Hollywood has lost a legend in the form of actor Christopher Plummer, who died at the age of 91 [1] on 5 Feb. Best known for his role as the stern Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music, Christopher's 75 year career included a number of iconic performance like J. Paul Getty in All the Money in the World, Harlan Thrombey in Knives Out, Hal Fields in Beginners, and Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington in Waterloo. Celebrities and fans alike mourned the loss of the renowned actor, whose powerhouse performances over the years earned him an Oscar, two Emmy Awards, and two Tony Awards.
"Chris was an extraordinary man who deeply loved and respected his profession with great old fashion manners, self deprecating humour and the music of words," the actor's longtime friend and manager Lou Pitt shared in a statement announcing his death [2]. "He was a National Treasure who deeply relished his Canadian roots. Through his art and humanity, he touched all of our hearts and his legendary life will endure for all generations to come. He will forever be with us." Several of Christopher's friends and costars, including Julie Andrews, Helen Mirren [3], Chris Evans, and William Shatner, also shared heartfelt memories and tributes to the late actor. Ahead, you can see how celebrities are honouring Christopher's memory.
Julie Andrews
In a statement shared with The Hollywood Reporter [5], she wrote: "The world has lost a consummate actor today and I have lost a cherished friend [6]. I treasure the memories of our work together and all the humour and fun we shared through the years. My heart and condolences go out to his lovely wife Elaine, and his daughter Amanda."
William Shatner
William took to Twitter to remember his longtime friend, saying, "A gentleman whose name is Christopher Plummer died today [7]. He was what I call a friend. What is the definition of a friend? Somebody you know intimately whose every breath and every thought that is so much like yours or can a friend be someone whose life is intertwined near and afar with great gaps of time between meetings? That was the kind of friend Chris Plummer was to me. I think the final picture of our friendship was in a documentary I was making in which I interviewed him at a theatre that we both played at the Statford Ontario Festival. We spent the afternoon laughing and rejoicing in our mutual experiences. That afternoon defined my friendship with Chris. I am so sad to lose him. My best, Bill."
Helen Mirren
Helen shared in a statement that [8]: "I had the great honour to work with Chris Plummer in his Oscar nominated role of Tolstoy. He was a mighty force both as Man and Actor. He was an actor in the 19th century meaning of the word — his commitment to his profession. His art was total, theatre being a constant and the most important part of the totality of his drive to engage with storytelling. He was fearless, energetic, courageous, knowledgeable, professional and a monument to what an actor can be. A Great Actor in the truest sense."
Ana de Armas
Christopher's Knives Out co-star, Ana, remembered him in a post on Instagram: "My heart is broken [9], my dear Chris. I feel your loss deep inside. How lucky was I having you next to me in what's been one the best experiences of my career. Thank you always for your laughter, your warmth, your talent, your stories about Marilyn, the vitamins when I got sick, your patience, your partnership and your company. I will always think of you with love and admiration. Rest In Peace. ♥️🙏🏻"
Russell Crowe
During his career, Russell worked with Christopher on two occasions. The Australian actor remembered his co-star in a thread on Twitter [10], saying, "Christopher Plummer . . . I worked with him twice. The Insider (1999) A Beautiful Mind (2001) Good man. Fine actor. We were sitting on the set of ABM one day and for some reason we started talking about the movie Network. Particularly the performances of Peter Finch and Ned Beatty. He told me that in the London theatre world of the '60s that Finch had a fearsome reputation."
"He'd come to the west end from Australia and had brought with him a certain inability to suffer fools combined with a deep unquenchable thirst the moment the curtain came down. Chris was out an actors party with a young lady he had just started seeing. Somewhere far down The Kings Road in Chelsea. She had recently broken up with Finch. Peter arrived looking for her and he was in a very confrontational mood. Finch followed the couple around the party making disparageing remarks and eventually the young woman had enough and said to Chris that they should leave. Not a lot of black cabs at that end of Chelsea late on a Sunday night, luckily though the young lady had her own car. They left the party. Chris somewhat relieved."
"As they sat into her car and readied to drive off, the back door opened and Finch jumped in. Take me back to Soho he bellowed, 'there's no cabs.' Thinking acquiescence better than confrontation at this point, off they drove. The journey underway Peter kept up a torrent of abuse from the back seat. About him, about her, about trust, truth, love, sex, talent...it was non stop. At one point, somewhere near Sloan Square the young lady pulled the car to the side of the road and ordered both men to get out. 'Both?' Asked Christopher. 'Yes, both of you.'
They got out of the car and she sped off down the street without looking back. So here was Christopher, the young Canadian just beginning his career and Finch, drunken, aggressive, boorish, actorly genius under lamplight."
"Alone . . . Chris told me he was chilled with fear. Peter had threatened him with physical violence a number of times and he felt for sure he was about to suffer a beating at the hands of someone who's performances he had admired greatly. Too cruel. Finch turned to him, eye ablaze. In an instant the red anger left his face, and the piercing knives of his eyes resolved into something impish and charming . . . 'Thank f*ck we got rid of her' he bellowed mellifluously, echoing off the empty street, then whispered 'let's find a drink.' They became friends."
"I loved working with Chris on The Insider, he was just impressive. It was a travesty that his role didn't receive an Academy Award nomination because everyone talked about and knew that it was amongst the handful of truly formidable performances that year. We worked together again on A Beautiful Mind. Occasionally we would spend time together after work. He preferred one-on-one, a good drink, not just any drink. I appreciated his candor and wisdom. As actors do though, in the big circles we swing around, we fell out of touch. I reached out to him in 2012 after he won the Academy Award to say 'on behalf of Finch and I, welcome to the club.' He laughed. Rest In Peace Mr Plummer. Good man. Fine actor."
Ridley Scott
In a statement shared with The Hollywood Reporter, Ridley said: "What a guy. What a talent. [11] What a life. And I was fortunate enough to work with him less than two years ago and had a wonderful experience. My heartfelt condolences go to Elaine He will be really missed."
Ted Danson
"I was lucky enough to work with Christopher Plummer [12] a number of years ago. Besides being a such a talented actor, he was a true gentleman. It was a privilege to work with him and I will miss his presence in our community," shared Ted in a statement to Entertainment Weekly
Debbie Turner
Debbie, who played Marta in The Sound of Music, remembered Christopher in a post on Facebook. "Today we mourn the loss [13] of my film daddy, Christopher Plummer. He was always very kind to me, though "in Character" while we were filming. We had a love-respect for him as we knew he was the authority of the family von Trapp. I am honoured and privileged to have had the opportunity to work with him and be his film daughter. Rest in Peace, daddy."