Robin Williams was the first to visit Christopher Reeve after a paralyzing fall

The late comedian and actor Robin Williams was the first person to show up at the hospital to visit his best friend Christopher Reeve after the “Superman” star was paralyzed following a fall from a horse.

“Robin was dad’s best friend, and you’re there for your friends,” Reeve’s son Will Reeve said in an interview with People. “Our dad and Robin had a unique bond… They had a friendship that someone should make a movie about, but what came through was just their love and respect for each other, and that never wavered.”

Williams and Reeve became friends after meeting as students at the famous Juilliard school in 1973. Their friendship is portrayed in the new documentary “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story,” which examines Reeve’s life and career while also showing how Williams’ comedy helped him cope mentally with his tragic accident.

On May 27, 1995, Reeve injured his spinal cord in a fall during an equestrian competition. During his hospital stay, Williams – who his children say was like their father’s “brother” – jokingly pretended to be a Russian proctologist just to make his friend giggle.

“No one was better at bringing love and humor than Robin Williams and his wife Marsha, who we call our fairy godmother,” Will said. “We are still so incredibly close to her.”

Reeve is the actor with the most experience portraying the nearly invincible DC character, having played the caped Kryptonian longer than any other actor in film history. He died of heart failure on October 10, 2004, at the age of 52. Williams committed suicide ten years later on August 11, 2014, at the age of 63.

“Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story,” produced by Words+ Pictures, will be released in select theaters on September 21 and 25.