Canada Post FDC Honouring Actor Christopher Plummer

CANADA POST on 14 October 2021 issued a first day cover stamp that paid tribute to one of the world's most distinguished actors, Christopher Plummer (1929-2021). Designed by Stephen Slipp and printed by Colour Innovations, the stamp features illustrations by Spooky Pooka depicting the actor in several of his most celebrated roles, chosen by Plummer himself (from left to right):

    King Lear in King Lear

    Rudyard Kipling in The Man Who Would Be King

    Prospero in The Tempest (foreground)

    Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music

    John Barrymore in Barrymore

The moody, tempestuous background of the stamp design is symbolic of the drama he brought to the stage and screen.

In a career that spanned seventy years, Plummer appeared in more than 200 films, television movies and mini-series, and performed on stages from Broadway to the Stratford Festival, where he captivated audiences in a long list of impressive leading roles including Henry V, Macbeth and Hamlet.

While Plummer – who was born in Toronto and raised mostly in Montréal – distinguished himself among his peers as one of the most accomplished classical stage actors of his time, his film career was no less impressive. Hence, the postmark cancellation originated from Toronto.

From Stage Struck (1958), to The Insider (1999), to the movie that made him a household name, The Sound of Music (1965), Plummer appeared in an incredibly diverse range of films. He enjoyed playing unexpected roles, too – from voicing the obsessive villain Charles Muntz in the animated film Up (2009) to bringing panache to Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) as the Shakespeare-quoting Klingon, General Chang. His popularity grew as he embraced his golden years, winning praise for stand-out performances, including All the Money in the World (2017) and Knives Out (2019).

Plummer earned countless awards and honours for his work. He is among a select group – and the only Canadian – to achieve the triple crown of acting, in his case by taking home two Emmys, two Tonys and an Academy Award, which he won at age 82 for his supporting role in Beginners (2010). He was also appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada.