May 27, 1922 London England Died: June 7, 2015 (aged 93) London England See all related content Christopher Lee, in full Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, (born May 27, 1922, Belgravia, London, Englanddied June 7, 2015, London), English actor known for his film portrayals of villains ranging from Dracula to J.R.R. Lee had previously appeared with Karloff in 1955 in the "At Night, All Cats are Grey" episode of the British television series Colonel March of Scotland Yard. He spent most of his life in the Cotati area where he followed his passion for music. [89], Lee's friend the author Dennis Wheatley was responsible for bringing the occult to him. "[152] He explained: "It's light-hearted, joyful and fun At my age, the most important thing for me is to keep active by doing things that I truly enjoy. I think it is fatuous. Not that he wanted to knock horror films, Lee said in a 1988 interview with the Orange County Register. [190][191] In 2011, Lee was awarded a BAFTA Fellowship;[192] he received a BFI Fellowship in 2013. James. [96] He later called the film the best he had ever made.[72]. Lee reprised his role as Count Dooku in the animated film Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008). [94] Shaffer read the David Pinner novel Ritual, in which a devout Christian policeman is called to investigate what appears to be the ritual murder of a young girl in a rural village, and decided that it would serve well as the source material for the project. Born in Belgravia, London, in 1922 to a military father and an aristocratic mother, Lees film career started in 1947 with a role in the gothic romance Corridor of Mirrors. Actor Christopher Lee with his wife, Brigitta, in 2006. [19] He was a "passable" racquets player and fencer and a competent cricketer but did not do well at the other sports played: hockey, football, rugby and boxing. He frequently appeared opposite his friend Peter Cushing in horror films, and late in his career had roles in five Tim Burton films. His basstones and imposing presence made Lee a go-to bad guy and that means that as well as an astonishing number of performances, Lee may have died onscreen more than any other actor. [162] Lee was the uncle of the British actress Harriet Walter. [68], Returning to London in 1946, Lee was offered his old job back at Beecham's, with a significant raise, but he turned them down as "I couldn't think myself back into the office frame of mind." Lee played the leader of a pagan community in his most frequently cited favorite film, The Wicker Man, an offbeat 1973 thriller set on a remote Scottish island. He was 93. [27] He worked as an office clerk for United States Lines, taking care of the mail and running errands. These included the Dr. Fu Manchu series of films made between 1965 and 1969 (beginning with The Face of Fu Manchu) in which he starred as the villain in yellowface make-up; I, Monster (1971), an adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, with the main characters' names changed to Dr. Charles Marlowe and Mr. Edward Blake; The Creeping Flesh (1972); and his personal favourite, which he considered his best film, The Wicker Man (1973), in which he played Lord Summerisle. [80], Lee's own appearance as Frankenstein's monster led to his first appearance as the Transylvanian vampire Count Dracula in the film Dracula (1958, known as Horror of Dracula in the US). That immediately gave me a name and a face to go with it. The Herald Angels Sing. The original voice was Orson Welles's (long dead at the time of the re-recording). (1980), a decision he later called "a big mistake. For example, Dracula and Fu Manchu in many movies during the 1950s through the 1970s. When I had left Spain that day everyone behind me had taken their clothes off! Sir Christopher Lee, the veteran actor and star of many of the world's biggest film franchises, has died aged 93. That role was eventually given to Jack Nicholson. But it worked.. [55], After the Allied invasion of Italy, the squadron was based in Foggia and Termoli during the winter of 1943, where Lee was then seconded to the Army during an officers' swap scheme. [120], Christopher is truly a force to be reckoned with. His superiors praised his initiative, and he was seconded into the British South Africa Police and was posted as a warder at Salisbury Prison. [36] In the winter, his father fell ill with bilateral pneumonia and died on 12 March 1941. Leading the tributes online were his Lord of the Rings co-stars Dominic Monaghan and Elijah Wood, as well as Sir Roger Moore, who played 007 opposite Lee in The Man With The Golden Gun. [119] Also in 2011, Lee appeared in the critically acclaimed Hugo, directed by Martin Scorsese. Lee later played Holmes himself in 1962's Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace, and returned to Holmes