Below is a compiled list of the most interesting facts about Christopher Plummer. Check it out!
Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer was born in Toronto, Ontario. He is the only child of Isabella Mary (Abbott), a secretary to the Dean of Sciences at McGill University, and John Orme Plummer, who sold securities and stocks. He is a great-grandson of John Abbott, who was Canada’s third Prime Minister (from 1891 to 1892), and a great-great-great-grandson of Anglican clergyman John Bethune. He has Scottish, English, and Anglo-Irish ancestry. Plummer was raised in Senneville, Quebec, by Montreal.
Interesting Facts about Christopher Plummer
- Christopher Plummer’s mother Isabella was a secretary to the Dean of Sciences at McGill University after her divorce from John Orme Plummer who sold stocks in Toronto and never lived in Montreal. In his memoir “In Spite of Myself” (2008), he writes that his mother was doubly disgraced for an upper-class woman in the 1930s, being both divorced and having to go out of work. This explains why he was born in Toronto, and grew up in Montreal. He and his father did not meet until Christopher was age 17.
- Has appeared with Susannah York in four films: Battle of Britain (1969), Lock Up Your Daughters! (1969), Conduct Unbecoming (1975) and The Silent Partner (1978).
- His great-uncle (paternal grandmother’s brother) was F.B. Fetherstonhaugh (Frederick Barnard Fetherstonhaugh), a patent lawyer and agent who founded the patent agency Fetherstonhaugh and Company.
- Although he played Alec Guinness’ son in The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), he was only fifteen years his junior in real life.
- Is one of nine actors to have won the Triple Crown of Acting (an Oscar, Emmy and Tony); the others in chronological order are Thomas Mitchell, Melvyn Douglas, Paul Scofield, Jack Albertson, Jason Robards, Jeremy Irons, Al Pacino and Geoffrey Rush.
- Grew up in the village of Senneville, Québec, Canada.
- Has won two Tony Awards: in 1974, as Best Actor (Musical), playing the title role in “Cyrano”, and in 1997, as Best Actor (Play), playing the title role of John Barrymore in “Barrymore”. He has also been nominated for the Tony four other times: as Best Actor (Dramatic), in 1959 for “J.B.”, and as Best Actor (Play), in 1982 for Shakespeare’s “Othello”, in 1994 for “No Man’s Land”, and in 2004 for Shakespeare’s “King Lear”.
- He was awarded the 1998 Back Stage Garland Award for Outstanding Performance for “Barrymore” at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, California.
- As of 2018, has appeared in four films that were nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award winners: The Sound of Music (1965), The Insider (1999), A Beautiful Mind (2001) and Up (2009). The Sound of Music (1965) and A Beautiful Mind (2001) both won Best Picture.
- Has played Christian in a television production of “Cyrano de Bergerac”, opposite José Ferrer, and later played Cyrano himself. In the former role, he performed the translation by Brian Hooker. In the latter, he performed the translation by Anthony Burgess, which he personally selected Burgess to write.
- Became a father for the first time at age 27 when his first [now ex] wife Tammy Grimes gave birth to their daughter Amanda Michael Plummer, aka Amanda Plummer, on March 23, 1957.
- He and daughter Amanda Plummer have both appeared in adaptation of Stephen King novels. Amanda appeared in Needful Things (1993), while Christopher appeared in Dolores Claiborne (1995).
Personal Quotes by Christopher Plummer
My great-grandfather was prime minister of Canada, and I had a very Edwardian upbringing. It was a beautiful, romantic way of growing up, until the family lost its money. And I decided to be bad and rough and find the streets rather than the gates.
Christopher Plummer
I’m insatiably ambitious.
Christopher Plummer
The part of Mike Wallace drew me to the movie because I thought, what an outrageous part to play.
Christopher Plummer
We used to listen to Lionel Barrymore do ‘A Christmas Carol’ on the radio long ago, and I like Reginald Owen, who played Scrooge in the first treatment for the screen. But my favorite Scrooge was Alastair Sim. He was enchanting, an absolutely beautiful performance.
Christopher Plummer
