Story highlights Kidder died Sunday at her home in Montana
Tributes poured in Monday on social media
(CNN) Margot Kidder, who found fame as Lois Lane in the 1978 film "Superman," died Sunday at her home in Montana, her manager confirmed to CNN.
She was 69 years old.
According to her manager, the actress died peacefully in her sleep.
Kidder starred opposite Christopher Reeve's Clark Kent and his alter ego Superman in the original film as well as the three sequels: "Superman II" in 1980, "Superman III" in 1983 and "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace" in 1987.
Reeve died in 2004 of complications from an infection, nine years after becoming a quadriplegic following a horse riding accident.
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Margot Kidder, whose best known role was as reporter Lois Lane in the 1978 Superman movie has died aged 69. The Franzen Davies funeral home in Montana confirmed her death on Sunday.
Kidder was born in Canada in 1948, and broke into film acting in the late 60s. Her first significant role was in the Gene Wilder comedy Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx in 1970. Brian DePalma cast her as conjoined twins in the cult horror Sisters (1973) before she graduated to a major Hollywood production opposite Robert Redford in The Great Waldo Pepper in 1975.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder and Marc McClure in Superman (1978). Photograph: Allstar/Warner Bros.
After she was cast as Lane by director Richard Donner opposite newcomer Christopher Reeve in the long-gestating Superman adaptation, in what was then considered a groundbreaking treatment of a comic book material, Superman became a massive hit and its studio Warner Bros’ biggest earner at that point. She would appear in three sequels: 1980’s Superman II (filmed at the same time, though with Donner replaced by Richard Lester), Superman III (1983) and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) – though her roles in the latter two were little more than cameos.
After the success of the first Superman movie, Kidder gained the lead role in another cult classic, The Amityville Horror, supposedly based on the real-life paranormal experiences of the Lutz family and their possessed house.
No kidding: Margot Kidder on Lois Lane and The Amityville Horror Read more
Kidder worked steadily through the 1980s, though issues with bipolar disorder resulted in a tumultuous personal life and a highly publicised breakdown in 1996 in which she disappeared for four days. She subsequently turned to social and political activism, becoming an organiser for the Progressive Democrats of America and writing numerous articles for left-leaning publications.
Kidder was married three times: to novelist Thomas McGuane (with whom she had a daughter, Maggie), actor John Heard (for six days) and film director Philippe de Broca.
Margot Kidder passed away at her home in Livingston, Montana at the age of 69 on Sunday, which was Mother's Day.
The brunette beauty from Canada was best known for playing Lois Lane in four Superman movies with Christopher Reeve in the Seventies and Eighties. She also was the star of the massive 1979 horror film The Amityville Horror with James Brolin and Rod Steiger.
It is not known yet what Kidder - who once dated directors Brian De Palma and Steven Spielberg - died from, according to TMZ. Police were called to her home by an unidentified person and when officials arrived, she was 'unconscious and not breathing.'
The icon had been ill; when she called into Detroit's The Drew And Mike Show on May 9, she said she had been 'in bed with the flu.'
Her death is under investigation but foul play is not suspected.
Gone too soon: Margot Kidder, who starred in four Superman films, has died at age 69; here she is seen in 1980 with Christopher Reeve in Superman II
The first one: Kidder and Reeve in the first Superman film which came out in 1978
When starring in the Superman movies, Margot was considered a pinup and often landed magazine covers, earning her a large fan base.
But all was not easy for her and for her Superman. Reeve died in 2004 after being paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair due to a horse riding accident in 1995.
Margot battled bipolar disorder for years and was very open about it. Her illness got so intense she was homeless for a while in 1996 after a breakdown that led her to disappear for four days.
She was found in a backyard by a homeowner and was taken by the Los Angeles Police Department to Olive View Medical Center in a manic state. Kidder was later placed in psychiatric care.
At work: In a photo op for 1978's Superman, Kidder could be seen sitting on her desk
She played the part of a pinup for the Superman films
Years later Margot said she had not had a manic episode for a long time because she had been cured by orthomolecular medicine. The movie icon went on to become an advocate for mental health awareness.
She also thrived as an actress after she got better.
In 2001, she played the abusive mother of a serial killer on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Kidder appeared on Broadway in The Vagina Monologues in December 2002, and toured with the show for two years.
In 2004, Kidder briefly returned to the Superman franchise in two episodes of the television series Smallville, as Bridgette Crosby opposite her Superman co-star, Reeve.
And in 2015 Kidder won an Emmy award for Outstanding Performer in Children's Programming for her performance in RL Stine's The Haunting Hour.
Looking great three years ago: The brunette at WonderCon Anaheim 2015
She loved her fans: The former stage star often went to fan conventions to sign autographs
Her last project was the film The Neighborhood with Danny Aiello, which came out earlier this year.
Kidder got her start in Hollywood with the 1968 film The Best Damn Fiddler From Calabogie To Kalada.
The next year she was cast opposite Beau Bridges in Gaily, Gaily, but it did little for her profile.
First big film: In 1975 she got a break when she worked with Robert Redford in The Great Waldo Pepper
Then the star popped up in TV shows such as Wojeck, Adventures in Rainbow Country, McQueen, and Nichols.
She struggled for years in film in LA and on stage in New York City until Brian De Palma cast her in the 1973 film Sisters in which she played conjoined twins. The two had a brief romance on the movie.
Next came the Black Christmas, The Gravy Train and A Quiet Day in Belfast, all of which came out in 1974.
Scary but successful: In 1979 she worked with James Brolin in The Amityville Horror
A movie and a romance: In 1981 she worked with Richard Pryor on Some Kind Of Hero. They also dated
The next year she worked with Robert Redford in The Great Waldo Pepper then with Peter Fonda in 92 In The Shade, making her a strong leading lady.
In 1976 she took time off to welcome her daughter, Maggie - now 41-years-old - her first husband, American novelist Thomas McGuane.
Two years later she was cast as Lois Lane in Superman, which was a smash success. Three sequels followed.
It was love: Her first husband was American novelist Thomas McGuane; seen in 1983
With her daughter Maggie in 1990
Between Superman films she made 1979's blockbuster The Amityville Horror, 1981's Heartaches, 1981's Some Kind Of Hero, 1983's Trenchcoat, 1984's The Glitter Dome, and 1985's Little Treasure.
She appeared in stage versions of Bus Stop and Pygmalion as well.
The beauty was married and divorced three times.
Her first husband was McGuane. Next came actor John Heard. They wed in 1979 but split six days later. She was married to French film director Philippe de Broca from 1983 to 1984.
The star also dated former Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau, directors Brian De Palma, writer/director Tom Mankiewicz and Steven Spielberg, as well as stand-up comedian Richard Pryor.
