Christopher Plummer movie career
Christopher Plummer never made it as a leading man in films. He did not become a star, lacking that je ne sais quoi that someone like a
Gary Cooper or a
Paul Newman had naturally.
Perhaps if he had been born earlier (he made his debut in
Toronto in 1929) into the studio system of
Hollywood's golden age, he could have been carefully groomed for stardom. As it was, he shared the
English stage actors' disdain -- and he was equally at
home in
London as he was on the boards of
Broadway or on-stage in his native
Canada -- for the movies, which did not help him in that medium, as he has confessed. As he aged, Plummer excelled at character parts.
Though he likely always be remembered as "
Baron Von Trapp" in the atomic bomb-strength blockbuster
The Sound of Music (
1965) (a film he publicly despised until softening his stance in his 2008 autobiography "In
Spite of
Myself"), his later film work includes such outstanding performances as the best cinema
Sherlock Holmes--other than
Basil Rathbone -- in
Sherlock Holmes and
Saucy Jack (
1979), the chilling villain in
The Silent Partner (1978), his iconoclastic
Mike Wallace in
The Insider (
1999), the empathetic psychiatrist in
A Beautiful Mind (
2001), and as
Leo Tolstoy in
The Last Station (2009). It was this last role that finally brought him recognition from the
Academy of
Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, when he was nominated as
Best Actor in a supporting role.
He continues to be a very in-demand character actor in prestigious motion pictures. If he were English rather than
Canadian (he is the great-grandson of
Sir John Abbott, the third
Prime Minister of Canada) he'd have been knighted long ago. (In
1968, he was a made a Companion of the
Order of Canada, the country's highest civilian honor and one which requires the approval of the sovereign). If he were an
American, he might have been honored by the
Kennedy Center. If he lived in the company town of
Los Angeles, he likely would have several more
Oscar nominations to go with the one for "The Last Station."
As it is, as attested to in his witty and well-written autobiography, Christopher Plummer has been amply rewarded in life. In
1970, Plummer - a self-confessed 43-year-old "bottle baby" - married his third wife, dancer
Elaine Taylor (I), who helped wean him off his dependency on alcohol.
They live happily with their dogs on a 30-acre estate in
Weston, Connecticut and, although he spends the majority of his time in the
United States, he remains a
Canadian citizen.
Prematurely, Predicts
Best Supporting Actor &
Actress At The
2012 Oscars:
Christopher Plummer—"
Beginners"
We're absolutely dying to see
Mike Mills' sophomore film, "Beginners" it does seem heavyweight enough to make a real impression at the Oscars. Incredibly, Christopher Plummer has only been nominated once, for 2009's "The Last Station." But here, as a man who comes out in the twilight of his life, he seems to have a killer role, and from the glimpses of the film we've seen so far, the performance looks like a joy.
Plus, there are hints of terminal illness in the film's plotline, which can't exactly hurt. With
Focus Features behind the film, we've got a hunch that this could finally be Plummer's year.
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