Dana Reeve Biography: Age, Career, Husband and Death

Dana Reeve was an American actress, singer and activist whose life became closely connected with disability advocacy after the 1995 accident that left her husband, actor Christopher Reeve, paralyzed. Although she was widely known as Christopher Reeve’s wife, Dana had a professional career of her own that included television, theater, singing and hosting.

She later became a major figure in the work surrounding the Christopher Reeve Foundation. The foundation credits her with establishing programs designed to improve the quality of life of people living with paralysis and to give families and caregivers access to practical information and support.

Latest Update: September 30, 2026

As of September 30, 2026, Dana Reeve’s legacy remains closely associated with the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. The organization continues work focused on spinal cord injury research and improving quality of life for people affected by paralysis.

Dana died on March 6, 2006, at the age of 44. The Reeve Foundation says she died from lung cancer and that, following her death, the organization was renamed the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation to reflect her vision and contributions.

Her career before her husband’s accident is also an important part of her biography. The foundation describes her as an actress and singer who appeared on television, performed on Broadway and off-Broadway, worked in regional theater and co-hosted a live daily women’s talk show on Lifetime in 2000.

Who Was Dana Reeve?

Dana Reeve was born Dana Charles Morosini on March 17, 1961, in Teaneck, New Jersey. She became professionally known as an actress and singer and later became internationally recognized because of her marriage to Christopher Reeve and her work supporting people affected by paralysis.

Her professional identity did not begin with advocacy. Dana had already developed experience in acting and music before Christopher’s 1995 horse-riding accident. Her later public work grew out of the major changes that accident brought to the Reeve family.

The Reeve Foundation describes Dana as an actress, singer and activist. It says she was a founding board member of the Christopher Reeve Foundation and became chair of the board after Christopher’s death in 2004.

Dana Reeve Age

Dana Reeve was 44 years old when she died. She was born March 17, 1961, and died March 6, 2006, only 11 days before her 45th birthday. IMDb also records her birth and death dates and identifies lung cancer as the cause of death.

Because she died in 2006, her age should be described historically rather than as a current age. If she had lived, she would have turned 65 in March 2026.

Early Life and Family

Dana was born into the Morosini family in New Jersey. The Reeve Foundation identifies her father as Dr. Charles Morosini and names her sisters as Deborah Morosini and Adrienne Morosini Heilman.

Public information about her childhood is more limited than the information available about her later professional life. Her biography is therefore better documented from her education and acting career onward than through detailed accounts of her early childhood.

She eventually built a career that combined performance, music and television. Those skills later became useful in her public advocacy because she was comfortable communicating with audiences through both entertainment and public appearances.

Education

Dana Reeve graduated cum laude from Middlebury College. The Reeve Foundation says she later received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Middlebury. She also pursued graduate studies in acting at the California Institute of the Arts.

Her educational background helps explain the combination of academic and performing-arts interests that appeared throughout her career. She developed formal training while also pursuing acting and singing professionally.

Rather than being known only as a celebrity spouse, Dana therefore had a documented educational and professional background of her own before her advocacy work became the central part of her public life.

Dana Reeve Acting Career

Dana worked as an actress across television, film and theater. The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation lists television appearances including Law & Order, Oz and All My Children.

Her screen credits also included the 1995 television movie Above Suspicion, the 2004 television film The Brooke Ellison Story and the animated movie Everyone’s Hero. IMDb lists her as an actress and producer and records her involvement in several television and film projects.

Her acting work extended beyond television. She performed in Broadway productions, off-Broadway productions and regional theater. This stage work formed another important part of her career before her advocacy activities became more prominent.

Television Work

Television provided Dana with some of her most recognizable acting credits. Her work on Law & Order and Oz placed her in established television productions, while her appearance in All My Children connected her with daytime television.

She also appeared as herself in television programs and public events, particularly as her profile grew through her marriage to Christopher and her work in disability advocacy.

