“I was just about to go down with the ship when, to the rescue came . . . a graceful angel,” he wrote in his memoir.
Award-winning actor Christopher Plummer is best known for The Sound of Music. According to PEOPLE, he bagged an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 2012 for his role in Beginners. He won two Tony awards for his stage work as well as two Emmys for his performances on TV. He received a prestigious civilian honor in 1968 when Queen Elizabeth II made him a Companion of the Order of Canada.
Hollywood legend Christopher Plummer passed away peacefully at his home in Connecticut, his family confirmed. Elaine Taylor, his wife and true best friend for 53 years, was by his side. He was 91.
— GSC (@GSCinemas) February 6, 2021
RIP Legend 😔🕯️ pic.twitter.com/1RouZwovhg
With great fame came great struggles, and Christopher was plagued by his dependence on alcohol. He also went through the pain of two failed marriages. The Oscar winner was first married to singer and actress Tammy Grimes. They had a daughter, Amanda Plummer, who became a Tony-winning actress. Plummer admitted that he was " a lousy husband and an even worse father,” in his 2008 memoir In Spite of Myself.
His second marriage was to Patricia Lewis, a showbiz columnist for a London newspaper. They met during a period Plummer called the "Swinging Sixties." One night they were out drinking, and Lewis crashed the convertible near Buckingham Palace leaving her in critical condition where she slipped into a coma that lasted months. When she recovered the two ended up tying the knot in 1962 but they split a few years later in 1967.
It was his third marriage that gave him happiness and joy that lasted forever. He met Elaine Taylor the Bond girl in the 1967 James Bond movie Casino Royale on the set of 1969's Lock Up Your Daughters. The pair ended up getting married a year later and were together until his death in 2021 at age 91. "She’s my best friend,” he previously said according to Everything Zoomer.
“We can part during the day and then get together for dinner and talk about it. We’re not in each other’s pocket. [That] couldn’t be more boring and kills marriages. I’m very lucky.” He also admitted that the relationship was a huge positive influence in both his life and career, from Taylor’s “enormous” artistic taste to her healthy cooking. Taylor made sure to take care of her husband and ensured that he ate well and stuck to a healthy way of living.
In fact, according to The Washington Post Taylor said she would only marry him if he cleaned up his act and quit drinking. The A Beautiful Mind actor agreed to stay away from hard liquor so he can settle down with his beloved wife. “I was just about to go down with the ship when, to the rescue came . . . a graceful angel,” he wrote in his memoir.
References:
https://www.everythingzoomer.com/arts-entertainment/2019/12/12/the-winter-of-his-content/
https://people.com/movies/christopher-plummer-dies-at-91/
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Frazer Harrison
