By Jeri Watson and Caty Weaver
Broadcast: December 26, 2004
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VOICE ONE:
I’m Steve Ember.
VOICE TWO:
And I’m Faith Lapidus with People in America in VOA Special English. Today we tell about five special people who died during the past year. We start with actor Christopher Reeve. He became a hero in real life as well as in the movies.
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VOICE ONE:
Christopher Reeve became famous as “Superman” in the movies about the comic-book hero who flew through the air and saved people’s lives. But Mister Reeve may be remembered longest for his activities during the last part of his life. He was thrown from a horse during a horseback-riding competition in nineteen ninety-five. He broke his neck and was unable to move his body. He was even unable to breathe for long periods without mechanical help. But later, he exercised hard on special equipment. Doctors expressed great surprise at the progress he made long after his injury.
Christopher Reeve breathes on his own
He also was a strong activist for medical research. He urged scientists to work to cure disabilities caused by back and neck injuries and disease.
VOICE TWO:
Christopher Reeve was born in New York City in nineteen fifty-two. After college, he studied acting at the Juilliard School of the Performing Arts in New York.
Mister Reeve first acted in a Broadway play in nineteen seventy-six. Then he became “Superman.” The movie was a huge success when it opened in nineteen seventy-eight. Mister Reeve starred in three more “Superman” films. Critics praised his performances in a number of other movies and plays.
VOICE ONE:
Christopher Reeve
Mister Reeve continued acting even after his riding accident. He appeared in an award-winning television movie in nineteen ninety-eight. In “Rear Window”, he played a man in a wheelchair who watches a murder in a nearby building. Most recently, Christopher Reeve directed a television film and wrote two books. He died October tenth at age fifty-two. He had suffered a severe infection resulting from his inability to move.
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VOICE TWO:
Do you recognize that voice? Many Americans, especially older ones, would. Julia Child was welcomed into homes across the United States for years through her television show, “The French Chef.”
Julia Child was not French, however. She was born Julia McWilliams in Pasadena, California in nineteen twelve. After college, Julia went to work for the United States’ intelligence agency, then called the Office of Strategic Services. World War Two was going on and Julia wanted to be a spy. The O.S.S. put Julia to work in Ceylon, now called Sri Lanka.
VOICE ONE:
There, she met Paul Child, another O.S.S. worker. They married in nineteen forty-six and later moved to Paris, France. Julia began taking classes at the famous cooking school, Cordon Bleu. She became friends with two French students, Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle. In time, the three began a cooking school of their own.
The Childs returned to America after about ten years. Julia kept working with her French friends to write a cookbook. The women wrote what is probably the most famous French cookbook in English. “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” was published in nineteen sixty-one. It was written for the average person. And the recipes called for products that could be found easily in American food stores.
VOICE TWO:
Julia Child was asked to talk about the book on a television show in Boston, Massachusetts. Instead, she cooked on the show. The television station asked Child to create her own cooking show. “The French Chef” was first broadcast in nineteen sixty-three. It became the longest running show on American public television, with more than two hundred episodes. Part of the show’s popularity was Julia Child’s friendly personality. She made mistakes while cooking and she did not try to hide them.
“The French Chef,” died in Montecito, California, on August thirteenth. She would have been ninety-two years old on August fifteenth.
