Spider-Man's Christopher Tierney Is Walking Following Back Surgery

By Andrew Gans
25 Dec 2010

Christopher Tierney
Christopher Tierney

Christopher Tierney, the Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark performer who was injured during the Dec. 20 performance of the new musical, is recovering following back surgery, according to the Associated Press.

Tim Tierney, the performer's father, told AP that Dec. 24 marked the first time his son was able to walk since the accident.

The actor, who fell 30 feet at the Foxwoods Theatre, is spending the Christmas holiday in the hospital with his mother and brother. Spider-Man director Julie Taymor paid another visit to the injured Tierney Christmas Eve.

Christopher Tierney's injuries, AP states, include a "hairline skull fracture, four broken ribs, a bruised lung, internal bleeding and cracks in three lumbar vertebrae."

The young artist will remain in the intensive care unit at least until Dec. 27. Plans are for the actor to recover in New York. Tierney's father said his son hopes to rejoin the cast, although doctors are currently unable to provide a timeframe for recovery.

Spider-Man marks the Broadway debut for the young performer, who was a featured actor and dancer in "Across the Universe," which was also directed by Spider's Julie Taymor. He has also worked with the dance companies Hubbard Street, Ballet Jazz du Montreal and Houston Ballet, and his other stage credits include the Toronto production of Dirty Dancing and the national tour of Moving Out. In his Playbill bio for Spider-Man, Tierney says, "All his love and gratitude to his family."