View source for Christopher Lee

{{Short description|English actor and singer (1922–2015)}}
{{Other people}}
{{good article}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix   = [[Sir]]
| name               = Christopher Lee
| honorific_suffix   = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CBE|CStJ}}
| image              = Christopher Lee 2009.jpg
| caption            = Lee in 2009
| birth_name         = <!-- only use if different from name -->
| birth_date         = {{birth date|df=y|1922|05|27}}
| birth_place        = [[Belgravia]], London, England
| death_date         = {{death date and age|df=y|2015|06|07|1922|05|27}}
| death_place        = [[Chelsea, London|Chelsea]], London, England
| occupation         = {{flatlist|
* Actor
* singer
* military officer
}}
| years_active       = 1946–2015
| spouse             = {{marriage|Birgit Krøncke|1961}}
| children           = 1
| relations          = {{plainlist|class=nowrap|
* [[Marie Carandini]] (great-grandmother)
* [[Christie Palmerston]] (great-uncle)
* [[Ian Fleming]] (step-cousin)
* [[Harriet Walter]] (niece)}}
| module             = {{Infobox musical artist
| embed = yes
| genre = {{flatlist|class=nowrap|
* Opera
* [[symphonic metal]]
* [[power metal]]
}}
}}
| module2            = {{Infobox military person|embed=yes
| allegiance         = {{plainlist|
* [[Foreign support of Finland in the Winter War|Finland]] (1939)
* [[United Kingdom]] (1940–1946)
}}
| branch           = {{plainlist|
* [[Finnish Army]] (1939)
* [[Home Guard (United Kingdom)|Home Guard]] (1940)
* [[Royal Air Force]] (1941–1946)
}}
| serviceyears     = 1936–1946
| rank             = [[Flight lieutenant]]
| unit             =
| commands         =
| battles          = {{tree list}}
* [[World War II]]
** [[Winter War]]
** [[North African campaign]]
** [[Allied invasion of Italy]]
** [[Battle of Monte Cassino]]{{tree list/end}}
}}
| signature          = Autógrafo de Christopher Lee.jpg
| awards             = [[Knight Bachelor]] (2009)<br>[[88th Academy Awards]] (2016)
}}
{{Christopher Lee sidebar}}

'''Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee''' (27 May 1922 – 7 June 2015) was an English actor and singer.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pennlive.com/entertainment/2015/06/christopher_lee_dies_at_93_i_d.html |title=Christopher Lee's memorable movie roles: 'I dreamed of being a character actor' |date=11 June 2015 |website=[[pennlive]]}}</ref> In a career spanning more than sixty years, Lee became known as an actor with tremendous screen presence and a deep and commanding voice who often portrayed villains in horror and franchise films. Lee was [[Knight Bachelor|knighted]] for services to drama and charity in June 2009 by [[Charles III|King Charles III]] (when he was the [[Prince of Wales]]), received the [[BAFTA Fellowship]] in 2011 and received the [[British Film Institute Fellowship|BFI Fellowship]] in 2013.