films with Billy Wilder's British-made The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970), in which he plays Sherlock's smarter brother, Mycroft. These were not commercially successful: Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972) and The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973). He considered his best performance to be that of Pakistan's founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah in the biopic Jinnah (1998), and his best film to be the British cult film The Wicker Man (1973). Name in native language: Christopher Lee; Date of birth: 27 May 1922 Belgravia Christopher Frank Carandini Lee: Date of death: 7 June 2015 London: Manner of death: natural causes; Cause of death: heart failure; Work period (start) 1948; Work period (end) 2015; Country of . [186], Lee was named 2005's 'most marketable star in the world' in a USA Today newspaper poll, after three of the films he appeared in grossed US$640million. The actor was knighted in 2009 for services to drama and charity, and was awarded the Bafta fellowship in 2011. p. 79. 205 Group RAF before being commissioned at the end of January 1943,[46] and attached to No. Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee CBE CStJ (27 May 1922 - 7 June 2015) was an English actor and singer. Quotes By Christopher Lee Actors Height: 6'5" (196 cm ), 6'5" Males Died on: June 7, 2015 place of death: Chelsea, London, England City: London, England Cause of Death: Respiratory Problems Recommended Lists: British Celebrities British Men Tall Celebrities Tall Male Celebrities Gemini Actors Childhood & Early Life Check out the death cause, death date, and more facts about the circumstances surrounding movie actor Christopher Lee's death. He also appeared as Lucas de Beaumanoir, the Grand Master of the Knights Templar, in the BBC/A&E co-production of Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe (1997). I do not know how long I am going to be around, so every day is a celebration, and I want to share it with my fans. [72][76] When he arrived at a casting session for the film, "they asked me if I wanted the part, I said yes and that was that. [113] Some thirty years after playing Francisco Scaramanga in The Man with the Golden Gun, Lee provided the voice of Scaramanga in the video game GoldenEye: Rogue Agent. [158] However, shortly before the wedding, Lee ended the engagement. Biography - A Short Wiki He became known for playing Count Dooku in Star Wars and Saruman in Lord of the Rings. [154] In 2019, Rhapsody of Fire included a posthumous narration on their new album, The Eighth Mountain, in which Lee narrated the concept story of the band's Nephilim Empire Saga. In early 1940, he joined Beecham's, at first as an office clerk, then as a switchboard operator. [21] Lee was frequently beaten at school, including once at Wellington for "being beaten too often," though he accepted them as "logical and therefore acceptable" punishments for knowingly breaking the rules. Prime minister David Cameron called Lee a titan of the golden age of cinema while London mayor Boris Johnson tweeted his condolences alongside a picture of him and Lee together. His appeals were fruitless, and he was left with nothing to do. And I would say, "Forget it! [109], In 2007, Lee collaborated with Tim Burton on Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, playing the spirit of Sweeney Todd's victims, called the Gentleman Ghost, alongside Anthony Head, with both singing "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd," its reprises and the Epilogue. All of this money was evidently put toward his outstanding expenses and probate (a legal process whereby a will is accepted as a legal document and the executor is given . Lee relocated to Los Angeles in the 1970s after becoming disillusioned with film roles he was being offered in Britain at the time and stated that in Hollywood "I was no longer a horror star. The last project which united them in person was a documentary, Flesh and Blood: The Hammer Heritage of Horror (1994), which they jointly narrated, two months before Cushing's death. PM: Saddened to hear of Sir Christopher Lee's death, a titan of Golden Age of Cinema & distinguished WW2 veteran who'll be greatly missed, 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. "[16] Lee applied for a scholarship to Eton, where his interview was in the presence of the ghost story author M.R. In an interview in August 2013, Lee said that he was "saddened" to hear his friend Johnny Depp was considering retiring from acting, observing that he himself had no intention of doing that: There are frustrations people who lie to you, people who don't know what they are doing, films that don't turn out the way you had wanted them to so, yes, I do understand [why Depp would consider retiring]. [113] He narrated and