Christopher Plummer
Known for: Acting
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
Series
The Mike Douglas Show
Self
1961
Series
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Nominee
1944
Series
The Dick Cavett Show
Self - Guest
1968
Series
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Self
2003
Series
The Cosby Show
Jonathan Lawrence
1984
Series
Tony Awards
Self - Presenter
1956
Series
Tony Awards
Self - Winner
1956
Series
Tony Awards
Self - Nominee
1956
Series
Tony Awards
Self - Nominee / Presenter
1956
Series
BBC Play of the Month
Don Juan
1965
Series
Studio One
Dick
1948
Series
American Experience
Narrator
1988
Series
Nature
Narrator (voice)
1982
Series
American Playhouse
Alfred Stieglitz
1982
Series
The Oscars
Self
1953
Series
The Ed Sullivan Show
Self
1948
Series
Omnibus
Narrator
1967
Film
Knives Out
Harlan Thrombey
2019
Film
Up
Charles Muntz (voice)
2009
Series
Omnibus
1952
Series
Omnibus
Oedipus
1952
Series
Omnibus
Thomas Mendip
1952
Film '72
Self
1971
Series
Suspense
1949
Film
National Treasure
John Adams Gates
2004
Film
Twelve Monkeys
Dr. Goines
1995
Film
The Sound of Music
Captain Georg von Trapp
1965
Film
A Beautiful Mind
Dr. Rosen
2001
Series
Departure
Howard Lawson
2019
Film
Inside Man
Arthur Case
2006
Film
Alexander
Aristotle
2004
Film
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Henrik Vanger
2011
Film
9
#1 (voice)
2009
Series
DuPont Show of the Month
Sir Miles Hendon
1957
Series
Counterstrike
Alexander Addington
1990
Series
Jesus of Nazareth
Herod Antipas
1977
Film
Priest
Monsignor Orelas
2011
Film
The Lake House
Simon Wyler
2006
Series
The Thorn Birds
Archbishop Vittorio Contini-Verchese
1983
Film
The Star
King Herod (voice)
2017
Film
The Insider
Mike Wallace
1999
Film
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Doctor Parnassus
2009
Film
All the Money in the World
Jean Paul Getty
2017
Film
The New World
Captain Newport
2005
Film
An American Tail
Henri (voice)
1986
Film
Danny Collins
Frank Grubman
2015
Film
Malcolm X
Chaplain Gill
1992
Film
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Chang
1991
Series
Nuremberg
Sir David Maxwell Fyfe
2000
Series
Madeline
Narrator (voice)
1988
Film
The Man Who Invented Christmas
Scrooge
2017
Series
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Dr. Jack Pelletier
1951
Series
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Torvald Helmer
1951
Series
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Prince Albert
1951
Series
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Captain Brassbound
1951
Series
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Cyrano de Bergerac
1951
Film
The Return of the Pink Panther
Sir Charles Litton
1975
The Sunday Drama
Sherlock Holmes
1977
Film
The Last Full Measure
Frank Pitsenbarger
2019
Film
Dracula 2000
Matthew Van Helsing
2000
Film
Somewhere in Time
William Fawcett 'W.F.' Robinson
1980
Series
Moguls & Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood
Self - Narrator (voice)
2010
Series
Arthur Hailey's The Moneychangers
Roscoe Heyward
1976
Film
Wolf
Raymond Alden
1994
Film
Dolores Claiborne
John Mackey
1995
Film
Syriana
Dean Whiting
2005
Film
Must Love Dogs
Bill
2005
Film
The Fall of the Roman Empire
Commodus
1964
Film
The Exception
Kaiser Wilhelm II
2017
Film
The Man Who Would Be King
Rudyard Kipling
1975
Film
Battle of Britain
Squadron Leader Colin Harvey
1969
NBC Sunday Showcase
1959
Film
Rock-A-Doodle
Grand Duke (voice)
1991
Film
The Night of the Generals
Field Marshal Rommel
1967
Series
The Summit
P.J. Aimes
2008
Film
Cold Creek Manor
Mr. Massie
2003
Series
SuperTed
1983
Film
Remember
Zev Guttman
2015
Film
The Last Station
Leo Tolstoy
2009
Film
Dragnet
Reverend Jonathan Whirley
1987
Film
Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen
(archive footage)
2012
Film
Hector and the Search for Happiness
Professor Coreman
