Hollywood Pays Tribute to Christopher Plummer: “A Giant of Stage and Screen”

Rian Johnson, Chris Evans and Ridley Scott were among those who shared memories of the actor, best known for playing Captain Von Trapp in ‘The Sound of Music.’

In the wake of Christopher Plummer’s death on Friday, Hollywood figures took to social media to share tributes and memories of the Canadian stage and screen actor who died at his home in Connecticut at the age of 91.

Well known for his performance as Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music, Plummer went on to earn Academy Award nominations for The Last Station and All the Money in the World, and won the Oscar in 2012 for Beginners. His credits included A Beautiful Mind, 12 Monkeys, Malcolm X and Knives Out, among numerous others.

The actor was also active on stage, appearing on Broadway, the National Theater and The Royal Shakespeare Company in England. Plummer earned a Tony Awards for his portrayal of Cyrano de Bergerac in the musical Cyrano in 1974. He also played John Barrymore in Barrymore in 1977, for which he won another Tony.

“Chris was an extraordinary man who deeply loved and respected his profession with great old fashion manners, self deprecating humor and the music of words,” wrote Lou Pitt, Plummer’s manager of 46 years, in a statement. “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.”

Ridley Scott and his wife Giannina shared in a statement with The Hollywood Reporter, “What a guy. What a talent. What a life. And I was fortunate enough to work with him less than 2 years ago and had a wonderful experience. My heartfelt condolences go to Elaine He will be really missed.”

Plummer’s Knives Out co-star Chris Evans wrote on Twitter, “This is truly heartbreaking. What an unbelievable loss. Few careers have such longevity and impact. One of my favorite memories from Knives Out was playing piano together in the Thrombey house between set ups. He was a lovely man and a legendary talent.”

Knives Out director Rian Johnson wrote, “Mr. Plummer was not just a legendary actor, but a kind soul who loved his craft.  I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to share a set with him.”

Julie Andrews wrote in a statement shared with THR, “The world has lost a consummate actor today and I have lost a cherished friend.  I treasure the memories of our work together and all the humor and fun we shared through the years.  My heart and condolences go out to his lovely wife Elaine, and his daughter Amanda.”

Helen Mirren remembered Plummer with the statement, “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, theater 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.”

Mirren’s husband Taylor Hackford, who also worked with Plummer, shared a lengthy statement about the late actor. “Chris Plummer knew every acting trick in the book — and many that weren’t even in the book,” he wrote.

Hackford then told a story of a memorable experience with Plummer. “When we were making Dolores Clairborne together in Nova Scotia with Kathy Bates & Jennifer Jason Leigh (1994), I was having a terrible time getting my costume designer, Shay Cunliffe, to find an old rumpled suit to match the haggard, ruthless character Chris was playing, Inspector John Mackie.  She had put 3 or 4 terrible suits on him, but each time he looked like a million buck$. Finally, I said: ‘Shay, why can’t you make this character looked like the rumpled, old cop I envision?’ Deeply frustrated, she said she’d picked the worst suits she’d ever seen.  Chris walked over to me and whispered: ‘Taylor, it’s impossible for me to look bad in a suit – that’s just the way I’m built.  But let me do something that will change all that – I’ll break my nose.’  While Shay and I stood there confused, Chris went into the make-up trailer, took an eye-brow pencil and drew a line across his perfect nose, expertly shading it into a deep and vicious scar. Immediately, his appearance changed dramatically — that old suit looked thread-bare and baggy — his face became haggard and hawk-like.  My desired image of Inspector John Mackie suddenly materialized before my eyes.”

He continued, “Chris Plummer always knew what to do to perfect a role – he and Kathy Bates went on to trade acting blows brilliantly – both delivering the definition of consummate acting.”

Ted Danson shared in a statement, “I was lucky enough to work with Christopher Plummer 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.”

A spokesperson from Starlings Television wrote in a statement, “We were fortunate enough to have Christopher Plummer star in one of his last projects, the Peacock and Global original series, Departure. It’s one thing to watch his brilliant work on screen, yet quite another to have seen the genius of this iconic actor firsthand. He will be sorely missed but, thankfully, his extraordinary legacy of work will live on for future generations.”

Ted Chapin, president of the Rodgers & Hammerstein organization, wrote in a statement, “Christopher Plummer was, well, the Captain. Although he had a love/not-so-much relationship with his role in The Sound of Music, he gradually came around to realizing that he might as well embrace the movie and his performance in it. On some of the movie’s anniversaries, he was coaxed to join in, and no one did the coaxing better than Julie Andrews. I shall miss the gatherings when I was often on ‘Chris’ duty, keeping him amused while, for example, Annie Leibovitz prepared for the anniversary photo. I shall miss him greatly, but I’m so glad his contribution to the Rodgers and Hammerstein legacy will live on.”

On Twitter, George Takei remembered Plummer as a “giant of stage and screen,” and expressed his sadness that the actor “has left us today.” Meanwhile, Joseph Gordon-Levitt labeled Plummer “one of the greats.”

Hawaii Five-O star Daniel Dae Kim wrote on Twitter, “We watched the #SoundOfMusic so much when I was a boy that he and the Von Trapps felt like family. Rest In Peace, legend.”

Read these tributes and more, below.