sang for the Danish musical group The Tolkien Ensemble's 2003 studio album At Dawn in Rivendell, taking the role of Treebeard, King Thoden and others in the readings or singing of their respective poems or songs. A death certificate was not on the forefront of Chino Scott-Chung's mind as he waited for the ashes of his best friend, Christopher Lee. I had been playing nothing but heavies until then, and the horror films put me out front., He credited director Billy Wilder with opening the door to other roles when Wilder cast him as Sherlock Holmes brother, Mycroft, in the 1970 film The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes.. Eliot's period as a parishioner there. "[72], Because of his filming schedule in Bangkok, film director Ken Russell was unable to sign Lee to play the Specialist in Tommy (1975). 1 for 4 weeks, Aging beloved YA author Judy Blumes inevitable foil isnt so bad after all, Review: The entertaining Peter Pan & Wendy charts a familiar course to Neverland, Rihanna has Smurfs on the brain for her next movie: Hope this gives me cool points. What we did was fantasy, fairy tales no real person can copy what we did. As a Grammy Award winning drummer, he collaborated with over 14 bands before moving to Santa Barbara in 2005. [24] On his way there he stopped briefly in Paris, where he stayed with the journalist Webb Miller, a friend of Rose, and witnessed Eugen Weidmann's execution by guillotine the last public execution performed in France. [85], Lee returned to the role of Dracula in Hammer's Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1965). Director Tim Burton, who cast Lee in several films, once described him as one of the last real icons, a figure out of another age, not just another movie age. Later he appeared as a narrator and backing vocalist on the band's four albums Symphony of Enchanted Lands II The Dark Secret, Triumph or Agony, The Frozen Tears of Angels, and From Chaos to Eternity, as well as on the EP The Cold Embrace of Fear A Dark Romantic Symphony, portraying the Wizard King. [188], In 2008, Lee in his role as Count Dracula featured on a commemorative UK postage stamp issued by the Royal Mail to mark 50 years since the release of Dracula (1958) by Hammer Films. The man who'd volunteered to fight in the Winter War in Finland at the outset of World War II. [93][72] Lee wanted to break free of his image as Dracula and take on more interesting acting roles. I will always be grateful to Hammer for that. [98] He turned down the role of Dr. Barry Rumack (finally played by Leslie Nielsen) in the disaster spoof Airplane! She understood, and they called the wedding off. according to the imdb listing: Ron Jeremy: Actor (1310 titles), Director (177 titles) Christopher Lee : Actor (275 titles) But i know, that you cannot compare the roles of C.Lee with the hundreds of cameos of CUMeos, Ron J. had :D [112], In 2004, Lee lamented that Hollywood scripts were mainly spin-offs, as people were afraid of taking financial risks, commenting that he was mostly being offered spin-offs of Lord of the Rings or Star Wars. [179], Lee was the subject of the BBC's This Is Your Life in 1974, where he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews. Sure, I've played plenty of heavies, but as Anthony Hopkins says, "I don't play villains, I play people. That was the single most important thing I ever did in my career, he said in the 2000 Star-Ledger interview. [76][113] Lee respected Depp as "a fellow survivor",[114] describing him as "inventive and [having] enormous versatility". "Mr . I can think of twenty adjectives fatuous, pointless, absurd. Sir Christopher Lee has died at the age of 93 after being hospitalised for respiratory problems and heart failure Guardian Christopher Lee This article is more than 7 years old. And I loved him for it. Lee had met him some years before while filming Tales of Hans Anderson, where he received his blessing. And when Id say no hed say, Think of all the people youre putting out of work! Now that was truly disgraceful emotional blackmail, really. [18] Aside from a "tiny part" in a school play, he did not act while at Wellington. A gentleman and committed advocate for forests deaddeath.com Christopher Lee Death - Obituary, Cause of Death - DeadDeath Christopher Lee Death - Obituary, Funeral, Cause Of Death Saddened to learn of the passing of Chris Lee. Think of all the people you know so well, that you will put out of work!" A friend said: 'Do you know you are in a film in Old Compton Street?' [82] Lee introduced a dark, brooding sexuality to the character, with Tim Stanley stating, "Lee's sensuality was subversive in that it hinted that women might quite like having their neck chewed on by a stud. Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten said investigators are relying on an autopsy to determine how to proceed with the investigation, whether the death was accidental or not. [113][140] In 2013, Lee voiced The Earl of Earl's Court in the BBC Radio 4 radio play Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. Below is all you want to know regarding the death of Christopher Lee and more! Over the decades, he amassed more than 275 film and TV credits. "The Christopher Lee Filmography: All Theatrical Releases, 19482003". "[87] The Satanic Rites of Dracula was the last Dracula film in which Lee played the Dracula role, as he felt he had played the part too many times and that the films had deteriorated in quality. Hammer was an important part of my life, and generally speaking, we all had a lot of fun, he said in a 2001 interview. He was a fascinating person. He described Michael Howard as "the ideal person to lead the party" in 2003,[170] and also supported William Hague and David Cameron. Information from the Associated Press was used in this report, Christopher Lee dies: Six of his sinister villain roles, R.I.P., Christopher Lee, actor and heavy metal hero, Troubled Thursday: Christopher Lee is among a trio of film legends to die, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Jack Nicholson returns courtside to cheer beloved Lakers to playoff win, Disney neglected it. [166] Lee and his wife Birgit were listed among the fifty best-dressed over 50s by The Guardian in March 2013. 'Very funny,' I said. [90] The company made two films from Wheatley's novels, both starring Lee. [22] At age 17, and with one year left at Wellington, the summer term of 1939 was his last. [139] In 2005, Lee provided the voice of Pastor Galswells in The Corpse Bride, co-directed by Tim Burton and Mike Johnson. [72], Somlo sent him to see Rank's David Henley and Olive Dodds, who signed him on a seven-year contract. 8:45 AM. [113], Lee reprised his role as Saruman in the video game The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth. [72] Meanwhile, Lee co-starred with Bette Davis in the Disney film Return from Witch Mountain (1978). [76], Lee's first film for Hammer was The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), in which he played Frankenstein's monster, with Peter Cushing as Baron Victor Frankenstein. That's the only reason I did them. At 10, he became a boarder at Summer Fields prep school in Oxford, where he acted in school productions with Patrick Macnee, who later gained fame as the star of the British TV series The Avengers.. In brief: Christopher Lee 'most bankable' star. I played him like the dark side of Bond. Christopher Lee's age at the time of his death was 93 years, as Christopher Lee was born on the 27th of May, 1922 in Belgravia, London and Christopher Lee died of heart failure on the 7th of June, 2015 in Chelsea, London. [10] After enrolling in Miss Fisher's Academy in Territet, he played his first role, as Rumpelstiltskin. [37], Lee reported to RAF Uxbridge for training and was then posted to the Initial Training Wing at Paignton. [134], Lee provided voices for numerous films and video games. [129] In 2014, he appeared in an episode of the BBC documentary series Timeshift called How to Be Sherlock Holmes: The Many Faces of a Master Detective. Realising that he had no inclination to follow his father into the Army, Lee decided to join up while he still had some choice of service, and volunteered for the Royal Air Force. The following is the filmography of English actor Sir Christopher Lee (27 May 1922 - 7 June 2015).. With a career spanning nearly seven decades, Lee was well known for portraying Count Dracula in a sequence of Hammer Horror films, beginning with Dracula (1958). Billed as THE TERRIFYING LOVER WHO DIED YET LIVED! the film presented Dracula as a sex symbol, a nocturnal predator who awakened his female victims sexual desires. After being knighted by Prince Charles at a ceremony in Buckingham Palace in 2009, Lee told Britains The Telegraph that a whole new career opened for him in the new century when he appeared as the wizard Saruman in director Peter Jacksons The Lord of the Rings and as Count Dooku in George Lucas Star Wars films. ""[72] Lee played a leading role in the German film The Puzzle of the Red Orchid (1962), speaking German, which he had learned during his education in Switzerland. [97], In 1977, Lee left the UK for the US, concerned at being typecast in horror films, as had happened to his close friends Peter Cushing and Vincent Price. Johnson, Tom (2009). Lee enthusiastically accepted, but by the time Fleming told the producers, they had already chosen Joseph Wiseman for the role. Stories vary as to the reason for this: Lee states he refused to speak the poor dialogue he was given, but screenwriter Jimmy Sangster claims that the script did not contain any lines for the character.
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