Stage and Screen Star Christopher Plummer Dies at 91

BroadwayWorld is saddened to report that "The Sound of Music" star Christopher Plummer has passed away at the age of 91.

The Canadian-born Christopher Plummer acted for over 60 years of his life. He won almost every possible acting award including an Oscar, two Emmys, two Tony Awards, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award and a BAFTA.

Known for his distinctive performances in many films (The Sound of Music, Battle of Britain, The Night of The Generals, Somewhere in Time, Nicholas Nickleby, A Beautiful Mind, and, most recently, Knives Out and All The Money in the World), he is also known for his command of Shakespearean roles.

Mr. Plummer has portrayed nearly all of the Bard's lead characters on stages around the world. He made his debut at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in 1956 playing the title role in Henry V.

Plummer most recently appeared on Broadway in a 2007 production of "Inherit the Wind." In total, he appeared in 16 Broadway productions, including "King Lear," "Barrymore," "No Man's Land," "Macbeth," "Othello," "The Good Doctor," "Cyrano," "The Royal Hunt of the Sun," "Arturo Ui," "J.B.," "Night of the Auk," "The Lark," "The Dark is Light Enough," and "Home Is The Hero."

His Broadway debut came in the 1954 production of "The Starcross Story" by Diana Morgan. He won Tony Awards for his roles in "Cyrano" and "Barrymore," and was nominated five more times.

Though Plummer appeared in over 100 films, he said his first and primary love was the theater. "The theatre has given me the most joy professionally, because of the live audience. I think it's desperately important to form a communion with your audience. That's your partner. Though I admire and take pleasure in movies, they can't replace the stage," he told The Globe and Mail in 2010.

The actor was married to Elaine Taylor for 53 years.

Listen to Plummer's beautiful performance of "Edelweiss" in "The Sound of Music" here: