Los Angeles (AFP)

The Canadian actor Christopher Plummer, who died Friday at the age of 91, will have waited a long time for the consecration after his revelation on the screen in "The melody of happiness" and a rich career but mainly made up of supporting roles.

It was in 1965 that he played Baron Von Trapp, an Austrian widower father of 7 children who regained a taste for life thanks to the new governess, the mischievous Julie Andrews.

Musical comedy crowned with five Oscars and two Golden Globes, "The Melody of Happiness" then became one of the most popular films in the world.

A "marshmallow pink" role, will dare to let go of Plummer half a century later, admitting to having little sympathy for this stiff character who however propelled him to the front of the stage.

Raised in Montreal, Christopher Plummer began his career in both English and French.

The actor will have played in more than a hundred films as varied as "The army of 12 monkeys" by Terry Gilliam, "Malcom X" by Spike Lee or even "Star Trek 6: Unknown land".

But it was not until the age of 82 that he reached the holy grail: in 2012, he won the Oscar for best supporting role and a Golden Globe for his sober and moving interpretation of an old man assuming his homosexuality after death. of his wife in "Beginners" by Nicholas Meyer.

He remains to this day the oldest Oscar winner.

In 2018, he sets a new record by becoming the oldest actor among the shortlisted for the Oscar for best role thanks to his interpretation of J. Paul Getty, ruthless and stingy billionaire faced with the kidnapping of his grandson. in “All the Money in the World” by Ridley Scott.

He replaces at short notice Kevin Spacey, in the midst of legal turmoil for sexual abuse.

- Shakespearean -

Born on December 13, 1929 in Toronto, Christopher Plummer first wanted to be a professional pianist before becoming an actor at 17 after seeing Laurence Olivier in "Henry V".

"My only education was verse, poetry, books - words," this great-grandson of Canadian Prime Minister John Abbott told the International Herald Tribune.

An actor with a cold and distinguished look, he performs over 75 roles from the Shakespearean repertoire in Canada.

In 1954, he made himself known on Broadway, where he notably played Marc Antoine in "Jules César".

In 1958, he had his first film role in "Stage Struck" by Sidney Lumet before crossing the Atlantic to collaborate with the National Theater then directed by Laurence Olivier.

Magnetic on stage, collecting prestigious nominations and theatrical prizes, he is considered to be the first Shakespearean actor worthy of the name from North America.

But he struggles to break through on the screen.

"The melody of happiness" however opens the doors to some leading roles such as the Duke of Wellington in "Waterloo" (1970), Rudyard Kipling in "The man who wanted to be king" (1975), the investigative journalist Mike Wallace in "Revelations" (1999), "Inside Man" (2006) or "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" (2009).

After years marked by a multitude of roles in television, cinema and theater, an era of recognition opens to him after 80 years.

His portrayal of Leo Tolstoy in Michael Hoffman's "Tolstoy, the Last Fall" (2009), earned him his first Oscar nomination.

When he obtained his first statuette in 2012, he launched at the trophy, "Where have you been? I've been waiting for you all my life!".

In 2012, he confided to AFP that he wanted "to work to the end".

"I managed to complete the cycle of all the great roles of the classical repertoire", he confided in 2018 to the Guardian.

"I've played them all, some even more than once."

"But all the ones in store for me now are great, the last ten have all been fascinating."

He had recently held a role in "Knives Out" by Rian Johnson, alongside Daniel Craig and Chris Evans.

Father of actress Amanda Plummer, he had been married since 1970 to British actress Elaine Taylor, his third wife.

© 2021 AFP