Christopher began acting while a student of the High School of Montreal. The High School of Montreal was an English-language high school founded in 1843, serving Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in the area eventually known as the Golden Square Mile. The school closed in June 1979, largely as the result of a decline in the English-speaking population.
College/University
Career
Gallery of Christopher Plummer
1965
Christopher Plummer in The Sound of Music.
Gallery of Christopher Plummer
1965
Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Charmian Carr, Angela Cartwright, Duane Chase, Nicholas Hammond, Kym Karath, Heather Menzies-Urich, and Debbie Turner in The Sound of Music.
Gallery of Christopher Plummer
1968
Christopher Plummer and Rod Taylor in Nobody Runs Forever.
Gallery of Christopher Plummer
1976
Kirk Douglas, Ralph Bellamy, Christopher Plummer, Leonardo Cimino, and Percy Rodrigues in Arthur Hailey's the Moneychangers.
Gallery of Christopher Plummer
1979
Harrison Ford and Christopher Plummer in Hanover Street.
Gallery of Christopher Plummer
1990
Uma Thurman, Suzy Amis, Joanna Cassidy, Dabney Coleman, Christopher Plummer, David Hewlett, and Sheila Kelley in Where the Heart Is.
Gallery of Christopher Plummer
2002
Christopher Plummer in Nicholas Nickleby.
Gallery of Christopher Plummer
2004
Christopher Plummer and Connor Paolo in Alexander.
Gallery of Christopher Plummer
2009
Christopher Plummer and Heath Ledger in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.
Gallery of Christopher Plummer
2009
Christopher Plummer and Lily Cole in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.
Gallery of Christopher Plummer
2009
Christopher Plummer, Heath Ledger, Verne Troyer, Andrew Garfield, and Lily Cole in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.
Gallery of Christopher Plummer
2009
Christopher Plummer as Leo Tolstoy in The Last Station.
Gallery of Christopher Plummer
2009
Helen Mirren, Michael Hoffman, and Christopher Plummer in The Last Station.
Gallery of Christopher Plummer
2010
Ewan McGregor and Christopher Plummer in Beginners.
Gallery of Christopher Plummer
2010
Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, and Cosmo in Beginners.
Gallery of Christopher Plummer
2010
Christopher Plummer in Beginners.
Gallery of Christopher Plummer
2010
Christopher Plummer and Goran Visnjic in Beginners.
Gallery of Christopher Plummer
2011
Christopher Plummer in Barrymore.
Gallery of Christopher Plummer
2011
Christopher Plummer and Daniel Craig in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
Gallery of Christopher Plummer
2013
Frank Langella and Christopher Plummer in Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight.
Gallery of Christopher Plummer
2014
Toni Collette and Christopher Plummer in Hector and the Search for Happiness.
Gallery of Christopher Plummer
2015
Henry Czerny and Christopher Plummer in Remember.
Gallery of Christopher Plummer
2015
Christopher Plummer and Peter DaCunha in Remember.
Gallery of Christopher Plummer
2015
Christopher Plummer and Lory Wainberg in Remember.
Gallery of Christopher Plummer
2016
Christopher Plummer and Janet McTeer in The Exception.
Gallery of Christopher Plummer
2017
Christopher Plummer in All the Money in the World.
Gallery of Christopher Plummer
2017
Christopher Plummer and Charlie Shotwell in All the Money in the World.
Gallery of Christopher Plummer
2017
Christopher Plummer in All the Money in the World.
Gallery of Christopher Plummer
2017
Christopher Plummer and Dan Stevens in The Man Who Invented Christmas.
Gallery of Christopher Plummer
2017
Christopher Plummer, Bharat Nalluri, and Dan Stevens in The Man Who Invented Christmas.
Gallery of Christopher Plummer
2017
Christopher Plummer and Dan Stevens in The Man Who Invented Christmas.
Gallery of Christopher Plummer
2018
Christopher Plummer in Boundaries.
Gallery of Christopher Plummer
2018
Christopher Plummer in Boundaries.
