Margot Kidder
Born: 1948-10-17 in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada
Died: 2018-05-13
Known For: Acting
Biography
Margaret Ruth "Margot" Kidder (October 17, 1948 – May 13, 2018) was a Canadian-American actress, director, and activist whose career spanned over five decades. Her accolades include three Canadian Screen Awards and one Daytime Emmy Award. Though she appeared in an array of films and television, Kidder is most widely known for her performance as Lois Lane in the Superman film series, appearing in the first four films. Born in Yellowknife to a Canadian mother and an American father, Kidder was raised in the Northwest Territories as well as several other Canadian provinces. She began her acting career in the 1960s appearing in low-budget Canadian films and television series, before landing a lead role in Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx (1970). She then played twins in Brian De Palma's cult thriller Sisters (1973), a sorority student in the slasher film Black Christmas (1974) and the titular character's girlfriend in the drama The Great Waldo Pepper (1975), opposite Robert Redford. In 1977, she was cast as Lois Lane in Richard Donner's Superman (1978), a role which established her as a mainstream actress. Her performance as Kathy Lutz in the blockbuster horror film The Amityville Horror (1979) gained her further mainstream exposure, after which she went on to reprise her role as Lois Lane in Superman II, III, and IV (1980–1987). The 1990s were marked by significant health problems for Kidder: In 1990, she sustained serious injuries in a car accident that left her temporarily paralyzed, and she later had a highly publicized manic episode and nervous breakdown in 1996 stemming from bipolar disorder. By the 2000s, she maintained steady work in independent films and television, with guest-starring roles on Smallville, Brothers & Sisters and The L Word, and appeared in a 2002 Off-Broadway production of The Vagina Monologues. In 2015, she won a Daytime Emmy Award for her performance on the children's television series R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour. Margot passed away at her home in Livingston, Montana, at the age of 69. Her death was ruled a suicide due to a self-inflicted drug and alcohol overdose.
Filmography
2023
- Amityville: An Origin Story as Self- Archive
2019
- Puppy Swap: Love Unleashed as Delilah Higgins
2017
- The Neighborhood as Maggie
- The Red Maple Leaf as Dr. Amanda Walker
2015
- No Deposit as Margie Ryan
- Black Christmas Legacy as Self (archive footage)
2014
- The Big Fat Stone as Madge
- The Dependables as Jean Dempsey
2013
- Real Gangsters as Stella Kelly
- Matt's Chance as Mother Mable
- HENRi as Dr. Calvin
2012
- Servitude as Mrs. Crank
- 3 of a Kind as Claire
2011
- Sarina's Song as Maggie
- Redemption: For Robbing the Dead as Marlys Baptiste
2010
- R. L. Stine's The Haunting Hour as Mrs. Worthington
- Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics as Lois Lane (archive footage)
2009
- Halloween II as Barbara Collier
- Something Evil Comes as Claudia
- Martinis and Murder
2008
- The Box Collector as Beth
- A Single Woman as Storyteller
- You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story as Self
- On the Other Hand, Death: A Donald Strachey Mystery as Dorothy
- Universal Signs as Rose Callahan
2006
- Brothers and Sisters as Emily Craft
- Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut as Lois Lane
- Look, Up in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman as Self
- You Will Believe: The Cinematic Saga of Superman as Self
- The 12 Days of Black Christmas as Self
2005
- Robson Arms
- Cool Money as Peggy Comfort
- The Last Sign as Endora
- Chicks with Sticks as Edith Taymore
- Saturday Night Live: The Best of Dan Aykroyd as Mrs. Potter (archive footage)
- Gravel In Her Gut and Spit In Her Eye as Dorothy M. Johnson
- For God's Sake, Get Out! as Self
2004
- The L Word as Sandy Ziskin
- I'll Be Seeing You as Frances Grolier
- Death 4 Told as Madam Badeau (segment "The Psychic")
2003
- Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex 'n' Drugs 'n' Rock 'n' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood as Self
