Glenn Close opened up about her friend Christopher Reeve’s bond with fellow actor Robin Williams. The actress gave a speech at the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation’s “A Magical Evening” Gala 2017 at The Museum of Modern Art in New York City on Thursday, November 16, and she revealed that she first met Reeve while working with the Good Will Hunting actor.
“My first connection to Christopher Reeve was through Robin Williams when we were shooting The World According to Garp. It was the summer of 1982 and we were filming on [an] island,” Close said at the event hosted by actor Jerry O’Connell. “On Friday evenings, Chris would literally swoop in – hiring his own plane — scoop Robin up and away they would fly for the weekend. On Sunday late afternoon, Chris would swoop back in and deliver Robin back.”
“Those were the heydays for them both. They were on top of the world. They were living the fast and crazy life our business can hand to you if you become a wildly famous phenomenon practically overnight,” the Fatal Attraction actress recalled about the late actors. Reeve died in 2004 at age 52, nine years after he was paralyzed in a horse-riding accident. Williams was found dead at age 63 in his home in California on August 11, 2014. Three months later, his cause of death was confirmed as asphyxia due to hanging. The coroner’s report revealed that the comedian suffered from Lewy body dementia.
Close added: “Their friendship, their connection is the stuff of legend. It not only endured but became a life-giving force that sustained them both. I am convinced that if Chris were still with us, Robin would be too.”
“He was an extraordinary man. He was a great sportsman. He was brilliant. He had an amazing brain,” Close also told reporters at the gala, which also honored Christopher’s wife, Dana, who died two years after him in 2006 of lung cancer. “He had the heart and the courage to create the Reeve Foundation when his accident happened. I have nothing but profound love and respect for the both of them.”
Reeve’s son with Dana, William, 25, was in attendance at the event, as well as the actor’s two children with Gae Exton — Matthew, 37, Alexandra, 33.