Gallery of Christopher Plummer
2019
Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, Christopher Plummer, K Callan, Chris Evans, Michael Shannon, Riki Lindhome, Ana de Armas, Jaeden Martell, and Katherine Langford in Knives Out.
Achievements
Christopher Plummer with the Academy award.
Membership
Awards
Academy Award
2012
Christopher Plummer during The 84th Annual Academy Awards.
BAFTA Award
The BAFTA Award that Christopher Plummer received in 2012.
Golden Globe Award
9876 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90210, United States
Christopher Plummer poses in the press room with the Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture award for "Beginners" at the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
Screen Actors Guild Award
665 W Jefferson Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90007, United States
Christopher Plummer poses with the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role award for "Beginners" in the press room at the 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards held at The Shrine Auditorium on January 29, 2012 in Los Angeles, California.
Tony Award
1260 6th Ave, New York, NY 10020, United States
Christopher Plummer, winner Best Leading Actor for "Barrymore," during Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall.
Modern Master Award
1317 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, United States
Christopher Plummer backstage at the Modern Master Award Tribute to Christopher Plummer at the Arlington Theatre on January 28, 2012 in Santa Barbara, California.
Independent Spirit Award
Christopher Plummer poses with the Best Supporting Male Actor Award for "Beginners" in the press room at the 2012 Film Independent Spirit Awards on February 25, 2012 in Santa Monica, California.
Canadian Screen Award
1 Front St E, Toronto, ON M5E 1B2, Canada
Christopher Plummer poses in the press room at the 2017 Canadian Screen Awards at Sony Centre For Performing Arts on March 12, 2017 in Toronto, Canada.
Order of Canada
Companion of the Order of Canada that Christopher Plummer received in 1968.
125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal
The 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal that Christopher Plummer received in 1993.
Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal for Canada
The Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal that Christopher Plummer received in 1977.
Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal for Canada
The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal for Canada that Christopher Plummer received in 2002.
Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for Canada
The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal that Christopher Plummer received in 2012.
Critics Choice Award
6215 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028, United States
Christopher Plummer poses in the press room at the 17th Annual Critics Choice Movie Awards at The Hollywood Palladium on January 12, 2012 in Los Angeles, California.
Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Charmian Carr, Angela Cartwright, Duane Chase, Nicholas Hammond, Kym Karath, Heather Menzies-Urich, and Debbie Turner in The Sound of Music.
Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, Christopher Plummer, K Callan, Chris Evans, Michael Shannon, Riki Lindhome, Ana de Armas, Jaeden Martell, and Katherine Langford in Knives Out.
Christopher began acting while a student of the High School of Montreal. The High School of Montreal was an English-language high school founded in 1843, serving Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in the area eventually known as the Golden Square Mile. The school closed in June 1979, largely as the result of a decline in the English-speaking population.
Christopher Plummer poses in the press room at the 2017 Canadian Screen Awards at Sony Centre For Performing Arts on March 12, 2017 in Toronto, Canada.
Christopher Plummer poses with the Best Supporting Male Actor Award for "Beginners" in the press room at the 2012 Film Independent Spirit Awards on February 25, 2012 in Santa Monica, California.
665 W Jefferson Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90007, United States
Christopher Plummer poses with the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role award for "Beginners" in the press room at the 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards held at The Shrine Auditorium on January 29, 2012 in Los Angeles, California.
1317 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, United States
Christopher Plummer backstage at the Modern Master Award Tribute to Christopher Plummer at the Arlington Theatre on January 28, 2012 in Santa Barbara, California.
9876 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90210, United States
Christopher Plummer poses in the press room with the Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture award for "Beginners" at the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
6215 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028, United States
Christopher Plummer poses in the press room at the 17th Annual Critics Choice Movie Awards at The Hollywood Palladium on January 12, 2012 in Los Angeles, California.
665 W Jefferson Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90007, United States
Director Taylor Hackfrod, actress Helen Mirren, and actor Christopher Plummer attend the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 16th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 23, 2010 in Los Angeles, California.
