British film icon, singer and writer, Christopher Lee, most notably known for his roles as Count Dooku in “Star Wars,” Saruman in “Lord of the Rings” and “Hobbit,” and the title role in Hammer’s “Dracula,” has died at 93.
Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee
May 27, 1922 – June 7, 2015 (Age 93)
In honor of the late great horror legend and former ‘Most Interesting Man in the World’ double, here are five things to remember about the iconic Christopher Lee.
5. He’s Bonded to His Craft
It’s terrible when you lose an old friend, and Christopher Lee was one of my oldest.
-Roger Moore
Christopher Lee is famous to multiple generations and his legacy speaks volumes, with credits in an wide breadth of movies and varied genres. For the film goers of the 1970’s, Lee’s role as the rico-suave Bond villain Francisco Scaramanga in “The Man with the Golden Gun” is a cinematic staple. In the 1974 Bond classic, Scaramanga’s weapon of choice is, you guessed it, a golden gun. Oh, how precious is that (See what I did there…)? What makes Lee even more ‘Bond’ed to his craft is the fact that he is the real-life step-cousin of James Bond creator Ian Fleming. A fact which is sure to leave you “shaken” if not “stirred” (couldn’t help myself).”
4. He’s a Monster’s Monster
Christopher Lee is no stranger to horror, being one of very few actors to play so many different lead monster roles. Aside from playing Dracula more times than I can count (because I am feeling lazy) from 1958 an on, Lee has taken on the title character in “The Mummy” (1959), the Creature in “Curse of Frankenstein” (1957), Grigori Rasputin in “Rasputin: The Mad Monk (1966), Dr. Fu Manchu in “The Vengance of Fu Manchu” (1967), Lucifer in “Poor Devil” (1973), and Lord Summerisle in “The Wicker Man” (1973) just to name a few… literally. With his ‘Count’less (har har) roles in horror, Lee is easily a Monster’s Monster.
3. Gets Titles When the Queen Has a Birthday
On 16 June 2001, Christopher Lee was a participant in that year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours, more specifically Lee was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire “for services to Drama”. This title led to Prince Charles officially naming Lee a Knight Bachelor “For services to Drama and to Charity” in 2009 as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours that year. Seems like an aging Queen of England makes for an accolade heavy Sir Christopher Lee.
2. He Loved to Count
More specifically, Christopher Lee loved to portray on-screen Counts. Lee’s first claim to fame was his portrayal of the title character in the 1958 Hammer horror flick “Dracula,” a role he reprised in other Hammer vampire films throughout the 1960s. This likely made him the first person to say “It’s Hammer time.”
Lee also assumed the numeral accruing title as Count Drago in “Castle of the Living Dead” (1964) and as Count Ludwig Karnstein in “Crypt of the Vampire” (1964). Oh no, I’ve lost count… (sorry).
1. He Has a Death Metal Album
Perhaps the most obscure fact about the Late horror Icon involves his penchant for Metal. No, I’m not talking iron making… I’m talking Iron Maiden. That’s right, Lee is a acclaimed operatic bass vocalist who has employed his vocal stylings on many a metal album. Lee’s first contact with heavy metal music was a duet with Fabio Lione, the former lead vocalist of the Italian symphonic power metal band Rhapsody of Fire, on the single “The Magic of the Wizard’s Dream” from the Symphony of Enchanted Lands II album. From there Lee went on to collaborate with numerous other Metal projects, even releasing his own album “Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross” which earned Lee the “Spirit of Metal” award at the 2010 Metal Hammer Golden Gods ceremony.