Statement

Julie Andrews Mourns ‘Cherished Friend’ Christopher Plummer After His Death: ‘I Treasure The Memories’

Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer
AP
FILE - Christopher Plummer poses for a portrait on July 25, 2013, in Beverly Hills, Calif. Plummer, the dashing award-winning actor who played Captain von Trapp in the film “The Sound of Music” and at 82 became the oldest Academy Award winner in history, has died. He was 91. Plummer died Friday morning, Feb. 5, 2021, at his home in Connecticut with his wife, Elaine Taylor, by his side, said Lou Pitt, his longtime friend and manager.. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)
THE SOUND OF MUSIC, from left: Christopher Plummer, Julie Andrews, 1965. TM & Copyright ©20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved/courtesy Everett Collection
Christopher Plummer attends "Knives Out" Premiere during the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) at VISA Screening Room (Princes of Wales Theatre) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on September 7, 2019. (Photo by Dominic Chan/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images)
KNIVES OUT, Christopher Plummer, 2019. ph: Claire Folger / © Lionsgate / courtesy Everett Collection View Gallery View Gallery 8 Photos.
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Julie Andrews honored ‘consummate’ artist Christopher Plummer, following his death at the age of 91. Read her moving statement provided to HollywoodLife.

Julie Andrews remembered her longtime friend and The Sound Of Music co-star, Christopher Plummer, following his passing at 91 years old. “The world has lost a consummate actor today and I have lost a cherished friend,” the Oscar winner, 85, told HollywoodLife in a statement. “I treasure the memories of our work together and all the humor and fun we shared through the years,” she continued.

Most heartbreaking of all, Julie sent her love and affection to Christopher’s widow, Elaine Taylor, and his daughter, actress Amanda Plummer. “My heart and condolences go out to his lovely wife Elaine, and his daughter Amanda.” Julie and Christopher shared a long history of supporting one another throughout their decades-long careers in the entertainment industry. But it’s their work together that fans remember most fondly.

Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer in 1965’s ‘The Sound of Music’ [The Everett Collection].
The two talented performers starred in the 1965 film The Sound Of Music. The Robert Wise-directed musical, based on the real-life story of Maria Von Trapp, followed Julie’s Maria as she becomes a governess for a widowed Captain Von Trapp (Christopher Plummer) and his household of seven children. The romantic film saw the two characters fall in love as the beginning of World War II raged on, all set to music and lyrics by the legendary team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein.

The film went on to earn five Academy Awards including the Oscar for Best Picture. More than 55 years later, the film is still beloved by audiences of all generations, due in no small part to the chemistry and talent of Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews, both of whom received Oscar statuettes for Beginners (2010) and Mary Poppins (1964). For the film’s 50th anniversary, the pair got together for a joint interview where they discussed the film’s legacy and how their attitudes toward it have changed over time.

Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews at the 2015 TCM Classic Film Festival’s opening night gala premiere of 50th Anniversary of ‘The Sound Of Music’ at TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX on March 26, 2015 in Hollywood [AP].
“As cynical as I always was about The Sound of Music, I do respect that it is a bit of relief from all the gunfire and car chases you see these days,” Christopher Plummer shared with Vanity Fair in the February 2015 profile. “It’s sort of wonderfully, old-fashionedly universal. It’s got the bad guys and the Alps; it’s got Julie and sentiment in bucketloads.”