Exclusive Photo: In Memoriam for Margot Kidder of 1978 'Superman,’ Dead at Age 69

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LIVINGSTON, Mont.– Actress Margot Kidder had a roller coaster ride of a life, which ended in Montana on May 13, 2018, at the age of 69. From her modest beginnings as a Canadian performer in TV and B-movies, to her work with Brian De Palma, and her peak as Lois Lane in the first set of “Superman” movies, Kidder forged her own path. That path included a bipolar disorder that plagued her later years.

She was born Margaret Ruth Kidder in Canada, and graduated from Havergal College, a boarding school in Toronto. She made her film debut in a short film called “The Best Damn Fiddler from Calabogie to Kaladar” in 1968, and followed that up with her American debut in “Gaily Gaily” (1969). She also did television for the Canadian Broadcast Company during that era, and was a semi-regular on “Nichols” (1971) with James Garner. She relocated to Los Angeles, and began a string of appearances in notable films, including Brian De Palma’s “Sisters” (1973), “The Great Waldo Pepper” and “The Reincarnation of Peter Proud” (both 1975).

Margot Kidder at ‘The Hollywood Show’ in 2011
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com

After taking time off to have her only child (with then-husband and novelist Thomas McGuane), she got back into acting by auditioning for “Superman” (1978), and winning the role of Lois Lane, which she would play for three more films in the series. Aside from LL, she also starred in “The Amityville Horror” (1979), “Some Kind of Hero” (1980) and Heartaches (1981). She worked steadily until a 1990 car accident put her on the sidelines, and her career never fully recovered, although she continued to work.

Kidder had a highly publicized nervous breakdown in 1996, briefly disappearing at that time, and was found four days later in the backyard of a Los Angeles home. After a stint in psychiatric care, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in association with the episode, but used natural supplement therapy and medical marijuana to calm her condition.

Kidder was married three times, all lasting less than two years. Besides McGuane, she had a six-day marriage to actor John Heard, and a brief interlude with film director Phillippe de Broca. She is survived by her daughter Maggie McGuane. Photographer Joe Arce of HollywoodChicago.com snapped the Exclusive Photo of Margot Kidder in 2011 at The Hollywood Show in Chicagoland.

By PATRICK McDONALD Editor and Film Writer HollywoodChicago.com pat@hollywoodchicago.com