Christopher Plummer Movies

From his 1950 debut onward, Christopher Plummer has been regarded as one of the most brilliant Canadian actors of his generation. His portrayal of Hamlet was a major ratings coup when telecast over the CBC in the early '60s. Following his first Broadway appearance in 1954 (among his New York stage credits are JB, Royal Hunt of the Sun and The Good Doctor), efforts were made to convert Plummer into an American matinee idol, most of these attempts were resisted by Plummer himself. His first two films, Stage Struck (1957) and Wind Across the Everglades (1958), set no new box office records, although the latter, directed by Nicholas Ray, did earn strong critical notices. Plummer was shown to better advantage in such live network-TV presentations as The Prisoner of Zenda and A Doll's House.

In 1965, the actor was cast as Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music, an assignment he despised, reportedly referring to the musical blockbuster as The Sound of Mucus. Nonetheless, and as Plummer has ruefully noted on many occasions, this one film did more to make the actor bankable in Hollywood than any previous effort. He went on to do steady, if varied, work throughout the rest of the century. Among Plummer's more notable films were The Return of the Pink Panther (1974), the British Empire extravaganza The Man Who Would Be King (1975), 1979's Murder by Decree (in which he starred as Sherlock Holmes), Somewhere in Time (1980), the legendary 1983 miniseries The Thorn Birds, 1991's Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, and 1995's Dolores Claiborne and Twelve Monkeys. In 1999, Plummer received some of the strongest notices of his career for his uncannily accurate portrayal of 60 Minutes anchor Mike Wallace in Michael Mann's The Insider. Throughout his long career, the actor has won many awards, including Tonys for the musical Cyrano and the biopic Barrymore, and an Emmy for his work in the TV miniseries The Moneychangers. Genie nominated for performances in the films Ararat and Blizzard in 2002 and 2003 respectively, Plummer and his daughter Amanda were both nominated for Emmy awards for their television performances in 2005. Though the father would ultimately walk away empty-handed, the award would stay in the family when Amanda was bestowed the honor for her memorable guest appearance in an episode of Law and Order: Special Victim's Unit. With roles in such high profile theatrical releases including The New World, Inside Man, and The Lake House keeping Plummer very much in the spotlight, it was obvious that his talent and passion for acting were still as strong as ever.

Talent seems to run in Plummer's family: he and first wife, actress Tammy Grimes, are the parents of acclaimed actress Amanda Plummer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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Nicholas Nickleby: 2002; Add Nicholas Nickleby to Queue Add Nicholas Nickleby to top of Queue

One of Charles Dickens' best-loved (and most complex) stories receives its fourth feature film adaptation in this lively historical comedy-drama. Nicholas Nickleby (Charlie Hunnam) is a 19-year-old who becomes the head of the family when his father dies unexpectedly. Keeping watch over his mother (Stella Gonet) and his sister Kate (Romola Garai) becomes an even greater challenge when Nicholas discovers that his father lost the family fortune due to ill-advised investments. Without a shilling to his name, Nicholas turns to his wealthy but unforgiving Uncle Ralph (Christopher Plummer) for help; Uncle Ralph offers to find work for all three, and Nicholas becomes a teacher at a school for unfortunate boys run by Wackford Squeers (Jim Broadbent) and his wife (Juliet Stevenson). Squeers and his wife are cruel and frequently violent toward their charges, and when Wackford, without cause, beats a weak and timid student, Smike (Jamie Bell), Nicholas decides he can take no more and runs away, with Smike in tow. The two young men fall in with a traveling theater troupe run by the genially eccentric Vincent Crummles (Nathan Lane) and his equally flamboyant spouse (Barry Humphries, aka Dame Edna Everage). In time Nicholas returns to London to check in on his sister and mother. To his horror, he learns that Uncle Ralph has promised Kate's hand to Sir Mulberry Hawk (Edward Fox), a wealthy older man with a less-than-wholesome interest in young women. Both Kate and Nicholas are upset at the prospect of this union, and Nicholas attempts to tear his family away from Uncle Ralph's control, beginning with a job working for the warm-hearted Charles Cheeryble (Timothy Spall) and his brother (Gerard Horan). Nicholas also falls in love with the fair Madeline (Anne Hathaway), but when Uncle Ralph learns of Nicholas' plot to foil Kate's impending marriage, he strikes back by kidnapping Smike and attempting to force Madeline to wed Sir Hawk. Actor, writer, and filmmaker Douglas McGrath adapted Nicholas Nickleby into a screenplay, as well as directing the picture. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Starring:: Jamie Bell, Jim Broadbent, (more)

A Child's Century of War: 2001

A Beautiful Mind: 2001; PG13; Add A Beautiful Mind to Queue Add A Beautiful Mind to top of Queue

