Christopher Plummer
Born: 1929-12-13 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Died: 2021-02-05
Known For: Acting
Biography
Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer CC (December 13, 1929 – February 5, 2021) was a Canadian theatre, film and television actor. He made his film debut in 1958's Stage Struck, and notable film performances include The Night of the Generals, The Return of the Pink Panther, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, The Man Who Would Be King, and The Insider. In a career that spans seven decades and includes substantial roles in each of the dramatic arts, Plummer is probably best known to film audiences as the autocratic widower Captain Georg Johannes von Trapp in the hit 1965 musical film The Sound of Music alongside Julie Andrews. Plummer has also ventured into various television projects, including the legendary miniseries The Thorn Birds. In the 21st century, his film roles include The Insider as Mike Wallace, Inside Man with Denzel Washington, the Disney–Pixar 2009 film Up as Charles Muntz, the Shane Acker production 9 as '1', The Last Station as Leo Tolstoy, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus as Doctor Parnassus, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo as Henrik Vanger, and Beginners as Hal. Plummer has won numerous awards and accolades for his work, including an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, a Golden Globe Award, a SAG Award, and a BAFTA Award. With his win at the age of 82 in 2012 for Beginners, Plummer is the oldest actor and person ever to win an Academy Award. On February 5, 2021, Plummer died at his home in Weston, Connecticut, aged 91, after suffering complications from a fall. His family released a statement announcing that Plummer had "died peacefully at his home in Connecticut with his wife Elaine Taylor at his side".
Filmography
2023
- Heroes of the Golden Mask as Rizzo (voice)
2022
2021
- Bondarchuk. Battle as self
- Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster as Self
- Kalahari: The Flooded Desert as Narrator (voice)
- Mooseltoe as Mooseking
2020
- The Last Full Measure as Frank Pitsenbarger
2019
- Knives Out as Harlan Thrombey
- Departure as Howard Lawson
- Alan Pakula: Going for Truth as Self
- Cliffs of Freedom as Thanasi
2018
- Boundaries as Jack
- Howard Lovecraft & The Kingdom Of Madness as Dr. Jeffrey West (voice)
2017
- The Star as King Herod (voice)
- All the Money in the World as Jean Paul Getty
- The Exception as Kaiser Wilhelm II
- The Man Who Invented Christmas as Scrooge
- Howard Lovecraft & the Undersea Kingdom as Dr. West (voice)
- The River of My Dreams as Himself
2016
- Howard Lovecraft & the Frozen Kingdom as Dr. West (voice)
2015
- Danny Collins as Frank Grubman
- Remember as Zev Guttman
- Pixies as Pixie King (voice)
- The Untold Story of The Sound of Music: A Diane Sawyer Special as Self
2014
- Hector and the Search for Happiness as Professor Coreman
- The Forger as Joseph Cutter
- Elsa & Fred as Fred
2013
- The Legend of Sarila as Croolik (voice)
- Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight as John Marshall Harlan
- Titans of the Ice Age as Narrator
- The Captains: Still Kicking as Self
2012
- Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen as (archive footage)
- Kali, the Little Vampire as Narrator (english version)
- Behind the Wall: The Making of Skyrim as Self
- Barrymore as John Barrymore
2011
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo as Henrik Vanger
- Priest as Monsignor Orelas
- Beginners as Hal Fields
- Discovering Hamlet as Self
- A Short Film About Making Beginners
2010
- Moguls & Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood as Self - Narrator (voice)
- My Dog Tulip as J.R. Ackerley (voice)
