowstone CountyDemocrats inBillings, Montana,called "Billings for Bernie" in support ofBernie Sanders' presidential primary bid.[80][81]In aCounterPuncharticle expressing her reaction to the2016 Democratic National Convention,she wrote, "I am not an American tonight... I reject the words I voiced at my citizenship ceremony."[82]

In addition to her campaigning in the United States, Kidder expressed support for liberal causes in Canada. In 2011, she supported her brother, John Kidder, in British Columbia, who was running to be a member of Canada's Parliament for theLiberal Party:"I'm here not only because John is a dream candidate, but because I'm living in the end game in the United States and it's not funny. Canada is starting the same sort of right-wing, corporate ownership of government, corporate tradeoffs with government, smear campaigns," let's lower the corporate tax rate without mentioning it's going to up the private tax rates. "It's happening in Canada. God forbid if anyone should bring up privatizing health care."[83]

Activism

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Throughout her life, Kidder was also invested in efforts protesting for environmental andanti-nuclearcauses.[84]On August 23, 2011, Kidder,Tantoo Cardinal,and dozens of others were arrested while protesting inWashington, D.C.,against the proposed extension of theKeystone Pipeline.[85]In 2012, she appeared in a video forStop the Frack Attack,an environmental organization working toward regulatinghydraulic fracturing( "fracking" ) practices.[86]When discussing sustainable energy, Kidder said: "The first thing people have to start facing, contrary to the advertising fed to us by oil and gas companies, is that environmentalism and economic stability go hand-in-hand on any long term basis."[13]Kidder spent the winter of 2016–2017 residing in a tent at theStanding Rock Reservationin North Dakota, protesting theDakota Access Pipeline.[87]

In addition to environmental causes, Kidder was a vocal supporter ofLGBTrights, and in 2003 hosted benefits at agay and lesbian health centerinBoston, Massachusetts.[88]Following her publicized nervous breakdown in 1996, she also spoke outwardly about her struggles with mental health and herbipolar disorderdiagnosis.[14]In 2001, she was awarded the Courage in Mental Health Award from the California Women's Mental Health Policy Council for her public dialogue on mental illness.[14]

Personal life

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Kidder became aUnited Statescitizen on August 17, 2005, inButte, Montana,and settled inLivingston.[89]She said that she decided to become an American citizen to participate in the voting process, to continue her protests against U.S.intervention in Iraq,and to be free of worries about beingdeported.[90]

Relationships and marriages

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While filming, Kidder became romantically involved withThomas McGuane,and in March 1975 relocated with him toLivingston, Montana.[15]She subsequently became pregnant, and gave birth to their only child, daughter Maggie McGuane, on October 28, 1975.[b][93]Kidder and McGuane married on August 2, 1976,[94][95]but the marriage ended in divorce on July 21, 1977.[91][3]During the marriage, Kidder stated that her self-esteem had faltered significantly, and she found it difficult to maintain a career in film while residing in Montana.[15]

On August 25, 1979, she married actorJohn Heard,but the couple separated only six days into their marriage.[96]Their divorce was finalized on December 26, 1980.[3]

Kidder was romantically linked to Canadian prime ministerPierre Trudeauin the early-1980s.[97]

Kidder marriedPhilippe de Brocain 1983.[32]Her marriage to de Broca lasted one year, ending in divorce in 1984.[96]Kidder later characterized the marriage as "impulsive, I'm afraid. Not a little irresponsible. We just weren't meant to be married to each other."[32]

Personal struggles

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Kidder received a diagnosis ofbipolar disorderin 1988, which she rejected at the time, and refused the recommendedlithiumtreatment.[14]

In December 1990, Kidder was seriously injured in a car accident during the filming of the pilot of a proposed television seriesNancy Drew and Daughterwhich left her partially paralyzed as a result of spinal injury.[98][88]She was unable to work for two years, causing her financial difficulties, resulting in debts of over $800,000.[64]Kidder attempted to sue the Canadian producer,Nelvana,for $1 million in damages but did not receive a settlement, and her launching of the suit rendered her ineligible for Canadianworkers' compensation.[88]While convalescing from her injuries, Kidder said she finally "was able to accept the diagnosis" (of bipolar disorder).[14]She later spoke openly about treatment of her bipolar disorder viaorthomolecular medicine,[99]which treatment was rejected byevidence-based medicine.

In April 1996, she experienced a widely publicizedmanic episodein Los Angeles.[14][100]At the time, Kidder had been working on anautobiographywhen her laptop computer became infected with avirus,which caused it to crash and her to lose three years' worth of drafts.[101]Kidder flew to California to have the computer examined by a data retrieval company that was unable to retrieve the lost files.[101]This prompted her to enter a manic state and she disappeared for four days. She was later found by a homeowner in the backyard of aGlendaleresidence,[102]and was taken by theLos Angeles Police DepartmenttoOlive View–UCLA Medical Centerin a distressed state, the caps on her teeth having been knocked out during a rape attempt.[101]She was subsequently placed inpsychiatric care.[101]A computer expert was ultimately able to retrieve much of the data that Kidder had lost on her laptop.[101]

In a 2000 interview, Kidder stated that, in addition to suffering emotional distress, her manic episodes had led her to experiencing significant financial woes: "I went through millions of dollars—I have no idea how much. I'd buy things for friends, take people to Paris. Once I stayed up for three weeks in a row because I felt like I was called upon to write a new religion for women. I was reading all these books, including theBible—and I'm anatheist."[103]

