Hollywood Icon Christopher Plummer Dead at 91

Beloved actor Christopher Plummer, who appeared in movies like The Sound of Music and Knives Out, has passed away. He was 91. Plummer, born in 1929 in Toronto, has been working in TV, film, and on the stage since 1953. During the course of his long career, Plummer earned three Academy Award nominations and one win (Best Supporting Actor in 2011's Beginners). He also earned two Tony Awards (Best Actor in a Musical for Cyrano in 1974, and Best Actor in a Play for Barrymore in 1997) and two Emmy Awards (Outstanding Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for 1977's Arthur Hailey's the Moneychangers, and Outstanding Voiceover Performance for 1994's Madeline).

The Emmy, Tony, and Oscar wins make Plummer the only Canadian ever to win the "Triple Crown of Acting." He also earned a Grammy nomination in 1986, bringing him close to the "EGOT" -- a concept popularized by 30 Rock for the very small number of performers who have won all four of those trophies.

"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," said Lou Pitt, Plummer's longtime friend and manager (via Deadline). "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."

Plummer spent his career splitting his time between commercial hits and artistic statements. While performing on stage and being constantly nominated for awards, he also appeared in films like The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, and National Treasure. While he is best known for his role as Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music, Plummer himself seemed ambivalent about the film, expressing production horror stories and describing his own role as "awful and sentimental and gooey" in interviews.

"But it was a very well-made movie, and it's a family movie and we haven't seen a family movie, I don't think, on that scale for ages," the actor told Dark Horizons in 2009.

In addition to a memorable role in Knives Out, Plummer's recent credits include All the Money in the World, in which he was digitally inserted to replace Kevin Spacey in 2017, after Spacey was disgraced early in the #MeToo movement.

Our hearts go out to Plummer's friends, family, fans, and collaborators at this difficult time.