The true story of prominent mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr. is the subject of this biographical drama from director Ron Howard. Russell Crowe stars as the brilliant but arrogant and conceited professor Nash. The prof seems guaranteed a rosy future in the early '50s after he marries beautiful student Alicia (Jennifer Connelly) and makes a remarkable advancement in the foundations of "game theory," which carries him to the brink of international acclaim. Soon after, John is visited by Agent William Parcher (Ed Harris), from the CIA, who wants to recruit him for code-breaking activities. But evidence suggests that Nash's perceptions of reality are cloudy at best; he is struggling to maintain his tenuous hold on sanity, and Alicia suspects a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia. Battling decades of illness with the loyal Alicia by his side, Nash is ultimately able to gain some control over his mental state, and eventually goes on to triumphantly win the Nobel Prize. Based loosely on the book of the same name by Sylvia Nasar, A Beautiful Mind (2001) co-stars Paul Bettany, Adam Goldberg, Anthony Rapp, Christopher Plummer, and Judd Hirsch. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Starring:: Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, (more)

Lucky Break: 2001; PG13; Add Lucky Break to Queue Add Lucky Break to top of Queue

The first feature by director Peter Cattaneo since his award-winning British smash hit The Full Monty, Lucky Break is another comedy in the same mold, this time taking place in prison. Small-time crooks Jimmy (James Nesbitt) and Rudy (Lennie James), after years of no success, decide to pull a bank job, where they are both captured and incarcerated. Jimmy is then transferred to Long Rudford, run by the steely security chief Perry (Ron Cook). Jimmy again runs into Rudy (whom he left to take the initial rap) and shares a cell with Cliff (Timothy Spall), a portly man prone to depression. The prison warden, Mortimer (Christopher Plummer), is heavily into Broadway musicals and offers Jimmy an opportunity to stage his long-unproduced work, "Nelson: The Musical," which Jimmy will use as a means to bust out of the prison. After working hard on the new tuner, the boys try to find a way both to do the show and to continue their arduously planned escape. The Sixth Sense's Olivia Williams co-stars as a guard Jimmy falls for, and British comic actors Bill Nighy and Frank Harper appear in supporting roles. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide

Starring:: James Nesbitt, Olivia Williams, (more)

Full Disclosure: 2000; Add Full Disclosure to Queue Add Full Disclosure to top of Queue

Hard-drinking newspaper reporter John McWhirter (Fred Ward) finds himself in the middle of a messy political assassination plot when he is compelled to keep in his house an on-the-lam Palestinian operative, Armiti Khalq (Rachel Ticotin). McWhirter, who is being heavily pressured by his editor (Virginia Madsen) to come up with a scoop, has no choice but to keep the woman safe as a payback to two old friends he apparently betrayed when they were university radicals during the turbulent 1960s. The overreaching FBI bureau chief, Robert Lecker (Christopher Plummer), is anxious to find the woman and send McWhirter and his companions away -- unless they happen to die first. Meanwhile, a manic hit woman, Michelle (Penelope Ann Miller), discovers Armiti's hiding place and closes in for the kill, just as McWhirter returns home. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide

Starring:: Virginia Madsen, Penelope Ann Miller, (more)

Wes Craven Presents: Dracula 2000: 2000; R; Add Wes Craven Presents: Dracula 2000 to Queue Add Wes Craven Presents: Dracula 2000 to top of Queue

In this loose reinvention of the classic Bram Stoker novel, the Count (Gerard Butler) is transplanted to the present day, after a brief prologue where Van Helsing (Christopher Plummer) captures Dracula and conceals him in Carfax Abbey, where he remains for many years. In the future, Carfax Abbey is contained within an office building where Van Helsing's been using Dracula's blood to stay alive in order to guard the evil secret. After a band of thieves, led by the malevolent Marcus (Omar Epps), attempts to seize Dracula's remains, the Count escapes to New Orleans, where Mary Van Helsing (Justine Waddell) currently resides. Mary is eventually persuaded to fight Dracula with the aid of a reluctant Simon(Jonny Lee Miller), one of Van Helsing's employees, all while trying to escape the newly-made vampires of Marcus' gang and a zealous TV reporter (Jeri Ryan). The film also features Lochlyn Munro, Jennifer Esposito, Vitamin C, and Danny Masterson in supporting roles.
~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide

Starring:: Christopher Plummer, Gerard Butler, (more)

CNN: Celebrate the Century - Episode 4, 1940-1945: 2000

CNN celebrates the innovations, headlines, and culture of the 20th century. CNN: Celebrate the Century consists of ten programs. The fourth program, CNN: Celebrate the Century - Episode 4, 1940-1945, features the major headlines of the day, including the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the birth of the United Nations. The program also recounts the major innovations of the early 1940's, such as the nifty fastener Velcro, the first computer, and the horrific napalm bomb. Culturally, America was enraptured with Ernest Hemingway, Orson Welles, and superstar Frank Sinatra. Features an entertaining and educational look at what it meant to be an American during the early 1940s . ~ Laura Mahnken, All Movie Guide

