James McAvoy, Christopher Plummer in The Last Station (top); Viggo Mortensen in A History of Violence (bottom)
AFI FEST 2009 has selected Christopher Plummer, who'll turn 80 next December, and Viggo Mortensen, 51, as this year's tribute honorees.
Sponsored by the Skirball Cultural Center, Plummer’s tribute will precede the screening of The Last Station, in which he plays Leo Tolstoy, on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Mortensen’s tribute will precede the US premiere of John Hillcoat's futuristic drama The Road on Wednesday, Nov. 4. Both tributes will take place at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
A stage, film, and television and television veteran, during the course of his 50-plus-year career Plummer has won two Tony Awards (for Cyrano and Barrymore), three Drama Desk Awards, the National Arts Club Medal, and two Emmys. Additionally, he was a leading member of Laurence Olivier’s Royal National Theatre and Peter Hall’s Royal Shakespeare Company.
Among Plummer's dozens of screen appearances, whether in leading or supporting roles, are Stage Struck (1957), The Sound of Music (1965), The Night of the Generals (1967), The Silent Partner (1978), Malcolm X (1992), The Insider (1999), A Beautiful Mind (2001), and Inside Man (2006). Curiously, he's never even been nominated for an Academy Award — though this year he has a good chance of landing a best supporting actor nomination for The Last Station.
Christopher Plummer can also be seen in the AFI FEST's Centerpiece Screening Gala presentation, Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, in which Plummer stars as the leader of a traveling theater troupe who, following a deal with the devil, takes audience members through a magical mirror to explore their imagination. Supporting Plummer are Heath Ledger, in his last screen appearance, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Colin Farrell, and Tom Waits. Both Gilliam and Plummer are scheduled to attend the AFI FEST screening.
Since his debut in Peter Weir’s Witness (1985), Viggo Mortensen's most notable screen roles include those in Indian Runner (1991), The Portrait of a Lady (1996), A History of Violence (2005), Alatriste (2006), and Eastern Promises (2007), for which he received a best actor Academy Award nomination. Thanks to his portrayal of Aragorn in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, Mortensen has now an iconic place in film history.
Mortensen is also a likely best actor Oscar contender for his role in The Road. He is scheduled to attend the AFI FEST screening, along with director Hillcoat and co-star Charlize Theron.
Sony Pictures Classics will release The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus in the US on December 25.
The Weinstein Company will release The Road on November 25.