Lee gained fame for portraying [[Count Dracula]] in seven [[Hammer Film Productions|Hammer Horror]] films. His other film roles include [[Francisco Scaramanga]] in the [[Production of the James Bond films|James Bond film]] ''[[The Man with the Golden Gun (film)|The Man with the Golden Gun]]'' (1974), [[Count Dooku]] in three [[List of Star Wars films|''Star Wars'' films]] (2002–2008) and [[Saruman]] in both [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy]] (2001–2003) and [[The Hobbit (film series)|''The Hobbit'' film trilogy]] (2012–2014). He frequently appeared opposite his friend [[Peter Cushing]] in horror films, and late in his career he had roles in [[List of frequent Tim Burton collaborators|five Tim Burton films]], including ''[[Sleepy Hollow (film)|Sleepy Hollow]]'' (1999), ''[[Corpse Bride]]'' (2005), ''[[Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (film)|Charlie and the Chocolate Factory]]'' (2005), ''[[Alice in Wonderland (2010 film)|Alice in Wonderland]]'' (2010) and ''[[Dark Shadows (film)|Dark Shadows]]'' (2012).<!--<ref name="AllMovie Filmography" />--> Lee's other notable roles include ''[[The Curse of Frankenstein]]'' (1957), ''[[Dracula (1958 film)|Dracula]]'' (1958), ''[[A Tale of Two Cities (1958 film)|A Tale of Two Cities]]'' (1958), ''[[Castle of the Living Dead]]'' (1964), ''[[The Wicker Man]]'', (1973), ''[[The Return of Captain Invincible]]'' (1983), ''[[Gremlins 2: The New Batch]]'' (1990), ''[[Jinnah (film)|Jinnah]]'' (1998), ''[[Glorious 39]]'' (2009) and ''[[Hugo (film)|Hugo]]'' (2011).

In addition to his prolific film career, Lee was a classically trained singer with a passion for heavy metal. He recorded several albums, including the symphonic metal concept albums ''[[Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross]]'' (2010) and ''[[Charlemagne: The Omens of Death]]'' (2013), where he portrayed the title character of Charlemagne. These projects, which included his spoken word, singing, and dramatic narration, were deeply personal artistic endeavours that showcased his distinctive vocal range and earned him a unique place in the world of metal music.

Before his acting career, Lee served in the [[Royal Air Force]] as an intelligence officer, attached to the [[No. 260 Squadron RAF]] during [[World War II]] as a liaison officer for the [[Special Operations Executive]]. He was discharged from the RAF in 1946 with the rank of [[flight lieutenant]].
{{toc limit|3}}

== Early life ==
Lee was born on 27 May 1922 in [[Belgravia]], London,<ref name="12:49&nbsp;pm">{{cite web |url=http://christopherleeweb.com/pages/biography |title=Biography – Christopher Lee – Official Website |publisher=christopherleeweb.com |access-date=16 March 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140224035253/http://christopherleeweb.com/pages/biography |archive-date=24 February 2014}}</ref> the son of [[Lieutenant colonel (United Kingdom)|Lieutenant Colonel]] Geoffrey Trollope Lee (1879–1941) of the 60th [[King's Royal Rifle Corps]], and his wife, Countess Estelle Marie (née [[House of Carandini|Carandini di Sarzano]]; 1889–1981).<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2002/05/19/do1910.xml |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |title=Merchant of menace |date=19 May 2002 |access-date=30 April 2010 |location=London}}</ref><ref name="Early">{{cite news |title=Christopher Lee obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jun/11/christopher-lee |access-date=28 March 2022 |work=The Guardian}}</ref> Lee's father fought in the [[Second Boer War|Boer War]] and [[First World War]],{{sfn|Lee|2003|pp=6–7}} and his mother was an [[Edwardian era|Edwardian]] beauty who was painted by [[John Lavery|Sir John Lavery]], [[Oswald Birley]], and [[Olive Snell]], and sculpted by [[Clare Sheridan]].{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=13}}<ref name="Wise 2002">* {{cite book |last1=Wise |first1=James E. |last2=Baron |first2=Scott |title=International Stars at War |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d_mUJebJ4uwC&pg=PA118 |date=January 2002 |publisher=[[Naval Institute Press]] |isbn=978-1-55750-965-9 |page=118 |ref=none}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.ucd.ie/news/2011/11NOV11/091111-Christopher-Lee-honoured-by-UCD-Law-Society.html |title=Christopher Lee honoured by UCD Law Society |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=November 2011 |website=UCD News |publisher=[[University College Dublin]] |access-date=12 June 2015 |quote=The Carandini family is one of the oldest in Europe and traces itself back to the first century AD. It is believed to have been connected with the Emperor Charlemagne, and as such was granted the right to bear the coat of arms of the Holy Roman Empire by Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. |ref=none}}
* {{cite news |last=Exshaw |first=John |date=12 June 2015 |title=Sir Christopher Lee: 'Crown Prince of Terror' whose work with Hammer Horror led the postwar revival of Gothic fantasy |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/sir-christopher-lee-crown-prince-of-terror-whose-work-with-hammer-horror-led-the-postwar-revival-of-gothic-fantasy-10314473.html |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |access-date=12 June 2015 |quote=He inherited his father's dark looks, and from his mother a lineage stretching back possibly to Ancient Rome, and including Charlemagne, along the way to the first Count Carandini in 1184. |ref=none}}</ref> Lee's maternal great-grandfather, [[Jerome Carandini]], the Marquis of Sarzano, was an Italian political refugee; his wife, Lee's great-grandmother, was the English-born opera singer [[Marie Carandini]] (''née'' Burgess). He had an elder sister, Xandra Carandini Lee (1917–2002){{sfn|Lee|2003|p=3}} as well as a younger brother, Nicholas.

