Most of you know him as Count Dooku, Saruman, or even as Willy Wonka’s strict dentist father. Some of you may even know him as the infamous Dracula or the notorious Bond villain Francisco Scaramanga. It’s a sad thought to think that someone who has shared so much with us through so many roles is no longer with us today. Screen legend Sir Christopher Lee died at the age of 93 on June 7th 2015 after suffering respiratory problems and heart failure. Needless to say, our world has lost a great talent and a great human being, but that doesn’t mean that he will be forgotten. Not by a long shot. Here are 25 Endearing Facts About Christopher Lee.
Sir Christopher's career began in the 1940's. However, it was the 1958 film Dracula that made him a star
In Lee's first film for Hammer, he played the role of Frankenstein's monster. This was also the first film Lee and Peter Cushing were credited together
However, probably one of his most iconic Hammer performances was that of the Transylvanian vampire Dracula. A notable performance given that he had no lines.
While they frequently played off each other as mortal enemies onscreen—Lee's Count Dracula to Cushing's Professor Van Helsing—they were close friends in real life.
In spite of his fame as Dracula, Sir Christopher had no desire in continuing the role and blamed "emotional blackmail" as the reason for staying
Sir Christopher Lee made his debut in Terence Young's Gothic romance Corridor of Mirrors (1947) in which he plays a man named Charles with a single line "a satirical shaft meant to qualify the lead's bravura"
Image from: thelastdrivein.com Who celebrates their 92nd birthday by releasing a heavy metal version of Frank Sinatra's classic "My Way"? Only one of the most awesome free thinkers out there, Sir Christopher Lee, that's who
"I think acting is a mixture of instinct, imagination and inventiveness. All you can learn as an actor is basic technique" - Sir Christopher Lee
We will miss one of our favorite Bond Villains, Francisco Scaramanga in The Man with the Golden Gun
And no one could have made a better Saruman
or a better Sith Lord as Count Dooku, a beautiful demonstration of Sir Christopher Lee's ability to portray a diverse amount of personalities
Nevertheless, the film Sir Christopher was most proud of was Jinnah, in which he played the founder of Pakistan. "It is certainly the most important role I have ever played, because the responsibility on my shoulders was immense”
Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London pays tribute to Sir Christopher Lee in an epic way
Really sad to hear about the death of Christopher Lee, one of the greatest British actors and a master of the macabre pic.twitter.com/q5UUhc7xId
— Boris Johnson (@MayorofLondon) June 11, 2015
Sir Christopher was knighted in 2009
Sir Christopher was part of the Special Operations Executive in World War II
His involvement and actions in World War II haven't been unclassified to date, and Sir Christopher Lee wont elaborate on any details.
His first American film is Airport '77
Sir Christopher had met J.R.R. Tolkien once (making him the only person involved in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy to have done so) and made a habit of reading the novels at least once a year.
Lee spoke fluent English, Italian, French, Spanish and German, and was moderately proficient in Swedish, Russian and Greek.
In fact, he was the original voice of Thor in the German dubs in the Danish 1986 animated film Valhalla, and of King Haggard in both the English and German dubs of the 1982 animated adaptation of The Last Unicorn.
Sir Christopher was a step-cousin of Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond spy novels, and a distant relative of Robert E. Lee and the astronomer John Lee.
Sir Christopher Lee stood an imposing 6 ft 5 in (1.95 m) tall.
His height was actually an issue at the beginning of his career. "I was told I was too tall to be an actor. That's a quite fatuous remark to make. It's like saying you're too short to play the piano. I thought, 'Right, I'll show you...'"
"I hate being idle. As dear Boris [Karloff] used to say, when I die I want to die with my boots on"
Indeed it's a sad day for all of his fans, but he left us so much to smile about.
Every time you feel sad about Christopher Lee, look at this picture and it'll make you smile. pic.twitter.com/QU9sI2Igvt
— AKA (@_AKA_) June 11, 2015
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