CNN: Celebrate the Century - Episode 5, 1945-1954: 2000

CNN celebrates the innovations, headlines, and culture of the 20th century. CNN: Celebrate the Century consists of ten programs. The fifth program, CNN: Celebrate the Century - Episode 5, 1945-1954, features the major headlines of the day, including the effects of the barrier between the Soviet bloc and Western Europe known as the Iron Curtain, the independence of Israel in 1948, and the Korean War. The program also recounts the major innovations of the late 1940s and early 1950s, such as color TV, the powerful hydrogen bomb, and the discovery of the polio vaccine. Features an entertaining and educational look at what it meant to be an American during the late 1940s and early 1950s . ~ Laura Mahnken, All Movie Guide

CNN: Celebrate the Century - Episode 6, 1954-1961: 2000

NN celebrates the innovations, headlines, and culture of the 20th century. CNN: Celebrate the Century consists of ten programs. The sixth program, CNN: Celebrate the Century - Episode 6, 1954-1961, features the major headlines of the day including the Suez Crisis, the Soviet satellite Sputnik, and the beginning of the civil rights movement. The program also recounts the major innovations and events of the mid-1950s and early 1960's, such as the first microchip and humans' first walk on the moon. Culturally, America was enraptured with the birth of the sound of Motown. Features an entertaining and educational look at what it meant to be an American during the mid-1950s and early 1960s . ~ Laura Mahnken, All Movie Guide

CNN: Celebrate the Century - Episode 7, 1961-1969: 2000

CNN celebrates the innovations, headlines, and culture of the 20th century. CNN: Celebrate the Century consists of ten programs. The seventh program, CNN: Celebrate the Century - Episode 7, 1961-1969, features the major headlines of the day, including the birth of the Berlin Wall surrounding West Berlin, Mao's Red Guards, and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Culturally, America was falling in love with four young lads from Liverpool, the Beatles. Features an entertaining and educational look at what it meant to be an American during the 1960's . ~ Laura Mahnken, All Movie Guide

CNN: Celebrate the Century - Episode 8, 1970-1979: 2000

CNN celebrates the innovations, headlines, and culture of the 20th century. CNN: Celebrate the Century consists of ten programs. The eighth program, CNN: Celebrate the Century - Episode 8, 1970-1979, features the major headlines of the day, including the massacre at Kent State University and the impeachment and resignation of President Nixon. The program also recounts the major innovations and events of the 1970s, such as the space probe and the breaking of the sound barrier. Culturally, America was enraptured with director Stanley Kubrick and his breakthrough film A Clockwork Orange, as well as with the disco beats of the film Saturday Night Fever. Features an entertaining and educational look at what it meant to be an American during the 1970s . ~ Laura Mahnken, All Movie Guide

CNN: Celebrate the Century - Episode 9, 1980-1989: 2000

CNN celebrates the innovations, headlines, and culture of the 20th century. CNN: Celebrate the Century consists of ten programs. The ninth program, CNN: Celebrate the Century - Episode 9, 1980-1989, features the major headlines of the day including the presidency of Ronald Reagan and the fall of communism. The program also recounts the major innovations and events of the 1980s, such as the birth of the personal computer, the cell phone, and virtual reality. Culturally, America was enraptured with the Steven Spielberg film E.T., the advent of MTV, and the music and enigma of pop superstar Michael Jackson. Features an entertaining and educational look at what it meant to be an American during the 1980s. ~ Laura Mahnken, All Movie Guide

CNN: Celebrate the Century - Episode 10, 1990-1999: 2000

CNN celebrates the innovations, headlines, and culture of the 20th century. CNN: Celebrate the Century consists of ten programs. The tenth program, CNN: Celebrate the Century - Episode 10, 1990-1999, features the major headlines of the day including the tragic death of Princess Diana and the release of Nelson Mandela. The program also recounts the major innovations and events of the 1990s, such as the affect of the Internet, the cloning of sheep, and a little pill named Viagra. Culturally, America was enraptured with the sounds of Nirvana and with the film Pulp Fiction. Features an entertaining and educational look at what it meant to be an American during the 1990s. ~ Laura Mahnken, All Movie Guide

