Reeve left Kessler feeling inspiration from the other patients he had met . Because the media was constantly covering him , he decided to use his name to put focus on spinal cord injuries . In 1996 , he appeared at the Academy Awards to a long standing ovation and gave a speech about Hollywood 's duty to make movies that face the world 's most important issues head-on . He also hosted the Paralympics in Atlanta and spoke at the Democratic National Convention . He traveled across the country to make speeches , never needing a teleprompter or a script . For these efforts , he was placed on the cover of '' TIME '' on August 26 , 1996 . In the same year , he narrated the HBO film '' Without Pity : A Film About Abilities '' . The film won the Emmy Award for " Outstanding Informational Special " . He then acted in a small role in the film '' A Step Towards Tomorrow ''
Academy Awards
68th Academy Awards
Christopher Reeve