Lee's parents separated when he was four and divorced two years later.{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=7}} During this time, his mother took his sister and him to [[Wengen]] in Switzerland.{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=21}} After enrolling in Miss Fisher's Academy in [[Territet]], he played his first role, as [[Rumpelstiltskin]].{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=22}} They then returned to London, where Lee attended Wagner's private school in [[Queen's Gate]], and his mother married Harcourt George St-Croix Rose, a banker and uncle of [[Ian Fleming]].{{sfn|Lee|2003|pp=22–23}} Fleming, author of the [[James Bond]] novels, thus became Lee's step-cousin. The family moved to [[Fulham]], living next door to the actor [[Eric Maturin]].{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=23}} One night, he was introduced to [[Felix Yusupov|Prince Yusupov]] and [[Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich of Russia|Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich]], the assassins of [[Grigori Rasputin]], whom Lee was to play many years later.{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=24}}

When Lee was nine, he was sent to [[Summer Fields School]], a preparatory school in Oxford, some of whose pupils later attended [[Eton College]].{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=25}} He continued acting in school plays, though "the laurels deservedly went to [[Patrick Macnee]]."{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=32}} Lee applied for a scholarship to Eton, where his interview was in the presence of the [[ghost story]] author [[M.R. James]].{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=38}} His poor mathematics skills meant that he was placed eleventh, and thus missed out on being a [[King's Scholar]] by one place. His step-father was not prepared to pay the higher fees that being an [[Oppidan Scholar]] meant,{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=38}} so instead he attended [[Wellington College, Berkshire|Wellington College]], where he won scholarships in the [[classics]], studying [[Ancient Greek]] and [[Latin]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.biography.com/people/christopher-lee-20702949 |title=Christopher Lee biography | access-date=18 April 2013}}</ref> Aside from a "tiny part" in a school play, he did not act while at Wellington.{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=44}} He was a "passable" [[Rackets (sport)|racquets]] player and fencer and a competent cricketer but did not do well at the other sports played: hockey, football, rugby and boxing.{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=45}} He disliked the parades and weapons training and would always "play dead" as soon as possible during mock battles.{{sfn|Lee|2003|pp=46–47}} Lee was frequently [[School corporal punishment|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.{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=47}} At age 17, and with one year left at Wellington, the summer term of 1939 was his last.<ref name="Early" /> His step-father had accrued gambling debts of £25,000, {{Inflation|UK|25000|1939|fmt=eq|cursign=£|r=-5}}.{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=48}}