The Dinosaur Hunter: 2000

Two kids discover just how exciting science can be in this drama for the family. Julia (Alison Pill) is a young woman growing up in a farming community in Central Canada, which has been hit with an unseasonable drought. Spirits are low around Julia's household until she and her brother Daniel (Bill Switzer) meet Jack (Simon McCorkindale), a travelling archeologist who is looking for dinosaur bones. Jack's dream is to some day find an entire skeleton intact, and he teaches Julia and Daniel lessons about both the science and the excitement of looking for fossils. Just as Jack and his new friends begin making some important finds, along comes "Hump" Hinton (Christopher Plummer), a fellow dinosaur hunter who has long considered himself Jack's greatest rival and who is determined to steal Jack's bone samples for his own purposes. The Dinosaur Hunter was originally produced for WIC Premium, a Canadian pay-cable service. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Starring:: Alison Pill, Simon MacCorkindale, (more)

Nuremberg: 2000; Add Nuremberg to Queue Add Nuremberg to top of Queue

This TNT miniseries stars Alec Baldwin as Robert Jackson, the Supreme Court justice who served as the head prosecutor for the war crimes tribunal that took place in Nuremberg after the horrors of WWII and the Holocaust. The film follows Jackson from his preparations for the trial to the outcome of the trial itself, paying particular attention to the interplay between Jackson and the Nazi thugs he is trying to prosecute. Brian Cox co-stars a Hermann Goering, Hitler's right-hand man, while Christopher Plummer plays British prosecutor Sir David Maxwell-Fyfe, and Jill Hennessey portrays Elise Douglas, Jackson's invaluable secretary and sometime lover. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide

Starring:: Alec Baldwin, Jill Hennessy, (more)

CNN: Celebrate the Century - Episode 2, 1915-1929: 2000

CNN celebrates the innovations, headlines, and culture of the 20th century. CNN: Celebrate the Century consists of ten programs. The second program, CNN: Celebrate the Century - Episode 2, 1915-1929, features the major headlines of the day, including the Russian Revolution and the panic on Wall Street. The program also covers the major innovations of the early 20th century, such as the invention of the liquid fuel rocket and the La-Z-Boy recliner. As far as culture, CNN reminds viewers that the most influential film was Birth of a Nation and that jazz began to make its mark on the American music scene. Features an entertaining and educational look at what it meant to be an American at the dawning of a new century . ~ Laura Mahnken, All Movie Guide

CNN: Celebrate the Century - Episode 3, 1930-1939: 2000

CNN celebrates the innovations, headlines, and culture of the 20th century. CNN: Celebrate the Century consists of ten programs. The third program, CNN: Celebrate the Century - Episode 3, 1930-1939, features the major headlines of the day, including Amelia Earhart's solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932 and her attempt to fly around the world that ended tragically when she crashed into the Pacific Ocean in 1937. The program also recounts the rise of Adolf Hitler's power and the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby, as well as the major innovations of the early 20th century such as the invention of sliced bread. Culturally, America was enraptured with the comic book superhero Superman. Features an entertaining and educational look at what it meant to be an American during the 1930s. ~ Laura Mahnken, All Movie Guide

CNN: Celebrate the Century - Episode 1, 1900-1914: 2000

CNN celebrates the innovations, headlines, and culture of the 20th century. CNN: Celebrate the Century consists of ten programs. The first program, CNN: Celebrate the Century - Episode 1, 1900-1914, features the major headlines of the day, including the flight of the Wright Brothers and the sinking of the Titanic. Major innovations of the early 20th century are covered, such as the invention of the automobile, the car, and plastic. From 1900-1914, American culture was primarily influenced by the music and style of ragtime and the blues. Take an in-depth look at America at the dawning of a new century . ~ Laura Mahnken, All Movie Guide

Possessed: 2000; Add Possessed to Queue Add Possessed to top of Queue

This made-for-cable drama was adapted from the true story of the only exorcism sanctioned by the Catholic church to be performed in America in the 20th century. Father Bowdern (Timothy Dalton) is a Jesuit priest and military veteran still dealing with the emotional traumas of World War II as he tends to his flock in St. Louis in 1949. A strange case comes to Bowdern's attention -- a boy named Robbie who has strange markings on his body and appears to be under the influence of some otherworldly spirit. Robbie's family believes the child has been possessed by a demon, and in time Bowdern agrees. After receiving the consent of the Vatican, Bowdern attempts the torturous process of casting out the demon, which proves to be as much a test of his own powers as those of the devil. Possessed also stars Piper Laurie, Christopher Plummer, and Henry Czerny. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Starring:: Timothy Dalton, Christopher Plummer, (more)

American Tragedy: 2000; Add American Tragedy to Queue Add American Tragedy to top of Queue

The real-life drama of the 1994 O.J. Simpson trial is given quasi-fictional treatment in this two-part CBS miniseries, which aired in November 2000. Much of the miniseries' plot focuses on the battle of egos between defense lawyers Johnnie Cochran (Ving Rhames) and Robert Shapiro (Ron Silver) and how the personalities of these men in part shaped the outcome of the trial. Also included in the cast are Bruno Kirby and Christopher Plummer. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide