From Hollywood celebrity and a catastrophic mental health crisis to a tranquil existence in Montana and an unexpected request in her dying years, this actress’s story is one of perseverance.
For many, this Hollywood actress will always be Superman’s Lois Lane—intelligent, brave, and full of energy. Beyond the silver screen, her journey was considerably more complicated, as she experienced both Hollywood’s greatest heights and its most terrible lows.
In her final years, she sought solace in Montana, far from the spotlight. Then, after she died, a shocking revelation about her dying desire surfaced. Take a deeper look at this actress’ remarkable story.
Long before becoming a household name, this actress was a young girl with enormous goals and even deeper emotions. She had a strong connection to storytelling and performing from a young age, and it provided an outlet for her ever-changing feelings.
Despite early success, a stinging review from a director caused the actress to question her ability, causing her to take a break from movies.
She once wrote in her childhood notebook that she wanted to be a movie star someday. But before she could strive for the heavens, she had to get over the inner anguish that seemed to follow her everywhere she went.
Recognizing her difficulties, her parents found a solution to assist their daughter. They sent her to boarding school, where she discovered her passion for the theater.
Performing in school productions, particularly a memorable role as Juliet in “Romeo and Juliet,” reinforced her love of acting. For the first time, she felt at ease in a society where emotions were not just tolerated but encouraged.
Following graduation, the actress focused her sights on Hollywood. However, entering into the film industry was not an easy task. The competitive nature of the business, along with industry prejudices, made her first years in Los Angeles difficult.
She struggled to establish her footing until she met a Canadian agent who saw her potential. This link led to her first significant film part in “Gaily, Gaily” in 1969, which served as a springboard for future opportunities.
In 1970, she co-starred with Gene Wilder in the film “Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx.” Despite early success, a stinging review from a director caused the actress to question her ability, causing her to take a break from movies.
She relocated to New York, taking on television parts to support herself while honing her talent. When her finances dried up, she returned to Hollywood, ready to try again.
An accidental encounter at a screen test led her to Jennifer Salt, an aspiring actor who became a lifetime companion. The two young ladies rented a seaside home together, establishing a temporary sanctuary for struggling artists.
Their regular houseguests were now-iconic directors such as Martin Scorsese, Brian De Palma, and Steven Spielberg—an ambitious bunch of creatives who spent long hours fantasizing about transforming the cinema business. to try again.
Her depiction of Lois Lane, alongside Christopher Reeve’s Superman, captivated fans and established her position in Hollywood history.
During this time, she became acquainted with De Palma, who saw her potential and put her in his psychological thriller “Sisters” in 1972. The picture was a critical triumph, establishing her as a rising star.
This breakthrough performance launched a succession of outstanding films in the 1970s, including the horror classic “Black Christmas,” the adventure drama “The Great Waldo Pepper,” and the supernatural thriller “The Reincarnation of Peter Proud.”
However, the singer took a little break from the spotlight to focus on family life. Marriage and parenthood became her primary focus, and she took a break from performing to raise her kid.
However, after three years of domesticity, the desire to return to the screen proved difficult to resist. Now single and anxious to restart her career, she set her sights on a job that would permanently alter her history.
Her agency brought her to Richard Donner, a relatively unknown filmmaker looking for the ideal woman to play Lois Lane in “Superman.”
Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder on the set of “Superman”. (1978) pic.twitter.com/9JMKPkbyV8
— History Defined (@historydefined) March 16, 2025
With her newfound prominence, the actress proceeded to take on challenging and diverse parts. Her career in cinema, television, and theater grew during the 1980s, culminating in a return to her most renowned performance in “Superman IV: The Quest for Peace” in 1987.
Despite her many triumphs, the singer has struggled with mental health issues her whole life. Her internal fights were more difficult to control over time, finally culminating in a life-altering incident.
By the mid-1990s, the brilliant lights of Hollywood had faded, and the actress had entered one of the darkest periods of her life. She vanished without a trace in April 1996, prompting a desperate search by her loved ones.
Four days later, her discovery revealed a devastating situation. She had sought sanctuary in a cardboard box belonging to a homeless guy named Charlie in downtown Los Angeles, where she was disoriented, missing some of her dental work, and dressed raggedly.
The descent began with a catastrophic personal tragedy. The actress had spent years working on her memoir, “Calamities,” putting her life into its pages.
But in an instant, a computer virus erased three years of her effort. Panicked and frantic, she rushed to Los Angeles on April 16th, believing that a data recovery business might retrieve her lost information. However, she was informed of the worst imaginable news: the files had vanished. She later admitted:
“That’s when I went from really distressed to absolute delusion.”
