CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER
December 13, 1929 – February 5, 2021
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
91 years old
“I think anger does fuel a successful acting career. To play the great roles, you have to learn how to blaze.”
—Christopher Plummer
Aristotle, Tolstoy, John Barrymore, Jean Paul Getty. Yes, these are great historical men, but it’s also a list of some of Christoper Plummer’s greatest roles. Robert Wise, Terry Gilliam, Ridley Scott, Ron Howard, Spike Lee, Oliver Stone, David Fincher. Yes, this is a list of some of the greatest directors to ever work in the industry, but it’s also a list of the many directors who ever had the pleasure of working with Christopher Plummer. The man had a career that spanned almost eight decades and still it took until he was 88 years old to win his first Academy Award.
The first performance of Christopher Plummer’s I ever remember noticing was his turn as Captain Von Trapp in “The Sound Of Music.” His dance scene with Julie Andrews on the terrace and his singing of “Edelweiss” were very memorable. His performances would continue to follow me throughout my life. When I was a kid, I saw him in “National Treasure” and “A Beautiful Mind.” As an adult, “Up” and “The Last Station” were some of my favorites. He would make waves when he won his Academy Award for his performance as an openly gay man in “Beginners.” And again when he took over the part of J. Paul Getty in Ridley Scott’s “All The Money In The World,” when Kevin Spacey was pulled (to which the Academy nominated him again). Even one of his last roles, as Harlan Thrombey in Rian Johnson’s “Knives Out” would be a memorable one. Christopher Plummer leaves behind his only daughter, Amanda Plummer, and his wife, Elaine Taylor.
FAVORITE PERFORMANCE
LAST PERFORMANCE SEEN
BEST VOICE PERFORMANCE
BIGGEST AWARD WIN
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER’S ACADEMY AWARDS
| 2010 | Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role | “The Last Station” | Nominated |
| 2012 | Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role | “Beginners” | WON |
| 2018 | Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role | “All the Money in the World” | Nominated |
2012 — Christopher Plummer became the oldest winner of a competitive Oscar in an acting category, at 82, surpassing the achievement of Jessica Tandy.
2018 — At age 88, Christopher Plummer became the oldest Academy Award nominee for acting.
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER’S FILMOGRAPHY
| 1958 | Stage Struck | Joe Sheridan |
| 1958 | Wind Across the Everglades | Walt Murdock |
| 1964 | The Fall of the Roman Empire | Commodus |
| 1965 | The Sound of Music | Captain Von Trapp |
| 1965 | Inside Daisy Clover | Raymond Swan |
| 1966 | Triple Cross | Eddie Chapman |
| 1967 | The Night of the Generals | Field Marshal Rommel |
| 1968 | Oedipus the King | Oedipus |
| 1968 | The High Commissioner | Sir James Quentin |
| 1969 | Lock Up Your Daughters! | Lord Foppington |
| 1969 | Battle of Britain | Squadron Leader Colin Harvey |
| 1969 | The Royal Hunt of the Sun | Atahuallpa |
| 1970 | Waterloo | Arthur Wellesley |
| 1973 | The Pyx | Dt. Sgt. Jim Henderson |
| 1975 | The Spiral Staircase | Dr. Sherman |
| 1975 | The Return of the Pink Panther | Sir Charles Litton |
| 1975 | Conduct Unbecoming | Maj. Alastair Wimbourne |
| 1975 | The Assassination at Sarajevo | Archduke Ferdinand |
| 1975 | The Man Who Would Be King | Rudyard Kipling |
| 1976 | Aces High | Sinclair |
