A highlight was Lois’s nighttime tour above Manhattan (or Metropolis, as the film called it) on Superman’s arm. Their romance was wisely placed at the centre of the sequel, which was shot back-to-back with the first movie. Though Kidder, never shy of speaking her mind, bemoaned publicly the sacking of the director Richard Donner in favour of Richard Lester for Superman II(1980), the second picture was a superior showcase for her range. Early scenes, as she tries to confirm her newfound suspicions that Clark and Superman are one and the same by placing herself in danger, ripe to be rescued, are brimming with comic pizzazz. Later, when Superman sacrifices his powers in order to live with Lois as a mortal, she plays this highly charged scenario with tenderness and subtlety. Even now, the film remains a clear pinnacle in the overcrowded superhero genre.
Born Oct. 17, 1948, in Canada, Kidder got her start in low-budget Canadian films and TV shows before landing a role in 1970’s “Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx” opposite Gene Wilder. She later appeared in 1973’s “Sisters,” “The Great Waldo Pepper” with Robert Redford, and 1979’s “The Amityville Horror.”
She rose to prominence as Lois Lane, the award-winning Daily Planet journalist and Clark Kent’s love interest in all four “Superman” films from 1978 to 1987.
Kidder, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, suffered some career setbacks after a public nervous breakdown in 1996. She continued acting in smaller roles on TV series including “Smallville,” “Brothers & Sisters,” and “The L Word” in the 2000s. Kidder also acted on stage, including Broadway’s 2002 production of “The Vagina Monologues.”
