MEDIA ADVISORY

A SPECIAL EDITION OF "20/20" WITH BARBARA WALTERS -- "CHRISTOPHER REEVE, A TRIBUTE TO COURAGE"

One-hour Tribute to Air Tonight, Monday, October 11, 8:00-9:00 p.m., et, and Following "Monday Night Football" on the West Coast on ABC

Barbara Walters will anchor a special tribute tonight to Christopher Reeve who died yesterday of heart failure. "A Special Edition of 20/20: Christopher Reeve, a Tribute to Courage" airs tonight, MONDAY, OCTOBER 11 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET, and following "Monday Night Football" on the West Coast) on the ABC Television Network.

Best known for his movie portrayal of Superman, Reeve, 52, became a worldwide advocate for spinal cord research after a near-fatal riding accident in 1995. He spoke about the accident for the first time in an interview with Walters that year, and the two spoke on camera four additional times, most recently last year. It was during this last awe-inspiring interview that Reeve took out his ventilator and breathed briefly on his own. Tonight's one-hour special will feature some of the most memorable moments from Walters' interviews with Reeve, will look at the struggles Reeve faced in his recovery possibilities and how he pushed the envelope, and will examine his legacy in scientific research and interpretation of stem cell research. ABC News will also speak with friends and co-workers, explore his career and look at the incredible love story with his wife Dana.

Reeve once told Walters that he thought it was possible that he would walk again, but if he didn't, "...either you do or you don't. You just play the hand you're dealt. Sometimes you get a lot of face cards, sometimes you don't. But I think the game's worthwhile, I really do."

In his final interview with Walters last year, he said: "Being physically paralyzed for eight years, I get pretty impatient with people who are able-bodied but are somehow paralyzed for other reasons. You know, all the reasons people don't become what they could become or don't fulfill their potential, and they're walking around able-bodied, I'm going, 'come on, come on, go for it.'"

Reeve and Walters not only shared a friendship, they shared a birthday.

The executive producer is David Sloan. (CLOSED CAPTIONED)