Listed alphabetically by title
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This page is under construction.
July 22, 2007 note:
An "Untitled Memoir" by Christopher Plummer, to be published by Knopf Canada May 6, 2008, is listed at Amazon. The Canadian listing has a preorder link. Amazon - Canada Amazon - USA. An autobiography by Julie Andrews is also listed at Amazon.co.uk titled Home: A Memoir, for publication April 2008.
Below is a list of some noteworthy books which mention Christopher Plummer or include photos of him, along with descriptions and Amazon links. This is not intended as a complete exhaustive list. Descriptions have been included only as time permits. Many photos from these books can be found on this site, particularly on pages covering early theater and early TV.
There were also many movie tie in novels and plays published with photos from Oedipus The King, Crossings, Aces High, Conduct Unbecoming, Inside Daisy Clover, etc. and many others. There are also many books about performance of Shakespeare on stage and film that discuss Plummer's performances. Google Book Search and Amazon have searches covering book contents. Google's book search covers a broader selection of books. Audiobooks are listed on the Discography page.
Thanks to a librarian named Tammy for her help compiling this information.
* Asterisk denotes that the book includes at least one photo of Christopher Plummer.
The Actors Art: Conversations with Contemporary American Stage Performers
edited by Jackson R. Bryer and Richard A. Davison
New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2001
Julie Harris, Jason Robards, and Zoe Caldwell all recall working with Christopher Plummer in individual interviews.
Amazon
* The American Shakespeare Festival - The Birth of a Theatre by John Houseman and Jack Landau
Simon and Schuster, New York 1959.
Includes photos of Christopher Plummer from the 1955 productions of Julius Caesar and The Tempest in Stratford, Connecticut.
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Anthony Hopkins: the Authorized Biography by Quentin Falk
New York: Interlock Books, 1994
Christopher Plummer and Anthony Hopkins were both part of the National Theater Company in London in the early 1970s.
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* At This Theatre: 100 Years of Broadway Shows, Stories and Stars by Louis Botto, edited by Robert Viagas
New York: Applause Theatre & Cinema Books, 2002; ISBN 1557835667
This book tells the complete history of Broadway in the 20th century, theatre by theatre. Included is a photo from JB.
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Between You And Me: A Memior by Mike Wallace, with Gary Paul Gates
Hyperion Books October 2005, ISBN 1401300294
About Christopher Plummer's portrayal of Mike Wallace in The Insider - "As for Christopher Plummer's performance, let me just say that it's not the worst thing in the world to see yourself portrayed on the silver screen by a handsome and urbane Canadian who has been hailed as the most gifted classical actor in North America. I may not know that much about how they make movies in Hollywood, but I do know enough to recognize typecasting when I see it."
Amazon
Boris Karloff: The Man Remembered by Gordon B. Shriver
PublishAmerica (2004) ISBN: 1413710492
Christopher Plummer is mentioned in this book in connection with two projects with Boris Karloff in the 1950's: The Broadway stage production of The Lark and a TV production of Even the Weariest River.
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New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1974
Brooks Atkinson was drama critic for the New York Times for 30 years. In this book he includes brief critiques of Christopher Plummer’s performances in a number of productions, including The Dark is Light Enough, The Lark, J.B., The Royal Hunt of the Sun, King John, Romeo and Juliet, Antony and Cleopatra, and The Good Doctor. The one photograph in this book is from Neil Simon’s The Good Doctor which was produced in 1973.
Amazon
Closer to the Sun By Garth Drabinsky, with Marq de Villiers
McClelland & Stewart (1995) ISBN: 0771056508
Forward by Christopher Plummer
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Compiled and photographed by Roddy McDowall, 251 pages.
Delacorte Press, New York (1966) LCCN: 66-20997
A series of four "Double Exposure" books "compiled and photographed by Roddy McDowall" was published between 1966 and 1993. The books feature McDowall's photos of celebrities and benefited the Motion Picture and Television Fund. The 1966 book includes photos of Christopher Plummer and Amanda Plummer and commentary of Tyrone Guthrie.