His mother separated from Rose and Lee had to get a job; his sister was already working as a secretary for the Church of England Pensions Board.{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=50}} With most employers on or preparing to go on summer holidays, there were no immediate opportunities for Lee, who was sent to the [[French Riviera]], where his sister was on holiday with friends.{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=50}} On his way there he stopped briefly in Paris, where he stayed with the journalist [[Webb Miller (journalist)|Webb Miller]], a friend of Rose, and witnessed [[Eugen Weidmann]]'s execution by [[guillotine]] – the last public execution performed in France.{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=52}} Arriving in [[Menton]], he stayed with the Russian Mazirov family, living among exiled [[List of Russian princely families|princely families]].{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=54}} It was arranged that he should remain in Menton after his sister had returned home, but with Europe on the [[Causes of World War II|brink of war]], he returned to London instead.{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=56}} He worked as an office clerk for [[United States Lines]], taking care of the mail and running errands.{{sfn|Lee|2003|pp=58–59}}<ref name="Paul2007">{{cite book |last=Paul |first=Louis |title=Tales from the Cult Film Trenches: Interviews with 36 Actors from Horror, Science Fiction and Exploitation Cinema |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6NQ-Y8lbGAsC&pg=PA146 |date=6 September 2007 |publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] |isbn=978-0-7864-8402-7 |pages=146–}}</ref>

== Military service ==
Almost all of what is known of Lee’s military service is based on a chronology of events as set out in his autobiography. When the [[Second World War]] broke out in 1939, Lee had enrolled in a military academy and [[Foreign support of Finland in the Winter War|volunteered to fight]] for the [[Finnish Army]] against the [[Soviet Union]] during the [[Winter War]].{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=59}} He and other British volunteers were kept away from the fighting, but they were issued with winter gear and were posted on guard duty a safe distance from the border. After two weeks in Finland, they returned home.<ref name="yle" />{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=60}} In a later interview, Lee said he knew how to shoot but not how to ski and that he probably would not be alive if he had been allowed to go to the front line.<ref name="yle">{{cite web |last=Orjala |first=Anne |url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-8068724 |title=Christopher Leen tavannut elokuvapomo: Hänellä oli erityinen suhde Suomeen |language=fi |trans-title=Christopher Lee met the film boss: He had a special relationship with Finland |work=[[YLE]] |date=11 June 2015 |access-date=15 August 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Ikola |first=Vilma |url=https://www.is.fi/hs-helsinki/art-2000006597579.html |title=Sotakuvien seasta paljastui yllättävä löytö: Keskellä talvisodan koettelemaa Helsinkiä seisoo mies, joka saattaa olla näyttelijäsuuruus Christopher Lee |language=fi |trans-title=A surprising discovery was revealed among the war photos: In the middle of Helsinki, which was hit by the Winter War, stands a man who may be the actor Christopher Lee |work=[[Ilta-Sanomat]] |date=11 August 2020 |access-date=15 August 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.turunsanomat.fi/treffi/?ts=1,3:1013:0:0,4:13:0:1:2002-05-15,104:13:106811,1:0:0:0:0:0: |title=Fantasian hyvä paha mies |language=fi |trans-title=A good bad man in fantasy |publisher=Turun Sanomat |date=15 May 2002 |access-date=27 August 2020 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930203154/http://www.turunsanomat.fi/treffi/?ts=1,3:1013:0:0,4:13:0:1:2002-05-15,104:13:106811,1:0:0:0:0:0: |archive-date=30 September 2007}}</ref> Lee returned to work at United States Lines and found his work more satisfying, feeling that he was contributing. In early 1940, he joined [[Beecham Group|Beecham's]], at first as an office clerk, then as a switchboard operator.{{sfn|Lee|2003|pp=62–63}} When Beecham's moved out of London, he joined the [[Home Guard (United Kingdom)|Home Guard]].{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=64}} In the winter, his father fell ill with [[Classification of pneumonia|bilateral pneumonia]] and died on 12 March 1941. 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]].{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=65}}

