RIP: Margot Kidder has died at age 69

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

This is sad news, for sure. It looks like Margot Kidder has passed away at the age of 69. Kidder is someone who the general public will always remember as Lois Lane in Richard Donner's SUPERMAN series, but all of us horror fans will remember her for her roles in such classics as THE AMITYVILLE HORROR and BLACK CHRISTMAS.

On top of those classic horror roles, let's not forget that Kidder also starred in Brian DePalma's SISTERS in a killer dual role, THE CLOWN AT MIDNIGHT, and Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN II where she played Laure Strode's (Scout Taylor Compton) therapist.

Kidder passed away on Sunday at her home in Livingston, Montana and at the moment her cause of death is unknown. We will make sure to keep you guys up to date on what exactly happened to the actress. But until then let us know your favorite Kidder role below!

Bio via IMDb:

Margot Kidder was born Margaret Ruth Kidder in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, to Jocelyn Mary "Jill" (Wilson), a history teacher from British Columbia, and Kendall Kidder, a New Mexico-born mining engineer and explosives expert. Margot was a delightful child who took pride in everything she did. At an early age she became aware of the great emotions she felt towards expressing herself, and caught the acting bug. As a child she wrote in a diary that she wanted to become a movie star, and that one day it would happen, but she had to overcome something else first. She was aware that she was constantly facing mood swings, but wasn't aware why. At odd times she would try to kill herself – the first time was at age 14 – but the next day she would be just fine. Her father's hectic schedule and moving around so much didn't help matters, either, causing her to attend 11 schools in 12 years. Finally, in an attempt to help Margot with her troubles, her parents sent" her to a boarding school, where she took part in school plays, such as Romeo and Juliet", in which she played the lead.

After graduation Margot moved to Los Angeles to start a film career. She found herself dealing with a lot of prejudice, and hotheads, but later found solace with a Canadian agent. This was when she got her first acting job, in the Norman Jewison film Gaily, Gaily (1969). This led to another starring role in Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx (1970), in which she co-starred with Gene Wilder. After some harsh words from the film's director, Margot temporarily left films to study acting in New York, doing television work to pay her bills, but when the money ran out, she decided it was time to make a second try at acting. When she arrived in Hollywood she met up at a screen test with actress Jennifer Salt, resulting in a friendship that still stands strong today. Margot and Jennifer moved into a lofty beach house and befriended other, then unknown, struggling filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese, Brian De Palma, Steven Spielberg and Susan Sarandon, among others. Late nights would see the hot, happening youngsters up until all hours talking around a fire about how they were all going to change the film industry. It was crazy living and within the Christmas season, Margot had become involved with De Palma, and as a Christmas present he gave her the script to his upcoming film Sisters (1972). Margot and Salt both had the leads in the film, and it was a huge critical success.

The film made branded Margot as a major talent, and in the following years she starred in a string of critically acclaimed pictures, such as Black Christmas (1974), The Great Waldo Pepper (1975), 92 in the Shade (1975) – directed by Thomas McGuane, who was also her husband for a brief period – and a somewhat prophetic tale of self-resurrection, The Reincarnation of Peter Proud (1975).

After three years of being a housewife, looking after her daughter Maggie and not working, Margot decided it was time to let her emotions take control and get back into acting. Once her marriage to McGuane was over she eyed a script that would change her life forever. Her new agent hooked her up with a little-known director named Richard Donner. He was going to be directing a film called Superman (1978), and she auditioned for and secured the leading female role of Lois Lane. That film and Superman II (1980) were to be filmed simultaneously. After the success of "Superman" she took on more intense roles, such as The Amityville Horror (1979) and Willie & Phil (1980). After that, Margot did numerous films, television and theater work throughout the 1980s, including Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987). When the 1990s erupted with the Gulf War, Margot found herself becoming involved in politics. She made a stir in the biz when she spoke out against the military for their actions in Kuwait. She also appeared in a cameo in Donner's Maverick (1994).

In 1996, as she was preparing to write her autobiography, she began to become more and more paranoid. When her computer was infected with a virus, this gave her paranoia full rein, and she sank into bipolar disorder. She panicked, and the resulting psychological problems she created for herself resulted in her fantasizing that her first husband was going to kill her, so she left her home and faked her death, physically altering her appearance in the bargain. After an intervention took place, she got back on her feet and started the mental wellness campaign. Since then she has sustained her career in film, television, and theater, recently appearing in a Canadian stage production of "The Vagina Monologues".