Christopher Plummer's Real Name: Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer

Quick answer: Christopher Plummer's real name was Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer. He was born on December 13, 1929, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and died on February 5, 2021, in Weston, Connecticut.

Real name and early life

Britannica records him in full as Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer, born December 13, 1929, in Toronto, and notes his death on February 5, 2021, in Weston, Connecticut. He was a great-grandson of Canadian prime minister Sir John Abbott. After his parents divorced he was raised largely in Montreal by his mother. He built a classical stage career in Canada before Broadway and film work; "Christopher" is the given name he used professionally, drawn from his full birth name rather than an invented alias.

Quick facts

• Real name: Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer
• Known as: Christopher Plummer
• Born: December 13, 1929, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• Died: February 5, 2021, in Weston, Connecticut, U.S.
• Known for: Actor
• Notable work: The Sound of Music, Beginners, Shakespearean stage roles
• Sources checked: Britannica, Library of Congress Name Authority

Career highlights

Plummer is widely known to general audiences as Captain Georg von Trapp in The Sound of Music (1965), though he long preferred his classical theater reputation. He won the Academy Award for best supporting actor for Beginners (2010) at age 82—then the oldest acting Oscar winner—and later appeared in All the Money in the World (2017). Stage honors include Tony Awards; he is among the few performers to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting (Oscar, Emmy, Tony). His career spanned seven decades across film, television, and theater.

Name notes

Arthur was part of his full birth name; he worked as Christopher Plummer throughout his public career. Prefer Britannica's "in full" line over informal nicknames. Death date and place follow Britannica's encyclopedia entry (February 5, 2021, Weston, Connecticut).