Lee reported to [[RAF Uxbridge]] for training and was then posted to the Initial Training Wing at [[Paignton]].{{sfn|Lee|2003|pp=67–68}} After he had passed his exams in [[Liverpool]], the [[British Commonwealth Air Training Plan]] meant that he travelled on the ''[[MV Reina del Pacifico|Reina del Pacifico]]'' to South Africa, then to his posting at Hillside, at [[Bulawayo]] in [[Southern Rhodesia]].{{sfn|Lee|2003|pp=70–71}} Training with [[de Havilland Tiger Moth]]s, Lee took his penultimate training session before his first solo flight, during which he began to suffer from headaches and blurred vision. The medical officer hesitantly diagnosed a failure of his [[optic nerve]], and he was told he would never be allowed to fly again.{{sfn|Lee|2003|pp=72–73}} Lee was devastated, and the death of a fellow trainee from his former school, Summer Fields, only made him more despondent. His appeals were fruitless, and he was left with nothing to do.{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=73}} He was moved around to different flying stations before being posted to Southern Rhodesia's capital, [[Harare|Salisbury]], in December 1941.{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=74}} He then visited the [[Mazowe Dam]], [[Marondera|Marandellas]], the [[Hwange National Park|Wankie Game Reserve]] and the ruins of [[Great Zimbabwe]]. Thinking he should "do something constructive for my keep", he applied to join [[RAF Intelligence]]. His superiors praised his initiative, and he was seconded into the [[British South Africa Police]] and was posted as a warder at Salisbury Prison.{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=75}} He was then promoted to [[leading aircraftman]]. Leaving South Africa, he sailed from [[Durban]] to [[Suez]] on the {{SS|Nieuw Amsterdam|1937|6}}.{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=77}}

After "killing time" at RAF Kasfareet near the [[Great Bitter Lake]] in the [[Suez Canal]] Zone in 1942, he resumed intelligence work in the city of [[Ismaïlia]].{{sfn|Lee|2003|pp=77–79}} He was then attached to [[No. 205 Group RAF]] before being commissioned <!--with the rank of [[pilot officer]] -->at the end of January 1943,<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=36044 |date=4 June 1943 |pages=2619–2620 |supp=y}}</ref> and attached to [[No. 260 Squadron RAF]] as an intelligence officer.{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=81}} As the [[North African Campaign]] progressed, the squadron "leapfrogged" between Egyptian airstrips, from [[RAF El Daba]] to [[Maaten Bagush]] and on to [[Mersa Matruh]]; they lent air support to the ground forces and bombed strategic targets. Lee, "broadly speaking, was expected to know everything."{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=84}} The Allied advance continued into Libya, through [[Tobruk]] and [[Benghazi]] to the [[Marble Arch (Libya)|Marble Arch]] (a triumphal arch built by Fascist Italy) and then through [[El Agheila]], [[Khoms, Libya|Khoms]] and [[Tripoli, Libya|Tripoli]], with the squadron averaging five missions a day.{{sfn|Lee|2003|pp=85–86}} As the advance continued into Tunisia, with the [[Axis powers|Axis]] forces digging themselves in at the [[Mareth Line]], Lee was almost killed when the squadron's airfield was bombed.{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=86}} After the [[Battle of the Mareth Line]], the squadron made their final base in [[Kairouan]]; following the Axis surrender in North Africa in May 1943, the squadron moved to [[Zuwarah]] in Libya in preparation for the [[Allied invasion of Sicily]].{{sfn|Lee|2003|pp=88, 91}} They then moved to [[Crown Colony of Malta|Malta]], and, after its capture by the [[Eighth Army (United Kingdom)|British Eighth Army]], the Sicilian town of [[Pachino]], before making a permanent base in Agnone Bagni.{{sfn|Lee|2003|pp=93–94}} At the end of July 1943, Lee received his second promotion of the year, this time to [[flying officer]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=36131 |date=10 August 1943 |pages=3636–3637 |supp=y}}</ref> After the Sicilian campaign was over, Lee came down with malaria for the sixth time in under a year, and was flown to a hospital in [[Carthage (municipality)|Carthage]] for treatment. When he returned, the squadron was restless, frustrated with a lack of news about the [[Eastern Front (World War II)|Eastern Front]] and the Soviet Union in general, and with no mail from home and no alcohol. Unrest spread and threatened to turn into mutiny. Lee, by now an expert on Russia, talked them into resuming their duties, which much impressed his commanding officer.{{sfn|Lee|2003|pp=96–97}}
<!--
[[File:Christopher Lee 1944.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Flying Officer C. F. C. Lee in Vatican City, 1944, soon after the [[Liberation of Rome]] ]] probably needs an NFUR-->

