Getty Christopher Plummer & Elaine Taylor
Christopher Plummer, an icon in the world of entertainment, has died at age 91.
Plummer was married to English actress Elaine Taylor for 53 years, and, according to Deadline, she was by his side when he died.
In a statement, Lou Pitt, Plummer’s longtime friend and manager shared, “Chris was an extraordinary man who deeply loved and respected his profession with great old fashion manners, self-deprecating humor and the music of words. He was a National Treasure who deeply relished his Canadian roots. Through his art and humanity, he touched all of our hearts and his legendary life will endure for all generations to come. He will forever be with us.”
Plummer is survived by his wife and his daughter, Amanda.
Here’s what you need to know about Elaine Taylor:
1. She Was a Bond Girl
Elaine Taylor rose to prominence in the 1960s, appearing in TV shows like The Benny Hill Show, The Lance Percival Show, and comedy sketches like The Old Campaigner.
In 1967, she booked the role of a “Bond Girl” in Casino Royale, along with actresses like Jacqueline Bisset, Barbara Bouchet, and Alexandra Bastedo.
Growing up, she studied at the Italia Conti Academy of Theater Arts and later joined the London Festival Ballet.
Taylor’s most recent credit is listed as the TV movie Till Death Us Do Part in 1992, which was based on a true crime.
2. She Met Plummer While Filming ‘Lock up Your Daughters’
Taylor met her husband in 1969, while on the set of Lock Up Your Daughters in Ireland; they married one year later. The Sound of Music actor was fourteen years older than Taylor.
In his memoir, In Spite of Myself, published in 2008, Plummer wrote, “Elaine had now completed her role in the movie and was on her way back to London for yet another engagement — a busy and popular lady. I felt absolutely empty and as despondent as anyone could be. As she was leaving, I told her I was going to miss her dreadfully and hoped she would let me see her in London. ‘All right, but on one condition,’ she warned, ‘that you cut down on the booze.'”
They wed at the Unitarian Church in Montreal, Canada, on October 2, 1970. Their officiant was Reverend Phillip Moreton, according to the website Christopher Plummer.
Reflecting on his wedding in his memoir, Plummer wrote, “He [Reverend Moreton] was tall and exceptionally handsome with a beautiful speaking voice, which made the verses sing and gave our service an unexpected romance … It was the smallest and best wedding ever.”
3. Taylor Was Plummer’s Third Wife
GettyActor Christopher Plummer (R) and actress Elaine Taylor arrive on the red carpet on February 25, 2012 for the Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, California.
Plummer had been married twice already when he met Taylor.
He was married to his first wife, Tammy Grimes, from 1956 until 1960. He was married to his second wife, Patricia Lewis, from 1962 until 1967.
While Taylor has no children of her own, she is the stepmother to Amanda Plummer– Plummer’s daughter with Tammy Grimes.
In a 1993 interview with Rolling Stone about her childhood and career, Amanda Plummer shared, “Because you are an actor’s daughter or son, it’s assumed that you’re terribly unhappy because they were working and not around. But I had a fascinating childhood.”
4. The Couple Lived in Connecticut at the Time of Plummer’s Death
GettyActors Elaine Taylor and Christopher Plummer arrives at the 82nd Annual Academy Awards held at Kodak Theatre on March 7, 2010 in Hollywood, California.
At the time of Plummer’s Death, the couple lived on an estate in Weston, Connecticut.
Why Connecticut, and Weston, specifically? Patch.com quotes Plummer as saying, “Weston thinks of itself different from any other town in Fairfield County. In a way, I suppose we are…. There are no street lights, no town water, no sewers, no industry, no condominiums, no automobile dealers, no franchises, no movie theaters and, we don’t even have sidewalks. In fact, come to think of it, we don’t have much of anything, and, most of us want to keep it that way.”
Plummer was active in his community. According to the Wilton Bulletin, the actor and his wife were involved in The Lost and Found Film Series at the Ridgefound Playhouse; he even graced audiences with a Q&A afterward.
5. She Is a Gourmet French Cook
GettyActor Christopher Plummer and his wife Elaine Taylor are seen inside the theater at the 84th Annual Academy Awards on February 26, 2012 in Hollywood, California.
In a 2017 interview, Plummer shared with the Associated Press in a televised interview, “Well, I have a wife, who is a terrific cook. She knows how to cook organic food fantastically so I’m taken care of as far as the kitchen is concerned… She started French cooking and… it’s delicious.”
Over the course of his career, Plummer was nominated for three Oscars– one in 2012 for his role in Beginners, one in 2018 for his role in All the Money in the World, and the third in 2010 for his role in The Last Station.
He took home the Oscar for his 2012 nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
While an exact cause of death has not been revealed, Plummer is said to have died “peacefully at his home in Connecticut, with Elaine Taylor, his wife and true best friend for 53 years by his side,” according to Deadline.
READ NEXT: Fans Think Something Happened to This American Idol Star’s Face