- The Tempest as Prospero
2009
- Up as Charles Muntz (voice)
- 9 as #1 (voice)
- The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus as Doctor Parnassus
- The Last Station as Leo Tolstoy
- Caesar and Cleopatra as Caesar
2008
- The Summit as P.J. Aimes
- Emotional Arithmetic as David Winters
2007
- Closing the Ring as Jack
- Already Dead as Dr. Heller
- Man in the Chair as Flash Madden
- Hamlet {Solo} as Self
2006
- Inside Man as Arthur Case
- The Lake House as Simon Wyler
- Eugene O’Neill: A Documentary Film as Self
- Nuremberg: The Nazis Facing their Crimes as Narrator (voice over)
2005
- The New World as Captain Newport
- Must Love Dogs as Bill
- Syriana as Dean Whiting
- Miracle Planet as Himself - Host
- Our Fathers as Cardinal Bernard Law
- Four Minutes as Archie Mason
2004
- National Treasure as John Adams Gates
- Alexander as Aristotle
2003
- The Ellen DeGeneres Show as Self
- Cold Creek Manor as Mr. Massie
- The Gospel of John as Narrator (voice)
- Blizzard as Santa Claus
- The Life of Jesus as Narrator
2002
- Nicholas Nickleby as Ralph Nickleby
- Ararat as David
- Agent of Influence as John Watkins
- Christopher Plummer: A Man For All Stages as Self
- Night Flight as 'Flash' Harry Peters
2001
- A Beautiful Mind as Dr. Rosen
- Lucky Break as Graham Mortimer
- Full Disclosure as Robert Lecker
- On Golden Pond as Norman Thayer
2000
- Dracula 2000 as Matthew Van Helsing
- Nuremberg as Sir David Maxwell Fyfe
- Possessed as Archbishop Hume
- The Dinosaur Hunter as Hump Hinton
- American Tragedy as F. Lee Bailey
- Back To "Somewhere In Time" as Self
1999
- The Insider as Mike Wallace
- Madeline: Lost in Paris as Narrator (voice)
- Hidden Agenda as Ulrich Steiner
- The Clown at Midnight as Mr. Caruthers
1998
- Winchell as Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Blackheart as Holmes
- The First Christmas as Narrator (voice)
1997
- Babes in Toyland as Barnaby Crookedman (voice)
- The Arrow as George Hees
- Skeletons as Reverend Carlyle
- The Arrow as George Hees
1996
- The Hamster Factor and Other Tales of 'Twelve Monkeys' as Self
- The Conspiracy of Fear as Wakeman
- We the Jury as Wilfred Fransiscus
1995
- Twelve Monkeys as Dr. Goines
- Dolores Claiborne as John Mackey
- Harrison Bergeron as John Klaxon
1994
- Wolf as Raymond Alden
- Crackerjack as Ivan Getz
- Michael Caine: Breaking the Mold as Self (archive footage)
1993
- Ben-Hur: The Making of an Epic as Narrator
- A Stranger in the Mirror as Clifton Lawrence
1992
- Malcolm X as Chaplain Gill
- Secrets as Mel Wexler
- Impolite as Naples O'Rorke
- The First Circle as Viktor Abakumov
- Liar's Edge as Harry Weldon
1991
- Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country as Chang
- Rock-A-Doodle as Grand Duke (voice)
- Young Catherine as Sir Charles
- Firehead as Col. Garland Vaughn
- Berlin Lady as Wilhelm Speer
- Money as Martin Yahl
- Madeline in London as Narrator (voice)
- Madeline and the Bad Hat as Narrator (voice)
- Madeline and the Gypsies as Narrator (voice)
1990
- Counterstrike as Alexander Addington
- Where the Heart Is as Shitty
- Red Blooded American Girl as Dr. John Alcore
- A Ghost in Monte Carlo as The Grand Duke Ivan
- Madeline's Christmas as Narrator (voice)
- The Little Crooked Christmas Tree as Narrator
1989
- Nabokov on Kafka as Vladimir Nabokov
- Souvenir as Ernst Kestner
- Mindfield as Doctor Satorius
- The First Emperor of China as Self - Narrator (voice)
1988
- American Experience as Narrator
- Madeline as Narrator (voice)
- Nosferatu in Venice as Professor Paris Catalano
- The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind as Narrator (voice)
- Shadow Dancing as Edmund Beaumont
- Madeline as Narrator (voice)
1987
- Dragnet as Reverend Jonathan Whirley
- A Hazard of Hearts as Sir Giles Staverley
