Christopher Plummer in "The Gathering Night" (1953)

LOS ANGELES - August 17, 1953.:  Christopher Plummer, seated in rehearsal for ‘The Gathering Night’. 

Happy Birthday Christopher Plummer

Happy Birthday Canadian theatre, film and television actor Christopher Plummer 

(December 13, 1929- )

The Sound of Mary Poppins

The Exception (2016)

A German soldier tries to determine if the Dutch resistance has planted a spy to infiltrate the home of Kaiser Wilhelm in Holland during the onset of World War II, but falls for a young Jewish Dutch woman during his investigation.
Director: David Leveaux
Writers: Simon Burke (screenplay), Alan Judd (novel)
Stars: Christopher Plummer, Lily James, Jai Courtney, Eddie Marsan

The Sound of Music (1965)

The seven mischievous, incorrigible children test her and play a prank upon her, as they have done previously to run off other governesses. When she's not looking, they place a frog in her pocket.

Christopher Plummer in Stratfo

Christopher Plummer backstage at the Stratford Theater with his daughter Amanda Plummer in 1963.

Christopher Plummer -- Oscar ACCEPTANCE SPEECH

Year: 2011 (84th) Academy Awards
Category: Actor in a Supporting Role
Film Title: Beginners
Winner: Christopher Plummer
Presenter: Melissa Leo
Date & Venue: February 26, 2012; Hollywood & Highland Center

CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER:
[To the Oscar:] You’re only two years older than me, darling. Where have you been all my life?

I have a confession to make. When I first emerged from my mother’s womb, I was already rehearsing my Academy thank you speech. But it was so long ago, mercifully for you I’ve forgotten it. But I haven’t forgotten who to thank. The Academy, of course, for this extraordinary honor. And my fellow nominees: Kenneth, Nick, Jonah, dear Max. I’m so proud to be in your company. Of course I wouldn’t be here at all if it weren’t for Michael Mills and his enchanting film, “Beginners.” And my screen partner, of course, Ewan McGregor, that superb artist who I would happily share this award with if I had any decency – but I don’t. All the producers at Olympus Films, especially Leslie Urdang and Miranda de Pencier. All the people at Focus, for their tremendous generosity and support. And not to mention my, haha, little band of agents provocateurs: Lou Pitt and his wife Berta, Carter Cohn, Pippa Markham, Perry Zimel, who’ve tried so hard to keep me out of jail. My daughter Amanda, who always makes me proud. And lastly, my long-suffering wife, Elaine, who deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for coming to my rescue every day of my life. Thank you so much.

The Sound of Music

Maria breaks away and blushes, confused about her feelings.

The Sound of Music -- Ländler

At a banquet the Captain has organized in honor of Baroness Schraeder, eleven-year-old Kurt watches the guests dancing the Ländler and he asks Maria to teach him the steps. When the Captain sees Maria dancing in the moonlight, he cuts in and partners her in a graceful performance, culminating in a close embrace; Maria breaks away and blushes, confused about her feelings.

The Sound of Music -- Maria and the Captain

The Sound of Music -- Christmas

Christopher Plummer as Santa Claus

Christopher Plummer as Santa Claus in Blizzard (2003)

Happy Birthday Christopher Plummer

December 13th, 2015: Happy 86th birthday Christopher Plummer!

ABOUT
Longtime actor whose prominent roles include Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music and his Academy Award winning portrayal of Hal Fields in the 2010 film Beginners. His other notable films include The Return of the Pink Panther, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, and The Man Who Would Be King.

BEFORE FAME
His role as Mr. Darcy in his high school production of Pride and Prejudice garnered the attention of theater critic Herbert Whittaker. He made his film debut in the 1858 movie, Stage Struck.

TRIVIA
He won a number of awards for his role in the 1999 Michael Mann film The Insider.

FAMILY LIFE
His great-grandfather was former Canadian prime minister, Sir John Abbott. He had a daughter named Amanda Plummer in 1957 with Patricia Lewis.

Christopher Plummer website

Watch the new Christopher Plummer website

Christopher Plummer in the movie HECTOR AND THE SEARCH FOR HAPPINESS

SCREEN LEGEND CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER ON 

HECTOR AND THE SEARCH FOR HAPPINESS

Hector and the Search for Happiness is a sweet, slightly familiar, slice-of-life story from Funny Bonesand Hear My Song director Peter Chelsom starring screen legend Christopher Plummer. We spoke with the Academy Award winning actor about his role in the film adaptation and his thoughts on happiness.

