Born in Yellowknife to a Canadian mother and an American father, Kidder was raised in the Northwest Territories as well as several other Canadian provinces. She began her acting career in the 1960s appearing in low-budget Canadian films and television series, before landing a lead role in "Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx" (1970). She then played twins in Brian De Palma's cult thriller "Sisters" (1973), a sorority student in the slasher film "Black Christmas" (1974) and the titular character's girlfriend in the drama "The Great Waldo Pepper" (1975), opposite Robert Redford. In 1977, she was cast as Lois Lane in Richard Donner's "Superman" (1978), a role that established her as a mainstream actress. Her performance as Kathy Lutz in the blockbuster horror film "The Amityville Horror" (1979) gained her further mainstream exposure, after which she went on to reprise her role as Lois Lane in "Superman" "II", "III", and "" (1980–1987).