Christopher Plummer

Born: 13 December 1927
Where: Toronto, Canada

Best known for strumming a guitar and crooning Edelweis as the Nazi-hating Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music, Plummer is a bit of an unsung acting success.

However, he has appeared in a host of movies - including The Man Who Would Be King, International Velvet and Dolores Clairborne - as well as regular TV movie work.

One of the survivors of the alcohol-fuelled school of acting - including Richard Burton, Peter O'Toole and Albert Finney - the classically-trained Plummer established himself on stage.

A hit on both sides of the Atlantic, he headlined for three of the world's most noted companies: Britain's National Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company and The Stratford Festival of his native Canada.

He made his film debut in Sidney Lumet's Stage Struck in 1958 and went on play Commodus (a role taken by Joaquin Phoenix in Gladiator) in The Fall of the Roman Empire and Rommel in Night of the Generals.

Roles followed in The Battle of Britain alongside Michael Caine and Sir Ralph Richardson and The Return of the Pink Panther with Peter Sellers.

Next up was his popular success as Rudyard Kipling in 1975's Oscar-nominated The Man Who Would Be King alongside Caine and Sean Connery.

Largely overlooked by critics, International Velvet in 1978 offered a superb performance by Plummer while his subsequent appearances included Ordeal By Innocence, Dragnet and Malcolm X.

He returned to the fore as Detective John Mackley in the gripping Dolores Claiborne with Cathy Bates and Jennifer Jason Lee in 1994.

On TV he starred in The Thorn Birds and had a recurring role as General Chang in the Stark Trek series.

In 1999, Plummer was cast as TV journalist Mike Wallace in The Insider, about the tobacco industry whistleblower, Jeffrey Wigand.

He won three awards for his efforts, including the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor.

He played a musical-obsessed prison boss in Peter Cattaneo's Lucky Break, played Dr Rosen in A Beautiful Mind with Russell Crowe and turned up in the big screen version of Nicholas Nickleby.

Plummer has been married three times; his first, with Tony-winning Tammy Grimes, lasted four years from 1956. It produced a daughter in the form of now accomplished actress Amanda Plummer, a Tony winner for Agnes of God.

In 2003, he starred in the suspense thriller Cold Creek Manor with Dennis Quaid and Sharon Stone.

Recent work includes Aristotle in Alexander and the role of Diane Lane's father in the romantic comedy Must Love Dogs. .