EXCLUSIVE: Debbie Turner is mourning the loss of her “Music in the Heart” co-star, Christopher Plummer.
The award-winning actor, who played Captain von Trapp in the 1965 musical, died on Friday at the age of 91. His wife Elaine Taylor was at his side.
“He was always in character,” the former child star, who played Marta von Trapp, told Fox News on Friday. “He would give you a look, even if you smiled. So we kind of tiptoed. We were only cautious because he gave that air of authority over us, but that was so that we could react to him as we were supposed to. That’s why he was always in the character. “
Plummer, who had a decades-long career in Hollywood, played several roles. At 82, he became the oldest acting Oscar winner in history.
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER, STAR OF ‘SOUND OF MUSIC’ AND LEGEND OF HOLLYWOOD, DEAD AT 91
Debbie Turner (owned by Christopher Plummer) starred in ‘The Sound of Music’ alongside the late actor.
(Courtesy of Debbie Turner)
But it was unlike Julie Andrews as von Trapp that made him a star. He portrayed an Austrian captain who must flee the country with his folklore singer family to escape service in the Nazi navy.
Later, Plummer experienced a renaissance of cinema, which began with his acting as Mike Wallace in 1999’s “The Insider”. In 2012, he won a supporting actor Oscar for his role in “Beginners” as Hal Fields, a museum director who became openly gay after the death of his 44-year-old wife.
Then, in 2017, he replaced Kevin Spacey as J. Paul Getty in “All the Money in the World”, just six weeks before the film hit theaters. He received an Oscar nomination for support for the role.
Turner described how she and the rest of the “Sound of Music” cast came together in 2010, the first time in 45 years for an Oprah Winfrey special. Before the televised event, she gave Plummer a special gift.
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER’S MOST MEMORABLE ROLES, FROM ‘THE SOUND OF MUSIC’ TO ‘KNIVES OUT’
Debbie Turner (right) met her on-screen father in 2010 for a special on Oprah Winfrey’s talk show.
(Photo courtesy of Debbie Turner)
“After we finished shooting the film, Julie Andrews threw a closing party for us,” said Turner. “It was a party at the pool at her house and he was there. I remember my mom was so nervous about taking this picture because she thought, ‘My God, it’s Christopher Plummer.’
“But I didn’t care,” she continued. “I just saw him as my dad in the movie. It was a really sweet photo. Well, before the Oprah special, we had dinner in Chicago and I gave him a copy of that photo. He said, ‘Wow, I was a big problem back then, wasn’t it? ‘”
Today, Turner is a successful sophisticated floral designer. The former actress also designs scarves and face masks with fabrics similar to those that von Trapp children used. Still, she will always remember her time on the set with Plummer.
“It was an honor and a privilege to have met him, worked with him and played his daughter,” added Turner.
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Actor Christopher Plummer won the award for best supporting actor for ‘Beginners’ in 2012.
(Getty Images)
Plummer’s manager Lou Pitt also confirmed his death in a statement sent to Fox News.
“Chris was an extraordinary man who deeply loved and respected his profession with great old-fashioned manners, self-deprecating humor and music of words. He was a National Treasury who deeply appreciated his Canadian roots,” said Pitt. “Through his art and humanity, he touched all of our hearts and his legendary life will last for all generations to come. He will be with us forever.”
Melissa Roberto from Fox News and The Associated Press contributed to this report