Christopher Plummer has been working in cinema for decades and joins both Jean Reno and Stellan Skarsgård in small but memorable roles in his latest film. While Simon Pegg’s Hector is on a search for what he thinks is happiness, Plummer’s “mad” scientist character Professor Coreman is there to set him straight on the science of the emotion and put Hector to the test with an emotionally revealing experiment. Playing Professor Coreman turned out to be a role that was, as Plummer revealed, both thrilling and challenging at the same time.

Of his character, Plummer told Nerdist, “He’s sort of a mad Stephen Hawking, this man, isn’t he? I mean, he’s an extraordinary kind of creature who is experimenting with a word that really doesn’t exist. ‘Happiness’ does not exist, as we all know. The word ‘joy’ is a better word because we can take great joy in what we do sometimes and what we don’t do and what we love, that’s joy. Happiness is a word that belongs to a Walt Disney cartoon. It’s too cute for words and as a kid I remember all of us youngsters tried to run away from it and pretend that it doesn’t exist. We thought it was sissy to be happy, we were going to be dark and evil and have joy and all of that but happiness, we don’t know what that means. So this wonderful old character has that behind it too, he has all of those qualities behind it as well as is sort of spiel he uses in his lectures to get attention. I love the character. He’s a phony, false old scientist.”

Plummer continued his thoughts on “happiness” saying, “‘The pursuit of happiness;’ if you pursue happiness, you’re insane. You’re going to waste an awful lot of time when you could be doing other far more creative things.” When I asked him how he felt about working with co-stars Simon Pegg and Toni Collette, Plummer had nothing but kind things to say. “I think that Simon is a terribly talented writer as well as being a terrific comedian and I think that he couldn’t be more ideal as that creature. I think, insane as it is, he’s trying desperately to find some joy in the world even though he misunderstands the word.” Plummer continued to sing the praises of his co-stars, saying, “Toni [Collette], I think she’s such a versatile wonderful actress, I had such fun with her and Simon both. I didn’t have enough with Simon really, we didn’t have an awful lot together but for what we did have, I liked him enormously.”

Hector and the Pursuit of Happiness, starring Simon Pegg, Rosamund Pike, Toni Collette and Christopher Plummer

The Sound of Music 50th Anniversary

Oscars 2015: Julie Andrews "Deeply Honored" by Lady Gaga's 'Sound of Music' Tribute

Lady Gaga's Sound of Music medley at the 87^th Academy Awards was notable for many reasons -- namely, how stripped-down the whole affair was, with the pop star's beautiful voice taking center stage instead of the theatrics of her early career. The cherry on top was when Sound of Music star Julie Andrews came onstage afterward and embraced Gaga with a wide smile on her face.

It appeared that Andrews was just as in awe of the performance as the audience was -- and as it turns out, she was.

Christopher Plummer Skipped the Oscars Because 'It Was a Tribute to Julie Andrews'

The night wasn't supposed to be about Captain Von Trapp.

That's why Christopher Plummer, who played the man of Maria's dreams in The Sound of Music, skipped the 50th anniversary tribute to the 1965 Best Picture musical on Oscar night last Sunday.

"I couldn't be there for personal reasons, and secondly I didn't want to," Plummer, 85, tells PEOPLE exclusively. "It was really a tribute to Julie. It's her movie. It's a terrible phrase we have in England but if I had appeared there I would have looked like a spare prick at a wedding. That's the most perfect description of how I would have looked."

Plummer did watch the show, however, and was blown away by Lady Gaga's rendition of the title song.

"I thought Lady Gaga sang absolutely wonderfully," said Plummer, who won his first Oscar in 2012 for Beginners. "She knows how to do two styles. She knows the old way and she knows the new way and she was so faithful to the style of the story and the song. Julie looked terrific. I was thrilled it was a tribute to her and so it should be."

Asked what pop culture phenom he would have liked to sing on his behalf if the Oscars featured his movie solo "Edelweiss" instead, Plummer gets a little tongue-tied.

"I don't know enough about the rock scene, really," Plummer admits. "I'm an old jazz fan."

Plummer and Andrews will participate in this year's TCM Classic Film Festival, which will run March 26-29 in Hollywood. The festival will kick off with a screening of The Sound of Music.