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Canadian actor Christopher Plummer, who died Friday at 91, made his first appearances on the Broadway stage and in Hollywood movies in the 1950s, when he was still in his 20s. He left behind a wealth of unforgettable work in film, theater and television, including Oscar-, Emmy- and Tony-winning performances.
Originally introduced to the public as a dignified leading man in the classical English mold of Laurence Olivier and James Mason, Plummer would go on to play a range of roles from adventure heroes to villainous creeps and would find some of his greatest success in supporting parts. In his later years especially, Plummer specialised in bringing a sense of depth and weight to characters who sometimes appeared on-screen for just a handful of scenes. He only needed a few minutes to leave a lasting impression.
If you were to look at a picture of Hal Holbrook without knowing who he was, you might not immediately tag him as an actor. With his blandly handsome and strait-laced appearance, he gave off the appearance of someone who was the head of the local Rotary club or maybe a mid-level government functionary. However, when Holbrook opened his mouth, there was no doubt that he was born to be an actor, and he proved to be an unusually gifted one in an award-winning career that spanned more than seven decades. He played everything from historical figures to ordinary guys to equally convincing effect, and, in one memorable case, brought one of the great enigmas of our time to vivid life.
Hal Holbrook, Emmy and Tony-Winning Actor Who Portrayed Mark Twain, Dies at 95
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Holbrook’s personal assistant, Joyce Cohen, confirmed his death to the New York Times on Monday night.
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Holbrook played the American novelist in a solo show called “Mark Twain Tonight!” that he directed himself and for which he won the best actor Tony in 1966. He returned to Broadway with the show in 1977 and 2005 and appeared in it more than 2,200 times (as of 2010) in legit venues across the country. He began performing the show in 1954.
He received an Emmy nomination for a TV adaptation of “Mark Twain Tonight!” in 1967, the first of multiple noms. He won four Emmy Awards.