Monday, February 8, 2021

In Memory of Christopher Plummer (1929-2021)







Christopher Plummer (1929-2021)

Sorry. It took so long to write this obituary. The legendary Oscar-winning actor Christopher Plummer passed away on February 25th, 2021, after complications from a fall. He was 91 years old. Known for his elegant voice, Plummer was most famous as Captain Von Trapp in "The Sound of Music", and his career has spanned decades more than 70.

The Canadian-born actor began his career on Broadway in the 1950s and was well-versed and trained in Shakespeare. He appeared in several productions on stage and screen before landing a role in the 1965 musical opposite Julie Andrews that would catapult him into fame. Writing in his memoirs, he admitted that he had mixed feelings about "The Sound of Music" and the success it enjoyed.

His other memorable roles include newsman Mike Wallace in "The Insider", a Klingon general in "Star Trek: VI: The Undiscovered Country", and the evil explorer Charles Muntz in "Up". He also portrayed Rudyard Kipling in "The Man Who Would Be King" opposite Sean Connery and Michael Caine and Sherlock Holmes in "Murder by Decree".

In 2009, Plummer received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in the movie "The Last Station". In that film, he played Leo Tolstoy, who was in his last year before dying. In 2010, he portrayed a now openly gay museum director in "Beginners", which won him an Oscar. In 2017, Plummer replaced Kevin Spacey as J. Paul Getty in Ridley Scott's "All the Money in the World". Six weeks of filming took place before the movie came out in theatres. It earned him his third Oscar nomination and made him the oldest actor to receive that. One of his last films was opposite Ana de Armas, Daniel Craig and Chris Evans in Rian Johnson's ensemble mystery movie "Knives Out".

He was married three times, twice divorced and had a daughter, actress Amanda Plummer, from his first marriage.