Charismatic Canadian actor Christopher Plummer takes final bow

One of the veterans of cinema, Canadian Christopher Plummer has died at the age of 91. His long career saw him delve into dozens of roles for screen and stage, picking up many awards along the way, including an Oscar at the ripe age of 82 for his role in Beginners.

"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," long time manager Lou Pitt said in a statement on Friday evening.

"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."

Plummer died at his home in Connecticut with his wife Elaine Taylor at his side, his longtime friend and manager Pitt said. He is also survived by his daughter, actress Amanda Plummer.

"The world has lost an accomplished actor and I've lost a dear friend," said Julie Andrews, his partner in The Sound of Music, the film that propelled Plummer's career into the limelight.

The pair shared many a laugh during the filming of the beloved 1965 tale of a musical family the Von Trapps and their mischievous governess in Austria on the eve of World War II.

"I treasure the memories of our work together and all the humor and fun we shared through the years," Andrews said.

Great, classic roles
Born on December 13, 1929 in Toronto, Plummer made his professional theater debut in Ottawa in "The Rivals" in 1950.

His decades-long career saw him take on a variety of different roles, on the stage and on screen both in television and cinema.

He won his first Oscar at the age of 82 for the film Beginners for his supporting role in "Beginners" as a man who openly embraces his homosexuality only after his wife dies. He plays alongside Ewan McGregor and French actress Melanie Laurent.

In 2018, he earned another Oscar nomination after standing in at the last minute in "All the Money in the World" for Kevin Spacey, who was dropped from the film following accusations of sexual misconduct.

Plummer played the hard-hearted billionaire J Paul Getty, who refused to pay a ransom for his kidnapped grandson.

"I've managed to finish the cycle of the great, classic roles," he told British newspaper The Guardian in 2018. "I've played them all, some more than once."

"But the parts I'm receiving in films now are wonderful -- the last 10 parts have all been fascinating," he said.

Recently, he starred in the 2019 whodunit "Knives Out" alongside Daniel Craig, Chris Evans and Jamie Lee Curtis.

The director of that film, Rian Johnson, called Plummer a "legend who loved his craft, and was an absolute gentleman."