- I Love N.Y. as John Robertson Yeats
- Portraits of Canada as Narrator (voice)
- The Nightingale as Narrator (voice)
1986
- An American Tail as Henri (voice)
- Crossings as Armand DeVilliers
- The Boy in Blue as Knox
- The Boss' Wife as Mr. Roalvang
- Spearfield's Daughter as Lord Jack Cruze
- The Tin Soldier as Narrator (voice)
1985
- Rumpelstiltskin as Narrator
- The Velveteen Rabbit as Narrator (voice)
1984
- The Cosby Show as Jonathan Lawrence
- Dreamscape as Bob Blair
- Ordeal by Innocence as Leo Argyle
- Highpoint as James Hatcher
- Lily in Love as Fitzroy Wynn / Roberto Terranova
1983
- The Thorn Birds as Archbishop Vittorio Contini-Verchese
- SuperTed
- The Scarlet and the Black as Col. Herbert Kappler
- Prototype as Dr. Carl Forrester
1982
- Nature as Narrator (voice)
- American Playhouse as Alfred Stieglitz
- Night of 100 Stars as Self
- Little Gloria... Happy at Last as Reggie Vanderbilt
- Natalie - A Tribute to a Very Special Lady
1981
- Eyewitness as Joseph
- The Amateur as Professor Lakos
- Dial M for Murder as Tony Wendice
- Being Different as Self (Narrator) (voice)
- When the Circus Came to Town as Duke Royal
1980
- Somewhere in Time as William Fawcett 'W.F.' Robinson
- Desperate Voyage as Jacques Burrifous
- The Shadow Box as Brian
1979
- Hanover Street as Paul Sellinger
- Murder by Decree as Sherlock Holmes
- Riel as Prime Minister John A. Macdonald
- Arthur Miller on Home Ground
1978
- Starcrash as The Emperor
- The Silent Partner as Reikle
- International Velvet as John Seaton
1977
- Jesus of Nazareth as Herod Antipas
- The Sunday Drama as Sherlock Holmes
- The Disappearance as Deverell
- The Assignment as Kaptain Behounek
- Silver Blaze as Sherlock Holmes
1976
- Arthur Hailey's The Moneychangers as Roscoe Heyward
- Aces High as Capt. 'Uncle' Sinclair
1975
- The Man Who Would Be King as Rudyard Kipling
- The Return of the Pink Panther as Sir Charles Litton
- The Day That Shook the World as Archduke Ferdinand
- Conduct Unbecoming as Major Alastair Wimbourne
- The Spiral Staircase as Dr. Joe Sherman
1974
- The Happy Prince as The Happy Prince (voice)
- After the Fall as Quentin
1973
- The Pyx as Dt. Sgt. Jim Henderson
1971
- Film '72 as Self
1970
- Waterloo as Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington
1969
- Battle of Britain as Squadron Leader Colin Harvey
- The Royal Hunt of the Sun as Atahualpa
- Lock Up Your Daughters as Lord Foppington
1968
- The Dick Cavett Show as Self - Guest
- Oedipus the King as Oedipus
- Nobody Runs Forever as Sir James Quentin
1967
- Omnibus as Narrator
- The Night of the Generals as Field Marshal Rommel
1966
- Triple Cross as Freddie Chapman
- Inside Daisy Clover as Raymond Swan
1965
- BBC Play of the Month as Don Juan
- The Sound of Music as Captain Georg von Trapp
- Salzburg Sight and Sound as Self
1964
- The Fall of the Roman Empire as Commodus
- Hamlet at Elsinore as Hamlet
- An Essay on Death: A Memorial to John F. Kennedy as Narrator (voice)
1963
- Trans-Canada Journey as Narrator (voice)
- 30 Minutes, Mister Plummer as Himself
1962
- Cyrano De Bergerac as Cyrano de Bergerac
1961
- The Mike Douglas Show as Self
1960
- Captain Brassbound's Conversion as Captain Brassbound
1959
- NBC Sunday Showcase
- A Doll's House as Torvald
1958
- Stage Struck as Joe Sheridan
- Wind Across the Everglades as Walt Murdock
- Johnny Belinda as Dr. Jack Pelletier
- Little Moon of Alban as Kenneth Boyd
1957
- DuPont Show of the Month as Sir Miles Hendon
1956
- Tony Awards as Self - Presenter
1953
- The Oscars as Self
- General Electric Theater as Walter Shelley
- Kraft Television Theatre
1952
1951
- Hallmark Hall of Fame as Dr. Jack Pelletier
1949
1948
- Studio One as Dick
- The Ed Sullivan Show as Self
1944
- Golden Globe Awards as Self - Nominee