This Oscar and Tony winning actor is one of those few talents that not only played some very serious roles, but also could warm your heart with a great performance. Usually known for playing the villain, such as in the 1984 film Dreamscape, he could also be the hero, like when he battled the vampire Klaus Kinski in Vampire in Venice (1988). No matter what production, be brought class. He did appear in quite a few other genre titles, such as Wolf (1994) and even Dracula 2000 (2000), and of course the sci-fi epic Starcrash (1978). 

Of course, he is probably best remembered (at least by the critics) as the head of the family in Sound of Music (1965). Reading up on him a bit before writing this, I found it somewhat humorous that he felt somehow cursed by that role, much like Christopher Lee always complained about with this performance as Dracula. On his role in “S&M” (as he called it), he said “To do a lousy part like von Trapp, you have to use every trick you know to fill the empty carcass of the role. That damn movie follows me around like an albatross.” So it just shows that no matter what film genre you’re known for, a defining role could always be your “albatross”. Then again, if people are still talking about it, watching it, and still being entertained by it, can’t be all bad, right?

We lost Mr. Plummer on Friday, at the age of 91, who was still going strong. Got to give that man some respect for that. Our thoughts go out to his friends and family during this difficult time. Gone, but never forgotten.