No amazon link
Endless Highway by David Carradine
Boston: Journey Editions, 1995 ISBN 1885203209
David Carradine played Atahuallpa opposite Plummer's Francisco Pizarro in Peter Shaffer's The Royal Hunt of the Sun on Broadway in 1965/66. Carradine devotes a chapter to his experiences on Broadway and includes memories of working with Plummer.
Amazon
* Fifty Seasons at Stratford by Robert Cushman
McClelland & Stewart (2002) ISBN:0771024738
The Official Book of Stratford Festival's 50th Anniversary
"A sumptuous large format book marking the 50th anniversary of the "envy of the English speaking theatre world." Lavishly illustrated with colour production photos and costume sketches, the text by respected theatre critic and writer Robert Cushman, provides fascinating behind the scenes stories and more about each of Stratford's "Artistic Regimes," from Tyrone Guthrie to Richard Monette. Candid observations from the Festival's various company members including Martha Henry, Maggie Smith, William Hutt, Peter Ustinov, Christopher Plummer and many others add a special element to the sense of the magnificent history of this very special theatre."
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A Fly on the Curtain by Fred Euringer
Oberon Pr (2000) ISBN: 0778011410
"The early years of the Stratford Festival, summer stock at its craziest in the nineteen-fifties, the Canadian theatre coming to life. Fred Euringer saw all these things with a sharp eye, and his new book looks back at them with delight. His accounts of Tyrone Guthrie, Michael Langham, Christopher Plummer and Donald Sutherland, as they were known to a working actor and director, are both amusing and acute. This is what the great days were really like."
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Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Co., 2002
The educational and informative program Omnibus made its television debut in the fall of 1952. The goal of its producers was to provide a “better level of educational, informative and more culturally mature programming.” In 1957 Christopher Plummer appeared in at least two of these productions; Oedipus the King, and The Lady’s Not for Burning. The one photo in this book is of Plummer and other guests who appeared in 1957.
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and the Royal Shakespeare Company by Micheline Steinberg
London: RSC Publications, 1985; ISBN 0950505773
Includes two photos of Christopher Plummer from the 1961 RSC productions
of Becket and Richard III.
Amazon - UK
* Forever Liesl: A Memoir of the Sound of Music by Charmian Carr
New York: Viking, 2000
Charmian Carr played the part of Liesl in the Sound of Music. In this personal memoir she recalls working with Christopher Plummer and includes several comments about Plummer from other cast and crew members. Ms. Carr obviously spoke with Mr. Plummer while she was writing this book as it also includes a few personal anecdotes from Plummer. Also included is an excerpt of a letter which Plummer wrote to Robert Wise suggesting changes to the character of Georg Von Trapp. A fun book for Sound of Music fans.
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* From Live to Tape to Film: Sixty Years of Inconspicuous Directing by George Schaefer
Los Angeles: Directors Guild of America, 1996
George Schaefer directed 63 episodes of the Hallmark Hall of Fame. Christopher Plummer appeared in 6 of these episodes, including A Doll’s House which Schaefer claims is one of his favorites and Little Moon of Alban for which Schaefer believes Plummer should have won an Emmy. There are five black and white photos of Plummer included in this book. They are from the Little Moon of Alban, A Doll’s House, Cyrano and Time Remembered.
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The Guild Shakespeare (Vol. 6) Henry IV Part 2 and Henry V By William Shakespeare
Edited by John Andrews
With forwards by Christopher Plummer (for Henry V) and Patrick Stewart (for Henry IV Part 2).
Guild America Books / Doubleday Book & Music Clubs, Inc. (1989)
* Hallmark Hall of Fame: The First Fifty Years
by The UCLA Film and Television Archive
Regents of the University of California (2001)
This book contains numerous photos of Christopher Plummer from various Hallmark Hall of Fame broadcasts from the 1950's and 1960's.
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Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Pr (December 1988) ISBN 0-8386-3290-4
This book includes an entire chapter (Chapter 8) on "Hamlet at Elsinore with Christopher Plummer (1964)" with one photo.
