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Arts & Culture

Remembering Christopher Lee

An early publicity photo of Christopher Lee (left), and one of his more recent appearances as Count Dooku in the "Star Wars" prequels.
Christopher Lee Estate/20th Century Fox
An early publicity photo of Christopher Lee (left), and one of his more recent appearances as Count Dooku in the "Star Wars" prequels.

Terrifyingly talented British actor died Sunday

The Best of Christopher Lee

“The Curse of Frankenstein” (1957)

“Horror of Dracula” (1958)

“The Hound of the Baskervilles” (1959)

“The Mummy” (1959)

“The Whip and the Body” (1963)

“The Gorgon” (1964)

“The Face of Fu Manchu” (1965)

“Dracula: Prince of Darkness” (l966)

“Rasputin: The Mad Monk” (1966)

“The Devil Rides Out” (1968)

“The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes” (Billy Wilder, 1970)

“Scars of Dracula” (1970)

“The House That Dripped Blood” (1971)

“I, Monster” (1971)

“Horror Express” (1972)

“The Three Musketeers” (1973)

“The Wicker Man” (1973)

“The Man with the Golden Gun” (1974)

“To The Devil A Daughter” (1976)

“The Return of Captain Invincible” (1983)

“Jinnah” (1998)

“Lord of the Rings Trilogy” (2001-03)

“Star Wars: Episodes II and III” (2002-05)

Christopher Lee died Sunday at the age of 93. Lee had been hospitalized for respiratory problems and heart failure. His widow decided to withhold information about his death until all family members and friends had been notified. Here’s a tribute to the actor.

Christopher Lee terrified us but he also held us rapt with villains and monsters that invaded our nightmares and engaged our intellect. He was part of that gentlemen’s club of horror that included Boris Karloff, Vincent Price, and Peter Cushing – men of breeding, elegance, and intelligence who always seemed like they could do so much more than their movies usually asked of them.

Lee was a wildly prolific actor with a career spanning seven decades. He appeared in more than 200 movies including blockbuster franchises like “Star Wars,” “Lord of the Rings,” and James Bond (playing Scaramanga in “The Man With the Golden Gun”). If you just look at those franchise installments, his films have grossed more than $4 billion. He voiced regret over turning down the role of Dr. Loomis in John Carpenter’s “Halloween,” a role that went to Donald Pleasance.

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At six foot five, he cut an imposing and impressive figure. He could mix menace and attraction in roles like Dracula, or pure chilling calculation in films like “The Wicker Man” (one of his best). He came to international attention through a series of Hammer horror films (starting in 1957 with “Curse of Frankenstein,” and followed by “The Mummy,” multiple Dracula films). He was primarily cast in horror up into the 70s and more recently was a favorite of director Tim Burton, working with him on five films.

“Star Wars” and “The Lord of the Rings” brought him wider recognition but not many people were likely aware that he was fluent in multiple languages, was a classically trained singer (who recorded albums), and was a huge fan of the heavy metal bands Rhapsody and Manowar. You can enjoy seeing a slightly different side of him in this video where he sings as well as recites from Edgar Allan Poe:

Christopher Lee Sings Opera

IMDb notes the following trivia about the actor. One, that he was “fascinated by public executioners and knows the names of every official executioner England has had since the middle of the 15th century.” And two, he was “a veritable J.R.R. Tolkien expert and the only member of the cast who had met Tolkien himself, he often visited the production department on the sets of the various ‘Lord of the Rings’ movies to give advice and tips on the various attributes of the films.”

So while fans mourn the passing of this towering talent, I want to leave you with something to make you smile. So watch my video tribute for a delicious bit of song and dance from “The Return of Captain Invincible”:

Tribute to Actor Christopher Lee