This past Sunday evening, world-renowned English actor, and Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Sir Christopher Lee passed away in London due to respiratory issues and heart failure. He was 93.
Mostly remembered for his deep, commanding voice and penchant for playing evil or villainous characters in big budget franchises, Lee was exceptional at bringing immense depth and an undeniable charisma to each of his roles. While his extensive film career started in 1948 with bit parts (where he would usually sit down so he didn’t tower over the other actors, being 6’5″), Lee’s status as a go-to villain came when he was cast as Count Dracula in 1958’s Dracula. His other major “bad guy” roles include Saruman within the incredibly popular Lord of the Rings and Hobbit series, Count Dooku in the Star Wars prequel films, James Bond’s nemisis Francisco Scaramanga in The Man With the Golden Gun, and Rasputin in Rasputin: The Mad Monk.
Beyond gracing the silver screen with his powerful presence and serving in the Royal Air Force during WWII, Lee’s inimitable voice lent itself to beautiful operatic recordings as well as his surprisingly successful heavy metal career including two solo LPs: Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross (2010) and Charlemagne: The Omens of Death (2013).
Lee is survived by his wife, Birgit Kroencke, and his daughter Christina.
Watch Lee discuss playing Saruman and his legacy below.