Elaine Taylor, Kristen Holden-Reid Christina Jennings, Christopher Plummer, and guest attend the Content Canada Dinner at Four Seasons Hotel on September 10, 2019 in Toronto, Canada.
THE ROXY HOTEL, CELLAR LEVEL, 2 6th Ave, New York, NY 10013, United States
Christopher Plummer attends the screening of Sony Pictures Classics' "Boundaries" hosted by The Cinema Society with Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Atlantic City at The Roxy Cinema on June 11, 2018 in New York City.
(A collection of delicious anecdotes of a life spent on st...)
A collection of delicious anecdotes of a life spent on stages and film sets across the world—from Peter Hall’s Royal Shakespeare Theatre to The Sound of Music—from one of our greatest living actors.
(In 1532, Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro leads an ...)
In 1532, Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro leads an expedition into the heart of the Inca Empire and captures the Incan Emperor Atahualpa and claims Peru for Spain. Pizarro finds himself torn between his desire for conquest and his sense of honor after friendship and respect develops between captive and captor.
(In the greatest air battle of WWII, Harry Andrews, Michae...)
In the greatest air battle of WWII, Harry Andrews, Michael Caine and Sir Laurence Olivier take to the skies to fend off the German invasion of England.
(Harrison Ford stars as an American WWII pilot stationed i...)
Harrison Ford stars as an American WWII pilot stationed in England who falls in love with a marriedBritish nurse (Lesley-Anne Down). When his plane is shot down behind enemy lines, he discovers thatthe secret agent he must protect is her husband.
(Get swept away by one of the most beloved romances ever i...)
Get swept away by one of the most beloved romances ever in this powerful story of a writer (Christopher Reeve) who sacrifices his life in the present to find love in the past.
(In this suggestive romantic comedy, iconic Broadway star ...)
In this suggestive romantic comedy, iconic Broadway star Fitz (Christopher Plummer, "The Sound of Music") dons a gaudy disguise to secure the lead role in his wife Lily's (Maggie Smith, "Harry Potter") controversial new film.
(When a Russian cyborg with telekinetic powers terrorizes ...)
When a Russian cyborg with telekinetic powers terrorizes a city, an elite government agency intervenes. A chemist teams up with a special agent to capture the menace but they find out that the true villain isn't who they expected.
(This film chronicles the first-hand story of Nazi Doctor,...)
This film chronicles the first-hand story of Nazi Doctor, Joseph Mengele, and his medical experiments on Jewish twins in Auschwitz during World War II. Survivor Leo Lowy's heart-wrenching journey blends historical footage and facts with expert testimony, revealing the true horror of Nazi medicine, and posing difficult questions about the nature of clinical experimentation.
(From Ian Adams' book of the same name, "Agent of Influenc...)
From Ian Adams' book of the same name, "Agent of Influence" is based on a real story of the intrigue surrounding the mysterious death of one of Canada's most accomplished foreign diplomats, John Watkins.
(Christopher Plummer has played a thousand parts, from Sha...)
Christopher Plummer has played a thousand parts, from Shakespeare to Broadway, from radio to television to Hollywood. But beneath that elegant stage presence lies the restless heart of a risk-taker. Don't miss this engaging biography that explores the many stage of Christopher Plummer's extraordinary life. (documentary)
(The past has cast a long shadow over the present, reachin...)
The past has cast a long shadow over the present, reaching to the picturesque farm where the now-married Melanie (Sarandon) lives unhappily with her husband (Plummer). When Melanie invites fellow Holocaust survivor Jakob (von Sydow) to her home, he unexpectedly brings Christopher (Byrne), whose love for Melanie has never diminished since their confinement in an internment camp.
(Academy Award® winner Helen Mirren (Best Actress, The Que...)
Academy Award® winner Helen Mirren (Best Actress, The Queen, 2006) and Christopher Plummer star in this compelling look at the final days of literary icon Leo Tolstoy.
(Disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) acce...)
Disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) accepts an invitation to investigate a forty year old unsolved murder by Swedish industrialist Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer). Meanwhile, tattooed hacker Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara), hired to investigate Blomkvist, discovers the truth behind his fall from grace.
