Christopher Plummer – a life in pictures

From The Sound of Music to All the Money in the World, Christopher Plummer was one of the most distinguished actors to have graced the big screen. After his death aged 91, we look back at his career highlights

Main image: Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer in The Sound of Music Photograph: 20th Century Fox/Allstar

  • Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer was born in Toronto, Canada on 13 December 1929.
    Christopher Plummer circa 1955

  • The Lark, 1955

    Plummer began his Broadway career in 1953 and this photograph is from the 1955 hit production alongside Julie Harris at the Longacre theatre in New York
    Christopher Plummer and Julie Harris on-set of the Broadway Play The Lark at the Longacre Theatre, New York, 1955

  • Stage Struck, 1958

    Plummer’s film debut was in Sidney Lumet’s romantic drama, pictured here with Susan Strasberg
    Christopher Plummer and Susan Strasberg in Stage Struck, 1958

  • Christopher Plummer and Lauren Bacall arrive at the premiere of Spartacus at the DeMille theatre in New York in 1960
    Christopher Plummer and Lauren Bacall arrive at the premiere of Spartacus at the DeMille Theatre in New York on 6 October 1960

  • The Fall of the Roman Empire, 1964

    Plummer as Commodus in Anthony Mann’s epic
    Christopher Plummer in The Fall of the Roman Empire, 1964

  • The Sound of Music, 1965

    Plummer, as Captain Von Trapp, plays to his children watched on by Julie Andrews as Maria
    Christopher Plummer as Captain Von Trapp plays to his children watched on by Julie Andrews as Maria in The Sound of Music, 1965

  • The Sound of Music, 1965

    Andrews and Plummer as Maria and Captain Von Trapp. Despite the success of the film, Plummer was not a fan of it
    Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer in The Sound of Music, 1965

  • Gina Lollobrigida, Plummer and Mia Farrow meet Princess Margaret at the premiere of Zeffirelli’s The Taming of the Shrew in London in February 1967.
    Gina Lollobrigida, Christopher Plummer and Mia Farrow meet Princess Margaret at the premiere of Zeffirelli’s the Taming of the Shrew in London in February 1967

  • Battle of Britain, 1969

    Plummer played Squadron Leader Colin Harvey in the second world war movie
    Christopher Plummer as Squadron Leader Colin Harvey in Battle of Britain, 1969

  • Waterloo, 1970

    Plummer as Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington and Virginia McKenna as the Duchess of Richmond
    Christopher Plummer as Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington and Virginia McKenna as the Duchess of Richmond in Waterloo, 1970

  • Cyrano, 1973

    Plummer applies the finishing touches to his transformation into Cyrano de Bergerac backstage at the Royal Alexandra theatre in Toronto in a pre-Broadway tour. His performance won him the Tony award for best actor in a musical
    Christopher Plummer backstage before a performance of the musical Cyrano in 1973

  • The Return of the Pink Panther, 1975

    Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau, Christopher Plummer as Sir Charles Litton aka the Phantom, and Catherine Schell as Lady Claudine Litton
    Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau, Christopher Plummer as Sir Charles Litton and Catherine Schell as Lady Claudine Litton in The Return of the Pink Panther, 1975

  • The Man Who Would Be King, 1975

    Plummer played Rudyard Kipling (centre) opposite Michael Caine, left and Sean Connery in John Huston’s 19th century yarn
    Michael Caine, Christopher Plummer, who played Rudyard Kipling and Sean Connery in The Man Who Would Be King, 1975

  • Aces High, 1976

    Malcolm McDowell and Plummer in the story of the birth of the Royal Flying Corps during the first world war.
    Malcolm McDowell and Christopher Plummer in Aces High, 1976

  • Arthur Hailey’s The Moneychangers, 1976

    Plummer, pictured here with Joan Collins and Lorne Greene, won an Emmy for best actor for his performance as Roscoe Heyward in the TV drama set in a big bank
    Joan Collins, Lorne Greene and Christopher Plummer in Arthur Hailey’s the Moneychangers, 1976