Dana Reeve as a Singer

Acting was only one part of Dana’s artistic career. She was also a singer and performed on national television and at venues around New York.

The Reeve Foundation describes singing as one of her professional accomplishments and notes that she performed at various New York venues. Her work in music gave her another route into entertainment beyond acting.

Her ability to work across acting, singing and television hosting also made her a versatile performer. She was not limited to one area of entertainment.

Marriage to Christopher Reeve

Dana Reeve married actor Christopher Reeve on April 11, 1992. The couple had one child together, William Reeve, commonly known as Will. Christopher also had two children from an earlier relationship, Matthew and Alexandra.

The marriage became especially significant after Christopher’s horse-riding accident in 1995. The accident left him paralyzed from the neck down and changed the direction of both their lives.

Christopher later became a major advocate for spinal cord injury research and disability rights. Dana supported him while also developing her own role in advocacy and community support. The Reeve Foundation says she became focused on building a framework of support for people with paralysis, their families and caregivers.

Christopher Reeve’s 1995 Accident

Christopher Reeve was injured in a horse-riding accident in 1995. The injury left him paralyzed, and he subsequently became a prominent advocate for spinal cord research and disability rights.

Dana was directly affected by the sudden change in the family’s circumstances. According to the Reeve Foundation, she experienced the difficulty of trying to understand a new medical and caregiving environment and recognized the need for accessible information for other families facing similar situations.

That experience influenced the direction of her later advocacy. While Christopher concentrated heavily on research and the search for treatments, Dana focused significant attention on practical support and quality of life.

Dana Reeve and the Reeve Foundation

Dana was a founding board member of the Christopher Reeve Foundation. After Christopher died in 2004, she succeeded him as chair of the board.

One of her major contributions was the establishment of the Paralysis Resource Center. The foundation describes it as a free national source of information and support for people living with paralysis and their caregivers.

Dana also established the foundation’s Quality of Life Grants program. These initiatives reflected her emphasis on practical help for families rather than focusing exclusively on medical research.

The foundation’s history explains that Christopher and Dana were active leaders in the movement supporting people with spinal cord injuries. After Dana’s death in 2006, her name was added to the organization’s name, creating the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.

Care Packages Book

Dana Reeve was also an author. Her book Care Packages: Letters to Christopher Reeve from Strangers and Other Friends was published by Random House in 1999.

The book collected letters and notes sent to the Reeve family after Christopher’s injury. The project gave Dana a way to document the support the family received from people outside their immediate circle.

The Reeve Foundation continues to identify Care Packages as part of Dana’s contribution to the family’s story and to the broader community that developed around Christopher’s advocacy work.

Television Hosting

In 2000, Dana co-hosted a live daily talk show for women on the Lifetime Network. The position demonstrated that her television career extended beyond acting roles.

Her experience as a performer and host also meant that she could communicate directly with large audiences. This public-speaking experience became relevant during the years when she represented the Reeve Foundation and spoke about paralysis, caregiving and quality of life.

Dana Reeve Awards and Recognition

Dana received recognition for her work both before and during her advocacy career. The Reeve Foundation’s international biography notes that she received the Shining Example Award from Procter & Gamble in 1998 and the American Image Award from the AAFA in 2003.

In 2005, the American Cancer Society named her its Mother of the Year. This came during the final year of her life and followed years in which her public work had included both family caregiving and advocacy.

Dana Reeve Illness and Death

Dana Reeve was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2005. Her diagnosis attracted attention because she had never been a smoker, according to biographical information recorded by IMDb.

She died on March 6, 2006, in New York City, at the age of 44. The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation identifies lung cancer as the cause of death.

Her death occurred less than 18 months after Christopher Reeve died on October 10, 2004. Christopher was 52 when he died. The couple’s deaths within a relatively short period made their family’s story particularly significant to the disability community they had worked to support.

Dana Reeve Children

Dana and Christopher Reeve had one child together, William Reeve, known publicly as Will Reeve. Christopher’s two older children, Matthew and Alexandra, were Dana’s stepchildren.

The Reeve Foundation identifies Will, Matthew and Alexandra among the children who survived Dana.

Will Reeve later became a public figure in his own right, working in broadcasting and participating in projects connected with his father’s legacy.

Dana Reeve Height

IMDb lists Dana Reeve’s height as 5 feet 8 inches, or approximately 1.73 meters.

Height information can vary between entertainment databases, but 5 feet 8 inches is the measurement currently listed in the source reviewed for this profile.

Dana Reeve Net Worth

Dana Reeve’s exact net worth has not been reliably established through a primary financial source. For that reason, this profile does not assign a specific dollar figure to her wealth.

Online celebrity-net-worth websites often publish estimates without providing financial records. Those figures should not be presented as confirmed facts, particularly for a performer whose career included theater, television, music and nonprofit leadership rather than a publicly documented corporate salary.

Dana Reeve Quick Facts

Reader Questions

Who was Dana Reeve?

Dana Reeve was an American actress, singer and activist. She was also the wife of actor Christopher Reeve and later became a prominent advocate for people living with paralysis.

How old was Dana Reeve when she died?

Dana Reeve was 44 years old when she died on March 6, 2006. She was born on March 17, 1961.

What was Dana Reeve’s cause of death?

Dana Reeve died from lung cancer. She was 44 when she died in New York City in 2006.

Who was Dana Reeve’s husband?

Dana Reeve was married to actor and activist Christopher Reeve. They married on April 11, 1992, and remained married until Christopher’s death in October 2004.

Did Dana Reeve have children?

Yes. Dana and Christopher Reeve had one son, William “Will” Reeve. Dana was also stepmother to Christopher’s two older children, Matthew and Alexandra.

What did Dana Reeve do for a living?

Dana worked as an actress and singer and also appeared as a television host. Later in life, she became a prominent disability advocate and leader within the Reeve Foundation.

What movies and TV shows was Dana Reeve in?

Her screen credits included Law & Order, Oz, All My Children, Above Suspicion and The Brooke Ellison Story. She also appeared in Everyone’s Hero.

What did Dana Reeve do for the Reeve Foundation?

Dana established the Paralysis Resource Center and the Quality of Life Grants program. She later became chair of the foundation’s board after Christopher Reeve’s death.

Did Dana Reeve write a book?

Yes. She wrote Care Packages: Letters to Christopher Reeve from Strangers and Other Friends, published by Random House in 1999.

Where was Dana Reeve born?

Dana Reeve was born in Teaneck, New Jersey, on March 17, 1961. Her birth name was Dana Charles Morosini.

How tall was Dana Reeve?

IMDb lists Dana Reeve at 5 feet 8 inches tall, approximately 1.73 meters.

What is Dana Reeve remembered for?

Dana Reeve is remembered for her acting and singing career, her marriage to Christopher Reeve and her disability advocacy. Her work helped create practical resources for people living with paralysis and their caregivers.

Wrap-Up

Dana Reeve’s biography covers much more than her connection to Christopher Reeve. She built a career as an actress and singer, performed on stage and television, hosted a Lifetime talk show and published a book before becoming one of the public faces of paralysis advocacy.

Her role changed substantially after Christopher’s 1995 accident. Rather than focusing only on medical research, Dana helped develop programs aimed at the everyday needs of people living with paralysis. The Paralysis Resource Center and Quality of Life Grants became important parts of the foundation’s work.

Dana’s life was cut short by lung cancer in 2006, less than two years after Christopher’s death. She was only 44. Yet her contributions continued through the organization that now carries both of their names and through programs created from her focus on information, caregiving and quality of life.

For readers searching for “Dana Reeve Wikipedia,” the central facts are clear: she was born in 1961, became an actress and singer, married Christopher Reeve in 1992, had a son named Will, became a leading disability advocate and died from lung cancer at age 44 in 2006.