Thank you for being the Lois Lane so many of us grew up with. RIP, Margot Kidder.
— D.C. Comics via Twitter
On Sunday May 13th, 2018 Margot Kidder, the actress who won the hearts of fans around the world as Lois Lane, died. She was 69. As of this writing, her cause of death has not been revealed. The actress did, however, have a lasting and public battle with mental illness but whether or not this is related remains unclear.
Between film and television, Kidder had remained active in Hollywood up until 2017 although the 1970’s and 1980s were her breakout decades. She is probably best known for her turn as Superman’s love interest Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane in 1978’s ‘Superman’. She reprised the role along with Christopher Reeve (Superman/Clark Kent) in 1980’s Superman II, 1983’s Superman III and 1987’s Superman IV: The Quest For Peace. She also had a small role in 2004’s ‘Smallville’ as Bridgette Crosby. She will also be remembered as the voice of Gaia for seventeen episodes on the hit 90’s tv series ‘Captain Planet and the Planeteers’ alongside LeVar Burton, Ed Asner, Tim Curry and David Coburn.
In the 1990s, Kidder was in a serious car accident that took her out of work for a couple of years. It was during this time, and a rather famous meltdown episode, that her struggle with bipolar disorder came to light.
“Horrifying as it was to crack up in the public eye, it made me look at myself and fix it. People were exploitative; that’s human nature. I’ll tell you, being pretty crazy while being chased by the National Enquirer is not good. The British tabloids were the worst. But you take the cards you’re dealt, and I got better. I’m now ferociously healthy in body and mind.” She later said about the incident.
The Franzen-Davis Funeral Home and Crematory first announced her death on Monday which was confirmed by a representative shortly thereafter.
As DC Comics said in their quote, thank you for being the Lois Lane that so many of us grew up with and grew to love. She will be missed.
