Renowned Canadian actor Christopher Plummer was born in Toronto, Ontario in 1929 to parents Isabella and John Plummer. Plummer is great-grandson to former Prime Minister of Canada Sir John Abbott. In his youth, he originally aspired to be a pianist and took formal lessons until he was introduced to theater and redirected his passions toward acting. He studied at McGill University, where he played the role of Mr. Darcy in a stage adaptation of Pride and Prejudice and caught the attention of a local theater critic. In 1956, after a series of stage and TV roles, Plummer debuted at the infamous Stratford Shakespeare Festival as Henry in Henry V. He would go on to star in many more productions with Stratford including Hamlet, The Twelfth Knight, The Winters Tale, Much Ado About Nothing, and Romeo & Juliet.
The iconic actor garnered his first feature film role in 1958 with Sidney Lumet’s Stage Struck. It wasn’t until 1965, however, that Plummer played Captain Von Trapp in his breakthrough role in the classic movie musical The Sound of Music. Plummer would go on to build an amazing career on stage and screen, spanning decades up until his death in 2021. Here are the best Christopher Plummer movies, ranked.
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9 Dolores Claiborne
Castle Rock Entertainment
Dolores Claiborne is based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, wherein a small-town housekeeper, played by Kathy Bates, is accused of murdering her rich elderly employer. Plummer plays detective John Mackey the lead investigator on the case, who lets his past feelings for Claiborne cloud his judgement. The film was shot in Nova Scotia, Canada, and became a sleeper hit, grossing $50 million worldwide on a budget of $13 million.
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8 The Man Who Would be King
Columbia Pictures
The Man Who Would Be King is based on a short story by Rudyard Kipling and follows the exploits of two English military officers in India, who travel the land and unwittingly become revered as gods and kings. Plummer gives a fantastic performance as Rudyard Kipling, after hastily replacing Richard Burton.
7 Inside Man
Universal Pictures
Plummer stars in one of his best roles as Arthur Case, the wealthy businessman and bank founder who hires fixer Madeleine White to protect his darkest secrets from bank robber Dalton Russell (Clive Owen). Inside Man is widely regarded as one of the best bank robbery movies of all time and the American Film Institute named it one of the top ten films of 2006.
6 The Silent Partner
Carolco Pictures
Plummer plays against type in the Canadian cult thriller The Silent Partner. He stars as sadistic bank robber Harry Reikle who unleashes his wrath on the bank teller who outwitted him. The film is a gripping cat and mouse thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat. Furthermore, Plummer is truly terrifying as the psychotic thief with a score to settle. The film won several Canadian awards and was well-received by critics.
5 All the Money in the World
Tristar Pictures
All the Money in the World is inspired by true events and based on the book Painfully Rich: The Outrageous Fortune and Misfortunes of the Heirs of J. Paul Getty. It chronicles the kidnapping of John Paul Getty III and his mother’s impassioned pleas for his wealthy grandfather to pay the kidnapper’s ransom. Kevin Spacey had originally held the role of J. Paul Getty, however, after several sexual assault allegations came to light, director Ridley Scott recast Christopher Plummer and reshot all of Spacey’s scenes in less than a month (as outlined by Vanity Fair).
4 Knives Out
T-Street Productions
Knives Out is a 2019 mystery film that examines the mysterious circumstances surrounding the apparent suicide of wealthy novelist Harlan Thrombey (Plummer). The film boasts an all-star ensemble cast including Toni Collette, Daniel Craig, Jamie Lee Curtis, Chris Evans, and Ana de Armas. In a 2019 film review, David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter, praised the script, calling the film an “ingeniously plotted, tremendously entertaining and deviously irreverent crowd-pleaser”.
3 The Sound of Music
20th Century Fox
The Sound of Music is based on the real-life Von Trapp family, a well-known family singing group in the pre-World War II era. The film is one of the best classical Hollywood musicals of its time and is the film that made Plummer a household name. Despite the massive success of the film, Plummer opened up publicly on several occasions about his disdain for the character of Naval Captain Georg Von Trapp. In 2012, he told The Hollywood Reporter “It was so awful and sentimental and gooey, you had to work terribly hard to try and infuse some minuscule bit of humor into it.”
2 The Last Station
Zephyr Films
Plummer stars as famed Russian writer Leo Tolstoy in The Last Station, an intoxicating historical drama that chronicles the relationship between Tolstoy and wife Sofia (Helen Mirren) and the decision of who will be awarded the rights to Tolstoy’s empire, The Russian People or Sofia and family. The film earned an Oscar nomination for Helen Mirren for Best Actress and for Plummer for Best Supporting Actor.
1 Beginners
Olympus Pictures
Beginners stars Plummer as Hal Fields, an elderly man who comes out of the closet after the untimely passing of his wife Georgia. While experiencing a new-found lust for life, he bonds with his son Oliver (Ewan McGregor). After Hal himself dies of terminal cancer, Oliver must utilize the life lessons his father taught him before his death. Plummer won a slew of awards for his performance in beginners, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