Her family in Montana was shocked by her absence. Her daughter, Maggie Kern, and her agent initiated a frantic search.
In the early hours of April 21, confusion and terror set in. She tried to take a cab but didn’t have enough money to pay the fee. Outside the airport, she attempted to withdraw money but became worried that the ATM was about to explode.
She fled, terrified. She spent the next few hours traveling through strange streets, seeking refuge on porches and in backyards as her anxiety grew. By the afternoon, she had traveled about 20 kilometers and reached downtown, where two homeless men provided her with shelter.
As she sat among them, attempting to lighten the mood, one of the men simply stated, “None of us are from this neighborhood.” The words shocked her—just days before, she had been working on her book and living a very different existence. Now she was one of them.
On one occasion, the actress witnessed another homeless man doing narcotics. Concerned, she said, “Don’t do that to your body.” He said frankly, “Don’t you be judgin’.” That incident forced her to face her reality. She reflected:
“He’s correct. have no right to claim superiority. Here I am.” I’m homeless.
Her family in Montana was shocked by her absence. Her daughter, Maggie Kern, and her agent initiated a frantic search.
Kern phoned the LAPD and made frantic calls for hours. The police cautioned that they couldn’t guarantee the actress’s survival. She said, “I even tore apart my mother’s cabin looking for old phone books.”
But her brother never gave up hope. “[She] is quite powerful. “She is a survivor,” he explained. A 911 call led officers to her location, marking a breakthrough.
Officers from Glendale PD found her and took her to Olive View Medical Center for observation. On April 25, her sister scheduled a transfer to UCLA Medical Center, hoping the actress would get better treatment there.
After his injury, her “Superman” co-star became a well-known symbol of endurance, but she was frequently the subject of depressing headlines.
However, in order to go, she had to appear in court on April 30 and demonstrate that she posed no risk to herself or others. After the catastrophe, she realized one thing had to change: her connection with her daughter.
The actress has long felt guilty about Maggie’s troubled upbringing. She had also gone through several marriages, leaving her daughter with no feeling of stability. The celebrity also admitted:
“Manics run through a lot of money, so there was no financial security.”
Nonetheless, she embarked on the path to rehabilitation. She remained realistic about her challenges, though. “I’m not saying it’s all over,” she replied. “I’m stating that this is the pattern of my life. In three years, I could have another wig out. I have no idea. I just have to accept that this is who I am, or I won’t make it.”
Unfortunately, the industry was less forgiving. Despite her “Superman” co-star becoming a well-known symbol of endurance following his injury, the headlines frequently depicted her as a sad figure.
However, those closest to her understood she was much more than that. Rosie Shuster, a lifelong acquaintance, praised the actress with one simple phrase: “[She] has the resilience of Rasputin.” “She keeps coming back.”
This actress is none other than Margot Kidder, who, after leaving the Hollywood limelight, found serenity in a tranquil existence in Livingston, Montana.
She continued to appear in lesser films while devoting herself to political action and mental health advocacy. She became an outspoken advocate for individuals suffering from mental illnesses, unwilling to hide her personal experiences.
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“She was completely open,” said her friend and director, Frank D’Angelo. “She was homeless, and she did not regret it. To her, it was an experience.
Regrettably, her death at home occurred on May 13, 2018. She was 69. Initially, her management said that Kidder died quietly in her sleep.
However, in August 2018, the Park County coroner determined her death a suicide as the result of a self-inflicted drug and alcohol overdose. Her daughter had sensed the truth when she arrived at her mother’s house. She said:
“It’s a huge comfort that the truth is out there. It’s critical to be upfront and honest so there’s no sense of guilt in dealing with this.”
Kidder had always lived her life on her own terms, and even in death, she made an uncommon request. She had lived at the base of Canyon Mountain and had a profound affection for the local wolves, frequently leaving meat out to watch them graze.
She reportedly told friends that if she died, her last request would be to have her body wrapped in a bedsheet and placed on the mountain for the wolves.
“If she ever went missing, she wanted the world to know she was wolf food,” said writer Ted Geoghegan. However, when she died, paramedics were summoned, and her desires were not accomplished.
“I’m doubly sad she didn’t get to quietly disappear into the bellies of what would have been some very loopy wolves,” Geoghegan said.
While many people remember Kidder as the daring and lovely Lois Lane or the wild actress from the tabloids, those who knew her well knew she was much more than that. One friend observed:
“It’s unfortunate how people remember her. She was far more than that.” She was such a caring individual.”
Morgot Kidder’s legacy remains a complex one — a woman who embraced the highs and lows of life, who fought for the causes she believed in, and who, in the end, wanted nothing more than to be free in the place she loved most.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text “help” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741, or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.