(Acclaimed American actor John Barrymore, a member of one ...)
Acclaimed American actor John Barrymore, a member of one of Hollywood's most well-known theatrical dynasties, looks back on the highs and lows of his stunning career and remarkable life.
(After losing his wife, Fred (Christopher Plummer) moves i...)
After losing his wife, Fred (Christopher Plummer) moves into a nearby apartment building where he meets Elsa (Shirley MacLaine). Elsa bursts into his life like a whirlwind, teaching him that time is precious and that he should enjoy life - and love - to the fullest.
(A thief (John Travolta) works with his father (Christophe...)
A thief (John Travolta) works with his father (Christopher Plummer) and son to forge a painting by Monet and steal the original. Together, they plan the heist of their lives!
(Nothing is as it seems in this riveting World War 2 thril...)
Nothing is as it seems in this riveting World War 2 thriller as a wary soldier goes to investigate a mysterious German monarch at his secluded mansion, leading him into a web of deceit and a dangerous love affair with a local Jewish woman.
(The Man Who Invented Christmas tells the magical journey ...)
The Man Who Invented Christmas tells the magical journey that led to the creation of Ebenezer Scrooge, Tiny Tim and other classic characters from A Christmas Carol.
(After the kidnapping of John Paul Getty III, in a race ag...)
After the kidnapping of John Paul Getty III, in a race against time, his mother works to convince his wealthy grandfather to pay the ransom. Inspired by historical events. Certain scenes, characters and dialogue have been fictionalized for dramatic purposes.
(Laura’s criminally-minded father Jack convinces her son H...)
Laura’s criminally-minded father Jack convinces her son Henry to help him sell off his copious supply of marijuana at every stop of their family road trip.
Christopher Plummer is a Canadian actor and writer. He starred in such films as The Sound of Music, The Night of the Generals, Murder By Decree, The Return of the Pink Panther, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, The Man Who Would Be King, The Insider and 1969 cult classic Lock Up Your Daughters. Christopher Plummer has also written for the stage and television.
Background
Christopher Plummer was born on December 13, 1929, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is the only child of John Orme Plummer, stocks and securities seller, and Isabella Mary (née Abbott), a secretary to the Dean of Sciences at McGill University. Christopher's parents were divorced shortly after he was born, and he was brought up at the Abbott family home in Senneville, Quebec, outside Montreal.
Education
Christopher Plummer attended High School of Montreal. He studied to be a concert pianist, but developed a love for the theatre at an early age. Later Plummer attended McGill where he also took up acting. He apprenticed with the Montréal Repertory Theatre along with fellow Montréaler and future Captain Kirk, William Shatner.
Later in life Christopher Plummer received honorary doctorates from McGill University, University of Toronto, Ryerson University, the University of Western Ontario, the University of Ottawa and the University of Guelph.
Christopher Plummer started his career as an actor in 1948 with Ottawa's Stage Society, performing over 100 roles with its successor, the Canadian Repertory Theatre. In 1953 he was cast in The Starcross Story at Broadway, however, the show didn’t perform too well. His next performance in Home is the Hero was more successful and lasted 30 performances. He appeared in support of Broadway legend Katharine Cornell and film legend Tyrone Power in The Dark Is Light Enough. He also acted in Arturo Ui and The Royal Hunt of the Sun. In 1961 Christopher Plummer appeared at Stratford-upon-Avon as Richard III while alternating in London as Henry II in Becket. He continued his British career at the National Theatre in revivals of Amphitryon 38 and Danton's Death in 1971 and The Scarlet Pimpernel at Chichester in 1985. Between 1956 and 1967 he starred at Canada's Stratford Festival playing Henry V, Hamlet, Andrew Aguecheek, Mercutio, Leontes, Macbeth, Cyrano de Bergerac and Marc Antony, as well as other roles. He returned 26 years later on 13 July 1993 to help the festival celebrate its exact 40th anniversary day with a gala one-man show entitled A Word or Two, Before You Go. Plummer played Caesar in the Stratford Festival's Caesar and Cleopatra which was also filmed for television in 2009 and Prospero in The Tempest in 2010.