- 101 Most Shocking Moments in Entertainment as Self (archive footage)
2002
- Angel Blade as Frida
- Crime and Punishment as Mrs. Katerina Marmelodov
- Society's Child as Joan
2001
- Smallville as Bridgette Crosby
- Once Upon a Time: The Super Heroes as Lois Lane (archive footage)
- Making 'Superman': Filming the Legend as Self
- Taking Flight: The Development of 'Superman' as Self
2000
- Tribulation as Eileen Canboro
- Common Ground as Mrs. Nelson
- The Hi-Line as Laura Johnson
- Someone Is Watching as Sally Beckert
1999
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Grace Mayberry
- The Clown at Midnight as Ellen Gibby
- Crime in Connecticut: The Story of Alex Kelly as Melanie Kelly
- The Annihilation of Fish as Mrs. Muldroone
- Nightmare Man as Lillian Hannibal
1998
- The Teddy Bears' Scare as Mrs. Jones (voice)
1997
- Earth: Final Conflict as Dr. Josephine Mataros
- The Hunger as Helen Sloan
- Silent Cradle as Cindy Wilson
- Shadow Zone: My Teacher Ate My Homework as Sol
- Never Met Picasso as Genna Magnus
- The Planet of Junior Brown as Miss Peebs
1996
1995
- The Outer Limits as Serena
- Young Ivanhoe as Lady Margarite
- Bloodknot as Evelyn
1994
- Touched by an Angel as Rita Lasky
- Burke's Law as Joy Adams
- Phantom 2040
- Maverick as Margret Mary (uncredited)
- WindRunner as Sally 'Mom' Cima
- Beanstalk as Doctor Kate 'Doc' Winston
- Henry & Verlin as Mabel
- One Woman's Courage as Stella Jenson
- The Pornographer as Irene
- Phantom 2040: The Ghost Who Walks as Rebecca Madison
1993
- Intimate Portrait as Self
- La Florida as Vivy Lamori
1992
- To Catch a Killer as Rachel Grayson
- To Catch a Killer as Rachel Grayson
1991
- Delirious as Woman in Washroom (uncredited)
1990
- Captain Planet and the Planeteers as Gaia (voice)
- White Room as Madelaine X
1989
- Tales from the Crypt as Cynthia
- Mob Story as Dolores
1988
- Body of Evidence as Carol Dwyer
- Calling the Shots as Self
1987
- Superman IV: The Quest for Peace as Lois Lane
- The Grand Knockout Tournament as Self
- Shell Game
- Keeping Track as Mickey Tremaine
- Ozma of Oz as Narrator
- The Emerald City of Oz as Narrator
- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as Narrator
- The Marvelous Land of Oz as Narrator
1986
- Vanishing Act as Chris Kenyon
- GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords as Solitaire (voice)
- The Canadian Conspiracy as Self
1985
- Little Treasure as Margo
- The Making of 'Superman III' as Self
- Speaking Our Peace as Narrator
- Picking Up the Pieces as Lynette Harding
1984
- Murder, She Wrote as Ellen Holden
- The Glitter Dome as Willie
- Louisiana as Virginia Tregan
1983
- The Hitchhiker as Jane Reynolds
- Superman III as Lois Lane
- Trenchcoat as Mickey Raymond
- The Making of 'Superman II' as Lois Lane (uncredited)
- Pygmalion as Eliza Doolittle
1982
- The Making of 'Superman: The Movie' as Self
- Bus Stop as Cherie
- Some Kind of Hero as Toni Donovan
- Miss Right as Juliette
1981
- Heartaches as Rita Harris
1980
- Superman II as Lois Lane
- Willie & Phil as Jeannette Sutherland
1979
- The Amityville Horror as Kathy Lutz
- Mr. Mike's Mondo Video as Self
1978
- Superman as Lois Lane
- Shoot the Sun Down as The Woman from England
1975
- Saturday Night Live as Self - Host
- Les Rendez-vous du dimanche as Self
- Switch as Andrea Morris
- The Great Waldo Pepper as Maude
- The Reincarnation of Peter Proud as Marcia Curtis
- 92 in the Shade as Miranda
1974
- Am laufenden Band as Self - Guest
- Black Christmas as Barb
- The Dion Brothers as Margie
- Honky Tonk as Lucy Cotton
- A Quiet Day in Belfast as Brigit Slattery / Thelma Slattery
1973
- Barnaby Jones as Lori Wright
- Sisters as Danielle Breton / Dominique Blanchion
- The Suicide Club as Gerry
- Such Dust as Dreams Are Made On as Helen
1972
- Banacek as Linda Carsini
- The Bounty Man as Mae
1971
- Nichols as Ruth
- Suddenly Single as Jackie
1970
- Adventures in Rainbow Country as Dr. Janet Rhoades (young doctor)
- Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx as Zazel
1969
- Gaily, Gaily as Adeline
- The Best Damn Fiddler from Calabogie to Kaladar as Rosie
1968
- The Dick Cavett Show as Self - Guest
- The Mod Squad as Claire Allen