2014
Series
Little Gloria... Happy at Last
Reggie Vanderbilt
1982
Film
Nicholas Nickleby
Ralph Nickleby
2002
Film
The Forger
Joseph Cutter
2014
Film
The Gospel of John
Narrator (voice)
2003
Film
Beginners
Hal Fields
2011
Series
General Electric Theater
Walter Shelley
1953
Film
Waterloo
Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington
1970
Film
Hanover Street
Paul Sellinger
1979
Film
Triple Cross
Freddie Chapman
1966
Film
Murder by Decree
Sherlock Holmes
1979
Film
Night of 100 Stars
Self
1982
Film
Closing the Ring
Jack
2007
Film
Dreamscape
Bob Blair
1984
Film
The Silent Partner
Reikle
1978
Film
Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight
John Marshall Harlan
2013
Series
Crossings
Armand DeVilliers
1986
Kraft Television Theatre
1953
Film
Boundaries
Jack
2018
Film
The Scarlet and the Black
Col. Herbert Kappler
1983
Film
Ararat
David
2002
Film
Heroes of the Golden Mask
Rizzo (voice)
2023
Film
Eyewitness
Joseph
1981
Film
Starcrash
The Emperor
1978
Film
The Legend of Sarila
Croolik (voice)
2013
Series
Miracle Planet
Himself - Host
2005
Film
Where the Heart Is
Shitty
1990
Series
The Arrow
George Hees
1997
Film
A Hazard of Hearts
Sir Giles Staverley
1987
Film
Pixies
Pixie King (voice)
2015
Film
Blizzard
Santa Claus
2003
Film
The Boy in Blue
Knox
1986
Film
Howard Lovecraft & The Kingdom Of Madness
Dr. Jeffrey West (voice)
2018
Film
Madeline: Lost in Paris
Narrator (voice)
1999
Film
A Ghost in Monte Carlo
The Grand Duke Ivan
1990
Film
Man in the Chair
Flash Madden
2007
Film
Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster
Self
2021
Film
Inside Daisy Clover
Raymond Swan
1966
Film
Red Blooded American Girl
Dr. John Alcore
1990
Film
Babes in Toyland
Barnaby Crookedman (voice)
1997
Film
Aces High
Capt. 'Uncle' Sinclair
1976
Film
Bondarchuk. Battle
self
2021
Film
Highpoint
James Hatcher
1984
Film
Already Dead
Dr. Heller
2007
Film
Eugene O’Neill: A Documentary Film
Self
2006
Film
Nosferatu in Venice
Professor Paris Catalano
1988
Film
Lucky Break
Graham Mortimer
2001
Film
Prototype
Dr. Carl Forrester
1983
Film
Natalie - A Tribute to a Very Special Lady
Self
1982
Film
Alan Pakula: Going for Truth
Self
2019
Film
International Velvet
John Seaton
1978
Series
Young Catherine
Sir Charles
1991
Film
The Amateur
Professor Lakos
1981
Film
Possessed
Archbishop Hume
2000
Film
Elsa & Fred
Fred
2014
Film
Ordeal by Innocence
Leo Argyle
1984
Film
The Clown at Midnight
Mr. Caruthers
1999
Film
The Day That Shook the World
Archduke Ferdinand
1975
Film
Harrison Bergeron
John Klaxon
1995
Film
Winchell
Franklin D. Roosevelt
1998
Film
The Boss' Wife
Mr. Roalvang
1986
Film
Howard Lovecraft & the Undersea Kingdom
Dr. West (voice)
2017
Film
The Royal Hunt of the Sun
Atahualpa
1969
Film
Crackerjack
Ivan Getz
1994
Film
Dial M for Murder
Tony Wendice
1981
Film
Our Fathers
Cardinal Bernard Law
2005
Film
Stage Struck
Joe Sheridan
1958
Film
Impolite
Naples O'Rorke
1992
Film
Lily in Love
Fitzroy Wynn / Roberto Terranova
1984
Film
Christopher Plummer: A Man For All Stages
Self
2002
Film
Mindfield
Doctor Satorius
1989
Film
The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind
Narrator (voice)
1988
Film
Lock Up Your Daughters
Lord Foppington
1969
Film
Wind Across the Everglades
Walt Murdock
1958
Film
A Stranger in the Mirror
Clifton Lawrence
1993
Film
Oedipus the King
Oedipus
1968
Series
Berlin Lady
Wilhelm Speer
1991
Film
Arthur Miller on Home Ground
1979
Film
Conduct Unbecoming
Major Alastair Wimbourne
1975
Film
Michael Caine: Breaking the Mold
Self (archive footage)
1994
Film
The Hamster Factor and Other Tales of 'Twelve Monkeys'
Self
1996
Film
Cliffs of Freedom
Thanasi
2019
Film
Howard Lovecraft & the Frozen Kingdom
Dr. West (voice)
2016
Madeline at the Ballet
Narrator (voice)
Film
The First Emperor of China
Self - Narrator (voice)
1989
Film
Little Moon of Alban
Kenneth Boyd
1958
Film
I Love N.Y.
