It was, in our view, the most “romantically charged” scene in the movie, The Sound of Music. Loaded with micro expressions, subtle smiles, and heart fluttering innuendo, we think it’s one of the best scenes of any musical ever made. Scroll down and take a look:

The dance might have been when the character, Captain von Trapp, fell in love with “Maria,” but it’s the scene that made us fall in love with Christopher Plummer, the actor who portrayed him.  We met news of Christopher Plummer’s passing today with great sadness.

Lou Pitt, Plummer’s longtime friend and manager for forty-six years years said in a statement to Variety. “He was a National Treasure who deeply relished his Canadian roots. Through his art and humanity, he touched all of our hearts and his legendary life will endure for all generations to come. He will forever be with us.”

National Treasure.

Younger readers may remember his role in the movie by that name, National Treasure, in which he had a small part as John Adams Gates. For most us, however, he will always be Capt. Von Trapp. Ironically, he almost didn’t get the part of Captain von Trapp, nor did he especially like the movie (though he later changed his mind).  Some of the other names being considered for the role of the Captain were Sean Connery, Stephen Boyd, Richard Burton, David Niven, and Peter Finch.

We can’t imagine any of them as the Captain.

But Plummer still had reservations about accepting the part because of how the character was written. His first answer, in fact, was “No, thanks!” Movie director Robert Wise, however, promised to work with him on improving the character to Plummer’s liking, and the rest is truly history. Later, Plummer happened to watch The Sound of Music when it was put on at a children’s party. He said,  “The more I watched, the more I realized what a terrific movie it is. The very best of its genre — warm, touching, joyous and absolutely timeless. Here was I, cynical old sod that I am, being totally seduced by the damn thing — and what’s more, I felt a sudden surge of pride that I’d been part of it.”

Born on Friday the 13th, Plummer’s career earned him six Tony Award nominations, two of which he won, and he was one of only four actors to win the top two acting Tonys, the others being Robert Morse, Rex Harrison and Zero Mostel. He won an Emmy Award in 1977 for his role in The Moneychangers, and in 1986, he earned an Emmy. In 2012, a delighted Plummer accepted his supporting actor Oscar for playing an elderly widow who begins exploring life as an openly gay man shortly after the death of his wife in Beginners.

In 2008, he published his autobiography, In Spite of Myself, a memoir he dedicated to his wife, his dogs, and his family “with all its loyalties and dysfunctions.” Plummer was known for his love of animals which began and ended the book, though during an interview while he was performing in Beginners, it was pointed out to him that his character’s Jack Russell Terrier, “Arthur,” stole the show in several scenes. Plummer responded: “Usually Jack Russells are my least favorite dog, but this one was particularly affectionate and warm, although he was terribly professional. He knew how to take breaks and become a human dog. He was rather adorable. He wasn’t as feisty as most of the Jack Russells I’ve encountered.”

Having died at the age of 91, Plummer must have met more than a few dogs. In fact, he said, “A dog is my earliest memory. It was a huge, oversized Airedale that my family had. It stood by my baby carriage. I thought the dog was looking after me. I thought I had been sired by that dog.” He added, “I had a whole family of dogs at home a few years ago.When the youngest died young at 11, the father, an old Golden Retriever, went slightly bonkers. It was grief. We were part of a pack, my wife and I – and we were on the lowest rung.” Sadly, most of us have seen that kind of grief in our dogs when another dog or a beloved human has been lost in the household.

We would be remiss if we didn’t mention My Dog Tulip in which Plummer narrated the part of a man who rescues a German shepherd and how the two become fast friends. The clip below is a behind-the-scenes peek of that film:

There is no way to conclude a short little tribute to a favorite actor other than to write, “Rest in Peace, Christopher Plummer. You brought a lot of joy to a lot of people.”