Legendary Canadian actor Christopher Plummer has passed away at 91.
He is credited in more than 100 roles in film since starting in 1958, including The Sound of Music, The Return of the Pink Panther, Star Trek VI, Malcom X and 12 Monkeys. Plummer later won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in Beginners, starring with Ewan McGregor as a father coming out as a gay man. Until his death, he most recently starred in the acclaimed Knives Out. Christopher Plummer would again receive another Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 2017 for All the Money in the World. He replaced Kevin Spacey as business magnate John Paul Getty following sexual abuse allegations. Plummer reshot almost two dozen scenes in over a week, just a month before the film released in theatres.
According to his family, Plummer died peacefully in his Connecticut home on Friday morning from an unspecified injury. His wife Elaine Plummer told The Canadian Press he suffered from a fall and hit his head against a car. He was taken to a hospital to treat a blood leakage. Prior to his death, he was set for a role as King Lear in the titular movie directed by Ontario native Des McAnuff. Christopher Plummer was also recently credited for his role in the series Departure which continued its latest season in Toronto.
For gamers, Christopher Plummer can also be known for several voice roles. He was prominent for guiding players as a support character in flight combat game Star Trek: Klingon Academy. As players fought against Starfleet fighters, he would provide tutorial tips and occasional radio comms as General Chang. He reprised his role as the game released nine years after he first became Chang. As part of his role in Pixar’s Up, Plummer became Charles Muntz in the tie-in movie game. He then reprised Muntz in the variety Xbox 360 Kinect game Rush: A Disney Pixar Adventure.
Players could also know Christopher Plummer as Arngeir in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The legendary Greybeard spoke to players and represented its mythical sect. He was instrumental in showing players The Way of the Voice, an optional creed which was shared by Ulfric Stormcloak. Along a number of quests, the Dragonborn would be returning to Plummer as he learns about the Blades. Arngeir would also discourage players from fighting and slaying legendary dragon and Greybeard leader Paarthurnax on behalf of the Blades. As an active NPC, players could also be assigned six quests from Christopher Plummer across the game.
Plummer was born in 1929 and was raised in Toronto before moving to Montreal, Canada. He later developed a love for classic literature along his interests for acting and fantasy storytelling. In 1956, Plummer would recount playing his biggest role as Henry V on stage at Ontario’s Stratford Festival. After breaking out in his role in The Sound of Music as Captain von Trapp, he would become part of larger productions while Hollywood continued to evolve over the decades.
Christopher Plummer is survived by his wife Elaine Plummer and daughter Amanda Plummer.