John Robertson Yeats
1987
Film
A Doll's House
Torvald
1959
Boris Karloff: The Rest of the Story
Self
2022
Captain Brassbound's Conversion
Captain Brassbound
1960
Film
Discovering Hamlet
Self
2011
Film
Nobody Runs Forever
Sir James Quentin
1968
Film
Secrets
Mel Wexler
1992
Film
My Dog Tulip
J.R. Ackerley (voice)
2010
Film
The Conspiracy of Fear
Wakeman
1996
Film
The Life of Jesus
Narrator
2003
Film
Souvenir
Ernst Kestner
1989
Film
Full Disclosure
Robert Lecker
2001
Film
Back To "Somewhere In Time"
Self
2000
Film
Rumpelstiltskin
Narrator
1985
Film
The Shadow Box
Brian
1980
Film
Kalahari: The Flooded Desert
Narrator (voice)
2021
Film
Money
Martin Yahl
1991
Film
The First Circle
Viktor Abakumov
1992
Film
Nuremberg: The Nazis Facing their Crimes
Narrator (voice over)
2006
Film
Emotional Arithmetic
David Winters
2008
Film
Skeletons
Reverend Carlyle
1997
Film
American Tragedy
F. Lee Bailey
2000
Film
Desperate Voyage
Jacques Burrifous
1980
A Short Film About Making Beginners
2011
Film
The Happy Prince
The Happy Prince (voice)
1974
Film
The Captains: Still Kicking
Self
2013
Film
Hidden Agenda
Ulrich Steiner
1999
Film
Nabokov on Kafka
Vladimir Nabokov
1989
Film
When the Circus Came to Town
Duke Royal
1981
Film
Madeline and the Gypsies
Narrator (voice)
1991
Film
Salzburg Sight and Sound
Self
1965
Film
An Essay on Death: A Memorial to John F. Kennedy
Narrator (voice)
1964
Night Flight
'Flash' Harry Peters
2002
Film
Titans of the Ice Age
Narrator
2013
Film
Ben-Hur: The Making of an Epic
Narrator
1993
Film
The Dinosaur Hunter
Hump Hinton
2000
Film
Hamlet at Elsinore
Hamlet
1964
Film
Blackheart
Holmes
1998
Film
The Arrow
George Hees
1997
Film
Firehead
Col. Garland Vaughn
1991
Film
Four Minutes
Archie Mason
2005
Film
The Disappearance
Deverell
1977
Film
The Little Crooked Christmas Tree
Narrator
1990
Film
After the Fall
Quentin
1974
Film
Agent of Influence
John Watkins
2002
Film
The Pyx
Dt. Sgt. Jim Henderson
1973
Film
Kali, the Little Vampire
Narrator (english version)
2012
Film
The Tempest
Prospero
2010
30 Minutes, Mister Plummer
Himself
1963
Cyrano De Bergerac
Cyrano de Bergerac
1962
Film
We the Jury
Wilfred Fransiscus
1996
Film
The River of My Dreams
Himself
2017
Film
On Golden Pond
Norman Thayer
2001
Film
Hamlet {Solo}
Self
2007
Film
Madeline
Narrator (voice)
1988
Film
Caesar and Cleopatra
Caesar
2009
Film
Liar's Edge
Harry Weldon
1992
Film
Silver Blaze
Sherlock Holmes
1977
Film
Barrymore
John Barrymore
2012
Film
Madeline's Christmas
Narrator (voice)
1990
Film
Behind the Wall: The Making of Skyrim
Self
2012
Film
Riel
Prime Minister John A. Macdonald
1979
The Untold Story of The Sound of Music: A Diane Sawyer Special
Self
2015
Film
The First Christmas
Narrator (voice)
1998
Film
Spearfield's Daughter
Lord Jack Cruze
1986
Film
The Spiral Staircase
Dr. Joe Sherman
1975
Madeline and the Bad Hat
Narrator (voice)
1991
Film
Shadow Dancing
Edmund Beaumont
1988
Film
Being Different
Self (Narrator) (voice)
1981
Film
The Assignment
Kaptain Behounek
1977
Film
The Tin Soldier
Narrator (voice)
1986
Madeline in London
Narrator (voice)
1991
Johnny Belinda
Dr. Jack Pelletier
1958
Film
The Velveteen Rabbit
Narrator (voice)
1985
Ted Allan: Minstrel Boy of the 20th Century
Narrator (voice)
Trans-Canada Journey
Narrator (voice)
1963
Film
Mooseltoe
Mooseking
2021
Portraits of Canada
Narrator (voice)
1987
Film
The Nightingale
Narrator (voice)
1987