The Many Times Christopher Plummer Played a Greek

Acclaimed stage and screen actor Christopher Plummer who died in 2021 played several Greek roles throughout his illustrious career.

The Toronto-born actor’s career, spanning over six decades, took him from stage to TV to the silver screen. He won both an Oscar and a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for his role in “Beginners”. Plummer also won multiple Emmy awards, as well as Tony awards for his on-stage performances in “Cyrano” and “Barrymore”.

Though Plummer was most famous for his role as Captain Von Trapp in “The Sound of Music”, he had also played multiple Greek roles in his career.

So what Greek roles did he portray?

Christopher Plummer as Thanasi in “Cliffs of Freedom”

One of Plummer’s most recent role was as Thanasi in “Cliffs of Freedom”. Set during the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire, the film also featured many prominent Greek actors, including Costas Mandylor, Billy Zane, and Simon Kassianides.

“Cliffs of Freedom” would turn out to be one of the last credits in Plummer’s life.

Kassianides praised Plummer highly as an actor and a person. Speaking to Greek Reporter, he said, “[Plummer] had an extremely cheeky wit, a sharp intelligent humor. We immediately hit it off when I walked into the makeup trailer one day and we started making each other laugh by making fun of ourselves. I can only say he was a hero, someone who represented class in this business and I wish I’d had the chance to spend more time with him.”

“Oedipus The King”; Filmed in Greece

Shortly after “The Sound of Music”, Plummer filmed “Oedipus The King” as the lead role of Oedipus.

Not only did the actor perform in a classically Greek story about Oedipus, who accidentally kills his father, marries his mother, and must come to terms with what he’s done. The movie actually shot on location in the Ancient Theater of Dodoni in Epirus.

Aristotle in “Alexander”

In the 2004 version of “Alexander” starring Colin Farrell and Angelina Jolie, Plummer portrayed famous ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle.

Directed by Oliver Stone, the movie took a look at the life of Alexander the Great, from boyhood through his development into a military leader. Aristotle mentored Alexander from a young age, and Plummer gave an incredible performance opposite a young Alexander in portraying this special relationship between two mighty historical figures.

Greek Reporter Interview: On Filming in Greece

In addition to playing many Greek roles, Plummer filmed in Greece a couple of more times. He often expressed his love and admiration for the country. The actor spoke to Greek Reporter about his fond memories of Greece in an interview at the Golden Globes, seen below.