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The Hamlets of Edwin Booth, John Barrymore, and Christopher Plummer: a comparative analysis of interpretation, performance, and staging by David Finch Davis
Book : Thesis/dissertation/manuscript : Microform Publisher: 1968. OCLC: 18479407
Worldcat listing
* A Hundred Different Lives: an Autobiography by Raymond Massey
Boston: Little Brown, 1979
Raymond Massey became friends with Christopher Plummer when both played an eight week season at the Stratford in Connecticut in 1955. They later appeared together in Archibald MacLeish’s retelling of the story of Job in J.B. at the ANTA Theater in 1958. Massey recalls his experiences during these productions and reminisces about working with Plummer. The one black and white photo depicts Plummer as Nickles (the Devil) and Massey as Mr. Zuss (God) in J.B. Christopher Plummer wrote the forward for this excellent autobiography.
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* I Will be Cleopatra: An Actress’s Journey by Zoe Caldwell
New York: W.W. Norton, 2001
Zoe Caldwell played Cleopatra opposite Christopher Plummer’s Antony in a production of Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra at the Stratford Festival in Stratford, Ontario in 1967. In this autobiography she reminisces about acting opposite Plummer and tells a few amusing anecdotes about both Plummer and Jason Robards.
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James Earl Jones: Voices and Silences by James Earl Jones and Penelope Niven
New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1993
James Earl Jones and Christopher Plummer played opposite each other as Othello and Iago in a production of Shakespeare’s Othello which opened at the Stratford in Connecticut in 1981. In this autobiography, James Earl Jones recalls his experiences playing opposite Plummer and the difficulties he had in working with director Peter Coe.
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Jason Robards Remembered: Essays and Recollections by Stephen A. Black et. al (editors)
Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland and Co., 2002
Christopher Plummer wrote and delivered the eulogy at Jason Robards funeral in 2001. The text of that eulogy is included in this book.
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John Simon on Theater: Criticism, 1974-2003 by John Simon
New York: Applause Theatre & Cinema Books, 2005
John Simon has written theater reviews for many publications, including New York and Esquire. In this book, he includes reviews of Othello and Barrymore as well as many other Broadway productions.
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Contemporary Books (December 1995)
ISBN: 0809232677
This is a phenomenal photo collection book, with many very rare photos of Julie Andrews throughout her career. It includes a forward by Carol Burnett. Unfortunately, the book was withdrawn from publication shortly after the release, apparently due to photo rights issues. There are four very good publicity photos of Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer for The Sound of Music.
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* The Lark [play] by Jean Anouilh, translated by Christopher Fry
New York: Oxford University Press, 1956, ©1955
This text of the play lists Christopher Plummer as Warwick and includes one photo.
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Boston:: Little Brown (1978)
Biography of one of America's great actresses of the 1920s and 30s. Plummer appeared on Broadway in The Dark Is Light Enough which starred Katherine Cornell and Tyrone Power. He won the 1955 Theatre World Award for this role.
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Dundurn Press Toronto & Oxford (1989)
ISBN 1550020625 (pbk.) and 1550020617 (bound)
Amelia Hall was artistic director of the Canadian Repertory Theatre when Christopher Plummer performed there in the late 1940's and early 1950's. She appeared in many plays with Christopher Plummer during his early career. She later appeared in many plays at Stratford Festival of Canada. The book chronicles the history of CRT and includes some interesting stories about Christopher Plummer as a young actor, as well as several early stage photos of Plummer.
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* Little Moon of Alban & A Wind from the South; Two plays by James Costigan
Simon and Schuster (1959)
Includes a photo of Christopher Plummer and Julie Harris from the 1958 TV production of Little Moon of Alban.
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National Theatre, 1971)
Includes one page with production shots of the National's move to the West End - featuring Christopher Plummer in Amphitryon 38 and Danton's Death.
Listing at Nationaltheatre.org.uk
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Ungar Pub Co; 2nd edition (1979) ISBN: 0804425671
Includes a chapter with photo on the Broadway production of The Good Doctor.
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Collier Macmillan Canada (1980)
This book includes a photo of Christopher Plummer at George Bernard Shaw's home in England, in connection with the filming of Rasky's documentary on Shaw. Christopher Plummer has been involved in a number of documentaries written and produced by Harry Rasky. Harry Rasky also produced the 1997 documentary Christopher Plummer: King of Players.