  • Murder by Decree, 1979

    James Mason as Dr Watson and Plummer as Sherlock Holmes take on Jack the Ripper in this thriller
    James Mason as Dr Watson and Christopher Plummer as Sherlock Holmes in Murder by Decree, 1979

  • The Thorn Birds, 1983

    Plummer was nominated for an Emmy for best supporting actor for his performance as Archbishop Vittorio Contini-Verchese in the Australia-set TV mini-series, in which he co-starred with Richard Chamberlain playing Ralph de Bricassart
    Richard Chamberlain and Christopher Plummer in The Thorn Birds, 1983

  • Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, 1991

    Plummer, as Klingon General Chang, with William Shatner as Captain James T Kirk in the sixth Star Trek feature
    Christopher Plummer as Klingon General Chang and William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, 1991

  • Madeline, 1993-94

    Plummer won an Emmy for nest voiceover performance for his narration of the Paris-set animated series
    Madeline, 1993-94

  • Barrymore, 1997

    Plummer won his second Tony award for best actor for his performance as actor John Barrymore at the Music Box theatre on Broadway. Here presenter Susan Sarandon gives Plummer his award at Radio City Music Hall in New York in June 1997
    Presenter Susan Sarandon gives Christopher Plummer his Tony Award at Radio City Music Hall in New York on 1 June 1997

  • On Golden Pond, 2001

    Plummer was reunited with Julie Andrews for a live TV adaptation of the play by Ernest Thompson.
    Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews in On Golden Pond, 2001

  • The New World, 2005

    Plummer as Captain Newport in Terrence Malick’s historical drama
    Christopher Plummer as Captain Newport in Terrence Malick’s historical drama The New World, 2005

  • Caesar and Cleopatra, 2008

    Christopher Plummer as Caesar and Nikki M James as Cleopatra at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario
    Christopher Plummer as Caesar and Nikki M. James as Cleopatra in Caesar and Cleopatra at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario on 31 July 2008

  • Up, 2009

    Plummer voiced explorer Charles Muntz (back left), Edward Asner voiced Carl Fredricksen and Jordan Nagai voiced Russell in this Pixar smash hit
    Christopher Plummer voiced explorer Charles Muntz (back left, Edward Asner voiced Carl Fredricksen and Jordan Nagai voiced Russell in Up, 2009

  • The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, 2009

    Plummer and Tom Waits in Terry Gilliam’s fantasy film
    Christopher Plummer and Tom Waits in The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus, 2009

  • The Last Station, 2009

    Plummer was nominated for the Academy award and the Golden Globe for best supporting actor for his role as Leo Tolstoy, here with Helen Mirren as Sofya Tolstoy
    Plummer as Leo Tolstoy and Helen Mirren as Sofya Tolstoy in The Last Station, 2009

  • Beginners, 2010

    Plummer won the Academy aAward, the Golden Globe and the Bafta for best supporting actor for his performance as Hal who has terminal cancer and has come out as gay late in life
    Christopher Plummer in Beginners, 2010

  • The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, 2011

    Plummer as Henrik Vanger and Daniel Craig as Mikael Blomkvist in David Fincher’s remake of the Swedish crime thriller
    Christopher Plummer as Henrik Vanger and Daniel Craig as Mikael Blomkvist in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, 2011

  • Christopher Plummer with his best supporting actor Oscar for Beginners at the Academy Awards held in 2012.
    Christopher Plummer with his Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Beginners at the 84th Annual Academy Awards held at the Hollywood and Highland Centre on 26 February 2012 in California.

  • All The Money in the World, 2017

    Christopher Plummer as J Paul Getty and Mark Wahlberg as Fletcher Chase in Ridley Scott’s crime drama about the kidnapping of John Paul Getty III. Plummer was a last-minute replacement for the scandal-hit Kevin Spacey, and was nominated for a best supporting actor Oscar – still the oldest nominee in Oscar history.
    Christopher Plummer as J. Paul Getty and Mark Wahlberg as Fletcher Chase in All The Money in the World, 2017

  • Knives Out, 2019

    Christopher Plummer as Harlan Thrombey in Rian Johnson’s classic country house whodunnit
    Christopher Plummer as Harlan Thrombey in Knives Out, 2019
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