| 1977 | The Assignment | Kaptain Behounek |
| 1977 | The Disappearance | Deverell |
| 1978 | International Velvet | John Seaton |
| 1978 | The Silent Partner | Reikle |
| 1978 | Starcrash | The Emperor |
| 1979 | Murder by Decree | Sherlock Holmes |
| 1979 | Hanover Street | Paul Sellinger |
| 1980 | Somewhere in Time | William Fawcett Robinson |
| 1981 | Eyewitness | Joseph |
| 1981 | The Amateur | Professor Lakos |
| 1982 | Highpoint | James Hatcher |
| 1984 | Ordeal by Innocence | Leo Argyle |
| 1984 | Dreamscape | Bob Blair |
| 1984 | Lily In Love | Fitzroy Wynn / Roberto Terranova |
| 1986 | The Boy in Blue | Knox |
| 1986 | The Boss’ Wife | Mr. Roalvang |
| 1986 | An American Tail | Henri (voice) |
| 1987 | I Love N.Y. | John Robertson Yeats |
| 1987 | Dragnet | Whirley |
| 1987 | Gandahar | Metamorphis (English version, voice) |
| 1987 | The Gnomes’ Great Adventure | Narrator |
| 1988 | Vampire in Venice | Professor Paris Catalano |
| 1988 | Shadow Dancing | Edmund Beaumont |
| 1989 | Souvenir | Ernst Kestner |
| 1989 | Mindfield | Doctor Satorius |
| 1989 | Kingsgate | — |
| 1990 | Where the Heart Is | Shitty |
| 1990 | Red Blooded American Girl | Dr. John Alcore |
| 1991 | Firehead | Vaughn |
| 1991 | Money | Martin Yahl |
| 1991 | Rock-A-Doodle | Grand Duke (voice) |
| 1991 | Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country | Chang |
| 1992 | Liar’s Edge | Harry Weldon |
| 1992 | Impolite | Naples O’Rorke |
| 1992 | Malcolm X | Chaplain Gill |
| 1994 | Wolf | Raymond Alden |
| 1994 | Crackerjack | Ivan Getz |
| 1994 | Felidae | Joker (English version, voice) |
| 1995 | Dolores Claiborne | Detective John Mackey |
| 1995 | 12 Monkeys | Dr. Goines |
| 1997 | Babes in Toyland | Barnaby Crookedman (voice) |
| 1998 | The First Christmas | Narrator (voice) |
| 1998 | The Clown at Midnight | Mr. Caruthers |
| 1998 | Blackheart | Holmes |
| 1999 | Hidden Agenda | Ulrich Steiner |
| 1999 | Madeline: Lost in Paris | Narrator (voice) |
| 1999 | The Insider | Mike Wallace |
| 2000 | Dracula 2000 | Abraham Van Helsing |
| 2001 | Lucky Break | Graham Mortimer |
| 2001 | A Beautiful Mind | Dr. Rosen |
| 2002 | Ararat | David |
| 2002 | Nicholas Nickleby | Ralph Nickleby |
| 2003 | Blizzard | Santa Claus |
| 2003 | The Visual Bible: The Gospel of John | Narrator (voice) |
| 2003 | Cold Creek Manor | Mr. Massie |
| 2004 | National Treasure | John Adams Gates |
| 2004 | Alexander | Aristotle |
| 2005 | Must Love Dogs | Bill |
| 2005 | Syriana | Dean Whiting |
| 2005 | Heidi | Grandfather (voice) |
| 2005 | The New World | Captain Newport |
| 2006 | Inside Man | Arthur Case |
| 2006 | The Lake House | Simon Wyler |
| 2007 | Man in the Chair | Flash Madden |
| 2007 | Closing the Ring | Jack |
| 2007 | Emotional Arithmetic | David Winters |
| 2007 | Already Dead | Dr. Heller |
| 2009 | Caesar and Cleopatra | Caesar |
| 2009 | Up | Charles Muntz (voice) |
| 2009 | The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus | Doctor Parnassus |
| 2009 | My Dog Tulip | J.R. Ackerley (voice) |
| 2009 | 9 | #1 (voice) |
| 2009 | The Last Station | Tolstoy |
| 2010 | Beginners | Hal |
| 2010 | The Tempest | Prospero |
| 2011 | Priest | Monsignor Orelas |
| 2011 | Barrymore | John Barrymore |
| 2011 | The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | Henrik Vanger |
| 2013 | The Legend of Sarila | Croolik (English version, voice) |
| 2013 | Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight | John Harlan |
| 2014 | Elsa & Fred | Fred |
| 2014 | Hector and the Search for Happiness | Professor Coreman |