ISBN 02-990660-1
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Publisher: Canada Communication Group (1992) ISBN: 0660573229
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Oxford University Press, USA (1990) ISBN: 0195406729
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* A Pictorial History of Television by Daniel Blum
New York: Bonanza Books, 1959
Christopher Plummer appeared in many dramatic television productions in the late 1950s and early 1960s. This books gives short histories of many of these dramatic series and includes photos of Plummer from a scene from Julius Caesar (Toast of the Town, 1955), Cyrano de Bergerac (Producer’s Showcase, 1955), Little Moon of Alban (Hallmark Hall of Fame, 1958), The Prince and the Pauper (DuPont Show of the Month, 1957), and Oedipus the King (Omnibus, 1957).
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* A Pictorial History of Television by Irving Settel
New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1969
This book contains just one picture of Christopher Plummer and Julie Harris in the 1958 Hallmark Hall of Fame production of Little Moon of Alban.
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Pierre: Colleagues and Friends Talk about the Trudeau They Knew
Publisher: McClelland & Stewart (2005) ISBN: 0771081650
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New York: Crown Publishers 1983
There is no text on Christopher Plummer in this book, but there are three photos from television productions of Oedipus the King (Omnibus), Cyrano de Bergerac (Producer’s Showcase), and The Prince and the Pauper (Dupont Show of the Month). The book contains low resolution versions of 3 photos which appear in higher resolution in A Pictorial History of Television by Daniel Blum.
Amazon - UK
* Red Shoes by Kenn Duncan
Universe Books (1984) ISBN: 0876634447
"Red Shoes, inspired by the film The Wizard of Oz, depicts celebrities in telling white costumes with complementary red shoes, boots, sandals, sneakers, toe shoes, or ballet slippers. "
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A Rose for Mrs. Miniver: The Life of Greer Garson by Michael Troyan
Lexington, KY: The University Press of Kentucky, 1999
This biography of Greer Garson contains a marvelous quote by Christopher Plummer in which he remembers how Ms. Garson’s “quiet serenity and contagious humour reduced” his rebellious nature “at once to ‘humble pie’” when he worked with her in George Bernard Shaw’s Captain Brassbound’s Conversion in 1960.
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Dundurn Press (October 24, 2001) ISBN: 1550023632
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* Royal Shakespeare Company Programs
for the 1961 and 1962 seasons
 
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Max Reinhardt, London (1964)
Includes numerous photos from the 1961 RSC productions of Much Ado About Nothing, Richard III, and Becket.
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Setting the Stage: Montreal Theater, 1920 – 1949 by Herbert Whittaker and Jonathan Rittenhouse (editor)
Montreal: McGill-Queens University Press, 1999
Herbert Whittaker was a distinguished drama critic for the Gazette when he praised Christopher Plummer’s excellent performance as Mr. Darcy in the Montreal High School production of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice in 1946. Christopher Plummer was all of 16 years old. Plummer and Whittaker became friends and Plummer wrote the forward for this book in which stage designer, director, and critic Whittaker recounts his experiences in the Montreal theatre scene between 1920 and 1949.
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* The Shuberts Present
100 Years of American Theater by The Shubert Archive
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (October 1, 2001) ISBN 0810906147
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So Far by Kelsey Grammer
Publisher: E P Dutton (November 1995)
ISBN: 0525940413
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* The Sound of Music: the Making of America’s Favorite Movie by Julia Antopol Hirsch
Chicago: Contemporary Books, 1993
This book is a must-own for any Sound of Music fan. Anything you have ever wanted to know about the SOM is included in this book. It includes the stories of Director Robert Wise’s insistence that Christopher Plummer play Captain Von Trapp, and Mr. Plummer’s wish to sing his own songs as well as profiles of cast and crew and reminiscences of both Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. Many behind-the-scenes photos are also included.
* Stage fight: swords, firearms, fisticuffs, and slapstick by William Hobbs
New York, Theatre Arts Books (1967) OCLC: 331255
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text by J.M Dillard
New York: Pocket Books, 1994; ISBN 0671002066
Includes two color photos from Star Trek VI, the Undiscovered Country.
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New York: Dover Publications, 1983; ISBN: 0486243982
Includes one photo from The Night of the Auk which played only eight performances on Broadway in 1956.