Death

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Flowers for Kidder at theMotor City Comic Conin May 2018, where she had been scheduled to appear before her death

Kidder died on May 13, 2018, at her home inLivingston, Montana,at the age of 69.[104]Kidder's death was ruled asuicideby "self-inflicted drug and alcoholoverdose".[105][106]Kidder had been scheduled to appear at the Motor City Comic Con event in Novi, Michigan, later that week.[107]

Kidder's friends related that she had poor health in later years, particularly following her lengthy stay at theStanding Rock protest campin 2016, often enduring frigid temperatures.[108]DC Comicsstated on itsTwitterfeed: "Thank you for being the Lois Lane so many of us grew up with. RIP, Margot Kidder."[109][110]After her death, directorTed Geoghegan,who knew the actress, stated:

Margot lived at the foot of Canyon Mountain, right outside of Livingston. Like much of Montana, the mountain was filled withwolves.But instead of fearing them, Margot loved them. She left meat out for the wolves so she could watch them come down the mountain and eat from the safety of her home... She'd asked her closest friends—if they stopped by her place and found her dead—to tell no one, place her naked body in a bedsheet, drag it up Canyon Mountain, and leave her for her other friends, the wolves.[111]

Kidder was cremated, and her ashes were scattered by her brother John in childhood-favorite locations in Canada, as well as in Montana, amongst lilies often eaten by grizzly bears, partially fulfilling Kidder's wish to "have her body just left out there for the bears."[112]

Filmography

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Main article:List of Margot Kidder performances

Kidder's most acclaimed films, according to the review-aggregation websiteRotten Tomatoes,include:[113]

Awards and nominations

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Award Year Category Nominated work Result
Action On Film International Film Festival Awards 2013 Best Supporting Actress Real Gangsters Nominated
2016 Outstanding Cast Performance The Red Maple Leaf Won
Canadian Film Awards 1969 Best Actress Herself Nominated
Special Award Herself Won
1975 Best Performance by a Lead Actress A Quiet Day in BelfastandBlack Christmas Won
Daytime Emmy Awards 2015 Outstanding Performer in a Children's or Pre-School Children's Series The Haunting Hour: The Series Won
Fright Meter Awards 2011 Best Actress Love at First Kill Nominated
Genie Awards 1982 Best Actress Heartaches Won
Online Film & Television Association Awards 1999 Best Guest Actress in a Cable Series La Femme Nikita Nominated
Saturn Awards 1979 Best Actress Superman Won
1980 Best Actress The Amityville Horror Nominated
1982 Best Actress Superman II Nominated

Notes

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  1. ^Annie Kidder is married to actorEric Peterson.
  2. ^In a timeline published inConversations with Thomas McGuane(2007), he and Kidder's daughter Maggie is noted as having been born October 28, 1976.[91]This, however, conflicts with a February 9, 1976, article inPeoplemagazine which notes that Kidder was "mothering their out-of-wedlock 3-month-old daughter, Maggie," suggesting her birth year to in fact be 1975.[92]

Citations

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  1. ^"Margot Kidder arrested at White House oil protest".CBC News.August 11, 2011.RetrievedFebruary 8,2021.
  2. ^Henderson, Cydney (August 8, 2018)."'Superman' actress Margot Kidder's death ruled a suicide ".USA Today.RetrievedFebruary 8,2021.
  3. ^abcdAaker 2017,p. 242.
  4. ^Hart, Sue."A Livingston Double Feature Margot Kidder & Joe Camp".Distinctly Montana.Archived fromthe originalon May 16, 2008.RetrievedFebruary 8,2021.
  5. ^"Who Do You Think You Are? | Stories | Margot Kidder".CBC.January 7, 1919. Archived fromthe originalon March 31, 2009.RetrievedJune 17,2010.
  6. ^Published in theVancouver Sunand/orThe Province,June 7, 2008
  7. ^"Superman actress Margot Kidder finds family ties to Powys".BBC News.November 10, 2015.RetrievedApril 20,2016.
  8. ^Hobson & Leonard 2001,p. 161.
  9. ^Zussman, Richard (April 22, 2019)."Green Party Leader Elizabeth May celebrates wedding, Jody Wilson-Raybould contemplates Green run".Global News.RetrievedApril 22,2019.
  10. ^Paur, Joey (May 14, 2018)."Superman Actress Margot Kidder has Passed Away".Geek Tyrant.RetrievedMay 15,2018.
  11. ^abRoberts, Chris (April 8, 2005)."No kidding".The Guardian.RetrievedJanuary 31,2015.
  12. ^Rothman, Clifford (November 19, 1997)."Back From The Brink".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on March 21, 2015.
  13. ^ab"Interview with Margot Kidder"(Interview). Interviewed by George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight. CBC. December 12, 2012.Archivedfrom the original on October 31, 2021.RetrievedApril 24,2016.
  14. ^abcdefghiByrne, Suzy (May 14, 2018)."After 'the most public freak-out in history,' Margot Kidder became one of Hollywood's most prominent mental health advocates".Yahoo!.Archived fromthe originalon January 5, 2019.
  15. ^abcdefgKlinger, Judson (1979)."The Education of Margot Kidder".Rolling Stone.Archived fromthe originalon January 23, 2019.
  16. ^"Old Girl Margot Kidder 1966 Returns to Havergal".Havergal College.August 13, 2010. Archived fromthe originalon May 22, 2015.RetrievedJanuary 31,2015.
  17. ^Flanagan, Caitlin (May 1, 2007)."The Sanguine Sex".The Atlantic.RetrievedMay 27,2019.
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