MARGOT KIDDER, the Canadian actress who starred as Lois Lane opposite Christopher Reeve in the Superman film franchise of the 1970s and 1980s, has died aged 69.

Kidder died on Sunday at her home in Livingston, Montana, according to a notice on the website of Franzen-Davis Funeral Home.

Kidder’s manager Camilla Fluxman Pines said she died peacefully in her sleep and no cause or details were given.

Superman, directed by Richard Donner and released in 1978, was a superhero blockbuster two decades before comic book movies became the norm at the top of the box office.

It is cited as an essential inspiration by makers of modern day Marvel and DC films.

Kidder and Reeve went on to star in three more Superman movies, the fourth and last in 1987.