| 2014 | The Forger | Joseph Cutter |
| 2015 | Danny Collins | Frank Grubman |
| 2015 | Pixies | Pixie King (voice) |
| 2015 | Remember | Zev Guttman |
| 2016 | Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom | Dr. West (voice) |
| 2016 | The Exception | Kaiser Wilhelm II |
| 2017 | Howard Lovecraft & the Undersea Kingdom | Dr. West (voice) |
| 2017 | The Man Who Invented Christmas | Scrooge |
| 2017 | The Star | Herod (voice) |
| 2017 | All the Money in the World | J. Paul Getty |
| 2018 | Boundaries | Jack |
| 2019 | Cliffs of Freedom | Thanasi |
| 2019 | Knives Out | Harlan Thrombey |
| 2019 | The Last Full Measure | Frank Pitsenbarger |
| 2021 | Heroes of the Golden Masks | Rizzo (voice) |
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER‘S TELEVISION
| 1953 | Encounter | — | Episode: “Othello” |
| 1953 | Studio One in Hollywood | Dick | Episode: “The Gathering Night” |
| 1953 | Suspense | — | Episode: “The Riddle of Mayerling” |
| 1953 | Broadway Television Theatre | Michael O’Leary | Episode: “Dark Victory” |
| 1954 | The Web | — | Episode: “Sheep’s Clothing” |
| 1954 | Pond’s Theater | — | Episode: “The Dashing White Sergeant” |
| 1955 | Kraft Theatre | Robert Carr | Episode: “The King’s Bounty” |
| 1955 | Producers’ Showcase | Christian de Neuvillette | Episode: “Cyrano de Bergerac” |
| 1956 | General Electric Theater | Walter Shelley | Episode: “A Letter from the Queen” |
| 1956 | Appointment with Adventure | Roger Manning | Episode: “A Thief There Was” |
| 1956 | The Alcoa Hour | Bruce Quealy | Episode: “Even the Weariest River” |
| 1956 | Eye on New York | Lewis Rohnen | Episode: “Night of the Auk” |
| 1957-1959 | Omnibus | Various | 4 Episodes |
| 1957-1961 | The DuPont Show of the Month | Various | 2 Episodes |
| 1958 | Little Moon of Alban | Kenneth Boyd | Television movie |
| 1958 | Johnny Belinda | Dr. Jack Pelletier | Television movie |
| 1959 | A Doll’s House | Torvald Helmer | Television movie |
| 1959 | The Philadelphia Story | Mike Connor | Television movie |
| 1960 | Captain Brassbound’s Conversion | Captain Brassbound | Television movie |
| 1960 | Sunday Showcase | Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. | 2 Episodes |
| 1960 | Our American Heritage | Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. | Episode: “Autocrat and Son” |
| 1961 | Time Remembered | Prince Albert | Television movie |
| 1962 | Cyrano De Bergerac | Cyrano De Bergerac | Television movie |
| 1964 | Hamlet at Elsinore | Hamlet | Television movie |
| 1968 | The Secret of Michelangelo | Narrator | Television movie |
| 1971 | BBC Play of the Month | Don Juan | Episode: “Don Juan In Hell” |
| 1974 | The Happy Prince | The Happy Prince (voice) | Animated short |
| 1974 | After the Fall | Quentin | Television movie |
| 1974 | Witness to Yesterday | Arthur Wellesley | Episode: “The Duke of Wellington” |
| 1976 | Arthur Hailey’s the Moneychangers | Roscoe Heyward | 4 Episodes |
| 1977 | The Sunday Drama | Sherlock Holmes | Episode: “Silver Blaze” |
| 1977 | Jesus of Nazareth | Herod Antipas | 2 Episodes |
| 1979 | Riel | Prime Minister John A. Macdonald | Television movie |
| 1980 | The Shadow Box | Brian | Television movie |
| 1980 | Desperate Voyage | Burrifous | Television movie |
| 1981 | When the Circus Came to Town | Duke Royal | Television movie |
| 1981 | Dial ‘M’ for Murder | Tony Wendice | Television movie |
| 1982 | Little Gloria… Happy at Last | Reggie Vanderbilt | Episode: “Part 1” |
| 1983 | The Scarlet and the Black | Col. Herbert Kappler | Television movie |