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Stratford by Richard Bain and Christopher Plummer
Erin, Ontario: Boston Mills Press, 1998
Richard Bain’s photography and Christopher Plummer’s narrative are combined to bring to life the history, beauty, and culture of Stratford, Ontario and the nearby Perth County communities of Shakespeare, St. Marys, and Sebringville.
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Toronto: Macmillan of Canada, 1985
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* The Stratford Festival 1953-1957
Publisher: Clarke, Irwin & Co. (1958)
Includes numerous photos of Christopher Plummer performing Shakespeare at the Stratford Festival of Canada.
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* Stratford Gold: Fifty Years, Fifty Stars, Fifty Conversations by Richard Ouzounian
Publisher: McArthur & Company Publishing, Ltd. (2002)
ISBN: 1552782719
Stratford Gold: 50 Years, 50 Stars, 50 Conversations
"This unique book is a collection of interviews with fifty performing artists who had a unique role in the history of The Stratford Festival. Includes discussions with such luminaries as: Tom Patterson, Timothy Findley, Christopher Plummer, Maggie Smith, Zoe Caldwell, Alan Bates, Martha Henry, William Hutt, Peter Ustinov, William Shatner and others.Statford Gold also features interviews with all of the surviving Artistic Directors: Michael Langham, Robin Phillips, John Neville, David William and Richard Monette."
NOTE: Many of these interviews were filmed and included in a special 13 part CBC TV series that aired in Canada in 2002. Plummer's comments from the TV series are included on the video page.
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* The Stratford Scene 1958-68
Publisher: Clarke Irwin (1968)
Includes numerous photos of Christopher Plummer performing Shakespeare at the Stratford Festival of Canada.
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* Stratford Under Cover: Memories on Tape by Grace Lydiatt Shaw
Toronto: N.C. Press Ltd., 1977
Memories from several Stratford Festival seasons by former cast and crew members. There are two photos of Christopher Plummer. One is from the 1950 Montreal Repertory Theatre production of The Infernal Machine. The second photo is with Mary Jolliffe, publicist of the Stratford Festival.
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* Theatre World - Annual Volumes - various - by Daniel Blum and (later volumes by) John Willis
"Theatre World" books have been published annually chronicling Broadway stage productions with numerous photos.
All of the photos of Christopher Plummer from these volumes have been included on this site on various theatre pages with references to the exact volumes. Many of the books can be found on Amazon or from various used books sellers or in libraries. Some of the early volumes from the 1950's and 1960's are becoming harder to find.
Theatre World Annual (London No. 13) June 1, 1961 - May 31, 1962 - Becket
Tough Acts by Stephen Berkoff
London: Robson Books, 2003
Steven Berkoff had a small part in Hamlet at Elsinore which was filmed by the BBC in 1964. In this book he tells of his experiences during the production. He greatly admired Christopher Plummer’s performance as Hamlet and compares Mr. Plummer’s performance to those of other actors who have played this historic part. This is a must read for any Plummer fan.
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* Twenty Names in Theater by Robert James and Gillian Andrae
New York: M. Cavendish, 1990
This book outlines Christopher Plummer’s career in the theater. Though short and written for children, it is informative and includes a timeline of Mr. Plummer’s theater career and a photograph from his appearance in the film The Disappearance
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* Whittaker's theatre: A critic looks at stages in Canada and thereabouts, 1944-1975 by Herbert Whittaker
Publisher: Whittaker Project (1985)
Includes 3 photos from Henry V, Hamlet and Cyrano.
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* Whittaker's Theatricals by Herbert Whittaker
Simon & Pierre Pub Co Ltd (September 1993)
ISBN: 0889242399
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Mosaic Pr (July 1990) ISBN: 0889624046
Includes a photo of Christopher Plummer from the 1967 Stratford Festival of Canada production of Antony and Cleopatra
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William Hutt: Masks and Faces edited by Keith Garebian
Oakville, On. [Ont.] ; Buffalo, N.Y. : Mosaic Press, 1995
This is a tribute to one of Canada’s most renowned classical actors by his theatrical colleagues. Christopher Plummer, though not one of the contributors, is mentioned several times by those who are.
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