London, May 15: Veteran actor Margot Kidder, best known for playing Lois Lane in 1978 film "Superman," has died. She was 69. The actor died peacefully in her sleep at her home in Montana, the Guardian reported. Funeral arrangements are pending, according to Franzen-Davis Funeral Home and Crematory in Livingston, Montana.

Kidder began acting in the late 1960s but rose to fame in 1978 for her role as Lois Lane in "Superman: The Movie" opposite Christopher Reeve. She went on to reprise the part in the movie's three sequels. She also starred as Kathy Lutz in "The Amityville Horror" (1979), and appeared in movies such as "Black Christmas" (1974) and "Heartaches" (1981). Kidder served as producer and played Eliza Doolittle in a 1983 adaptation of "Pygmalion" with Peter O'Toole for Showtime.

The actor 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 and film director Philippe de Broca. She is survived by her daughter, Maggie.