| 1983 | The Thorn Birds | Archbishop Vittorio Contini-Verchese | 4 Episodes |
| 1983 | Prototype | Dr. Carl Forrester | Television movie |
| 1985 | The Velveteen Rabbit | Narrator (voice) | Television movie |
| 1985 | David the Gnome | Narrator (1987) (English version, voice) | Television series |
| 1985 | Rumpelstiltskin | Narrator (voice) | Television movie |
| 1986 | Crossings | Armand DeVilliers | 3 Episodes |
| 1986 | The Tin Soldier | Narrator (voice) | Television movie |
| 1986 | Spearfield’s Daughter | Lord Jack Cruze | 3 Episodes |
| 1987 | The Man Who Planted Trees | Narrator (English version, voice) | Short |
| 1987 | The Cosby Show | Jonathan Lawrence | Episode: “Shakespeare” |
| 1987 | A Hazard of Hearts | Sir Giles Staverley | Television movie |
| 1987 | The Nightingale | Narrator (voice) | Television movie |
| 1988 | Madeline | Narrator (voice) | Television movie |
| 1989 | Nabokov on Kafka | Vladimir Nabokov | Television movie |
| 1990 | A Ghost in Monte Carlo | The Grand Duke Ivan | Television movie |
| 1990 | Madeline’s Christmas | Narrator (voice) | Television movie |
| 1990 | Madeline’s Rescue | Narrator (voice) | Television movie |
| 1990 | The Little Crooked Christmas Tree | Narrator (voice) | Television movie |
| 1990-1993 | Counterstrike | Alexander Addington | 66 Episodes |
| 1990-1994 | Madeline | Narrator (voice) | 21 Episodes |
| 1991 | Young Catherine | Sir Charles | Television movie |
| 1991 | Madeline and the Bad Hat | Narrator (voice) | Television movie |
| 1991 | A Marriage: Georgia O’Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz | Alfred Stieglitz | Television movie |
| 1991 | Madeline and the Gypsies | Narrator (voice) | Television movie |
| 1991 | Madeline in London | Narrator (voice) | Television movie |
| 1991 | Berlin Lady | Wilhem Speer | 6 Episodes |
| 1992 | The First Circle | Victor Abakumov | Television movie |
| 1992 | Secrets | Mel Wexler | Television movie |
| 1993 | A Stranger in the Mirror | Clifton Lawrence | Television movie |
| 1995 | Harrison Bergeron | John Klaxon | Television movie |
| 1995 | The New Adventures of Madeline | Narrator (voice) | 13 Episodes |
| 1995 | The Conspiracy of Fear | Wakeman | Video |
| 1996 | We The Jury | Wilfred Fransiscus | Television movie |
| 1997 | The Arrow | George Hees | Television mini-series |
| 1997 | Skeletons | Reverend Carlyle | Television movie |
| 1998 | Winchell | Franklin D. Roosevelt | Television movie |
| 2000 | Nuremberg | Sir David Maxwell-Fyfe | 2 Episodes |
| 2000 | The Dinosaur Hunter | Hump Hinton | Television movie |
| 2000 | Possessed | Archbishop Hume | Television movie |
| 2000 | American Tragedy | F. Lee Bailey | Television movie |
| 2001 | On Golden Pond | Norman Thayer | Television movie |
| 2001 | Full Disclosure | Robert Lecker | Video |
| 2002 | Night Flight | ‘Flash’ Harry Peters | Television movie |
| 2002 | Agent of Influence | John Watkins | Television movie |
| 2003 | Odd Job Jack | Magnus the Maker | Episode: “Holyland” |
| 2005 | Our Fathers | Cardinal Bernard Law | Television movie |
| 2005 | Four Minutes | Archie Mason | Television movie |
| 2006 | American Experience | Narrator / James Tyrone | Episode: “Eugene O’Neill: A Documentary Film” |
| 2008 | The Summit | P.J. Aimes | 2 Episodes |
| 2012 | Kali, the Little Vampire | (English version, voice) | Short |
| 2014 | Great Performances | John Barrymore | Episode: “Barrymore” |
| 2017 | Elegy | — | Short |
| 2018 | Howard Lovecraft and the Kingdom of Madness | Dr. Jeffrey West (voice) | Video |
| 2019 | Departure | Howard Lawson | 12 Episodes |