Christopher Plummer made his movie debut in 1958 with the movie Sidney Lumet’s Stage Struck. He next acted in Wind Across the Everglades. The following year he was cast opposite Julie Harris in a US television production of Ibsen's A Doll's House. He also had a major part in the Hollywood blockbuster The Fall of the Roman Empire. In 1965, he performed Baron von Trapp in The Sound of Music. Not a trained singer, Plummer was uncomfortable in the role of the stuffy baron and was upstaged by the brilliant singing voice of his co-star, Julie Andrews. He appeared alongside Julie Harris in Little Moon of Alban, a live TV drama in 1958. Following the success of this, he starred in as many as 100 TV roles including The Moneychangers, American Tragedy, Our Fathers, and The Scarlet and the Black. After that Plummer starred in John Huston's The Man Who Would Be King with Sean Connery and Michael Caine.
In 1991, Plummer performed the villain in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Later he starred in Mike Nichols's Wolf with Jack Nicholson, Dolores Claiborne with Kathy Bates, and in Terry Gilliam's 12 Monkeys with Brad Pitt and Bruce Willis. In 2001 Plummer appeared in Ron Howard's A Beautiful Mind. Christopher Plummer played a gay father who "comes out" late in life, in the romantic comedy Beginners. He has a part in the American remake of the Swedish film The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, based on the international bestselling thriller. He then played a quirky scientist attempting to discern the particularities of what makes people happy in Hector and the Search for Happiness. Plummer later took on the roles of famous figures Kaiser Wilhelm II in The Exception and the fictional Ebenezer Scrooge in The Man Who Invented Christmas. He then was cast as J. Paul Getty in Ridley Scott’s All the Money in the World.
Christopher Plummer is also a skilled narrator whose rich, modulated voice has been heard on everything from cartoons to TV series to feature films, and even the audio soundtrack for the 1994 Barnes Art Exhibit in Toronto. He has recorded several books for young people, including Alice in Wonderland and Mordecai Richler's Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang. An accomplished pianist, he has branched out musically to narrate concert versions of Henry V, Peer Gynt and Prokofiev's Ivan the Terrible. Plummer narrated 6 made-for-television movies based on the French children's books Madeline and the animated Madeline series. He provided a voice for the features An American Tail and for Charles Muntz in Pixar's Up.
Christopher Plummer said that he can't join the rest of the world in the religions because they have become so bigoted and so dangerous. He don't believe in them.
Views
Quotations:
"Unless you can surround yourself with as many beautiful things as you can afford, I don't think life has very much meaning."
"Too many people in the world are unhappy with their lot. And then they retire and they become vegetables. I think retirement in any profession is death, so I'm determined to keep crackin'."
"I think many of today's politicians take a typical CEO mentality when it comes to the arts. It's anathema to them. It's the last thing they think of when it comes to funding; it's way down at the bottom of the list. That is unconscionable. It's so stupid and narrow-minded. They don't realize. It's all about political manoeuvring."
Membership
Christopher Plummer is a member of the Actors' Equity Association, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, Screen Actors Guild and the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.
Personality
Christopher Plummer is a born leader, with extra-ordinary drive and determination. Insisting on his right to make up his own mind, he demands freedom of thought and action, and does not let anything or anyone stand in his way once he is committed to his goal.
Interests
Sport & Clubs
Golf
Connections
Christopher Plummer married Tammy Grimes in 1956. The marriage produced a daughter. In 1960, Plummer and Grimes divorced and Plummer was unable to have much contact with his daughter during her early and teenage years, because her mother was adamant about blocking access. Plummer was next married to journalist Patricia Lewis from May 4, 1962, until their divorce in 1967. Three years after his second divorce, he married actress Elaine Taylor on October 2, 1970. Plummer has no children by either his second or third marriages.
In Spite of Myself
A collection of delicious anecdotes of a life spent on stages and film sets across the world – from Peter Hall’s Royal Shakespeare Theatre to The Sound of Music – from one of our greatest living actors.