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By Ken Lombardi

Actor Christopher Plummer's latest film may be titled "Man In the Chair," but the legendary star is doing anything but resting.

As the patriarchal head of the Von Trapp family in the classic musical, "The Sound Of Music," Plummer gained international fame while also managing to star in over 165 films and TV movies.

And after a career that has spanned more than half a century, the 78 year old performer shows no signs of slowing down.

"I always take a mix of film and theater roles," Plummer told The Showbuzz. "But when you do theater, everyone in the film world starts to think you're dead," he mused.

With "Man In the Chair," the star plays an elderly man who once worked in the movie industry during the 1940s. In fact, his character is the only surviving crew member who worked on "Citizen Kane." Plummer's character befriends an aspiring teen filmmaker who wants to learn as much as he can about the industry. The two form a surprising bond as they set out to make a student project together. But Plummer's character maintains his fair share of inner demons, as he must struggle with depression, alcoholism, and old age.

"I was a drinker myself for many years," he said, "so I based this character after many people I knew when I would drink."

"Man In The Chair" also addresses the issue of senior citizen celebrities who disappear from the limelight and the attention of the public. "Man In The Chair" director Michael Schroeder, who described the casting of Plummer as "a filmmakers dream," researched extensively into the world of those once celebrated film stars.

The director even went to a senior citizen nursing home exclusively for movie industry types, and was surprised by his findings. "I couldn't believe that someone like Mary Astor had ended up in that home, a great star from the 1930s and 40s," Schroeder said. Plummer himself met with residents of the retirement facility and undoubtedly drew inspiration from this.

In the vast span of his career, when many of his peers have started to take on smaller amounts of work, Plummer remains focused in pursuing further projects. He's getting ready to star in a new movie which will be directed by Terry Gilliam, of "Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas" fame.

But for now, Plummer will promote his latest release, which serves as a fitting tribute to those members of the cinema world once honored, but now often forgotten.

"Man In The Chair" opened on December 7th in limited release.