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.{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=98}} During most of the [[Battle of Monte Cassino]] he was attached to the [[Gurkha]]s of the [[8th Infantry Division (India)|8th Indian Infantry Division]].{{sfn|Lee|2003|pp=99–100}} While spending some time on leave in [[Naples]], Lee climbed [[Mount Vesuvius]], which [[Mount Vesuvius#Eruptions in the 20th century|erupted three days later]].{{sfn|Lee|2003|pp=100–101}} During the final assault on Monte Cassino, the squadron was based in San Angelo, and Lee was nearly killed when one of the planes crashed on takeoff, and he tripped over one of its live bombs.{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=101}} After the battle, the squadron moved to airfields just outside Rome, and Lee visited the city, where he met his mother's cousin, [[Nicolò Carandini]], who had fought in the [[Italian resistance movement]].{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=102}} In November 1944, Lee was promoted to [[flight lieutenant]] and left the squadron in [[Iesi|Jesi]] to take up a posting at Air Force HQ.{{sfn|Lee|2003|pp=104–105}} Lee took part in forward planning and liaison, in preparation for a potential assault into the rumoured German [[Alpine Fortress]].{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=106}} After the war ended, Lee was invited to go hunting near Vienna and was then billeted in [[Pörtschach am Wörthersee]].{{sfn|Lee|2003|pp=106–107}} For the final few months of his service, Lee, who spoke fluent French, Italian and German, among other languages, was seconded to the [[Central Registry of War Criminals and Security Suspects]].{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=107}} Here, he was tasked with helping to track down Nazi war criminals.<ref name=timesinterview /> Of his time with the organisation, Lee said: "We were given dossiers of what they'd done and told to find them, interrogate them as much as we could and hand them over to the appropriate authority".<ref name=timesinterview /> He completed his service with the RAF, in 1946.{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=107}}

Lee said that during the war he was attached to special forces, but declined to give details.{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=99}}<ref name="telegraphinterview" /> Lee's stepfather served as a captain in the [[Intelligence Corps (United Kingdom)|Intelligence Corps]], but it is unlikely he had any influence over Lee's military career. Lee saw his stepfather for the last time on a bus in London in 1940, after he was divorced from Lee's mother, and Lee did not speak to him.{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=61}}

=== Posthumous allegations of embellishment ===
Since his death, some have accused Lee of exaggerating and being intentionally misleading about his wartime service. The historian Gavin Mortimer stated that Lee "hammed up" details of his service, and that Lee "never exactly lied about his creditable wartime record, but he encouraged its embellishment".<ref>{{cite news|first=Gavin|last=Mortimer|title=Who Dares Lies|date=July 18, 2015|publisher=The Spectator|url= https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/who-dares-lies/|access-date=December 26, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Hannah|last=Furness|title=Sir Christopher Lee's SAS war record was 'hammed up', historian claims|date=July 16, 2015|publisher=The Telegraph|url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/11742636/Sir-Christopher-Lees-SAS-war-record-was-hammed-up-historian-claims.html|access-date=December 26, 2024}}</ref> Leanne Simpson of Bangor University stated that "Actor Christopher Lee famously encouraged the embellishment of his two-year military service during World War II. Many believed he served in a number of elite British military units, including the SAS, but in truth he had only been attached as a RAF liaison officer. Though Lee never hid this fact, he failed to clarify his role and allowed false assumptions to be circulated".<ref>{{cite news|first=Leanne|last=Simpson|title=The men who impersonate military personnel for stolen glory|date=November 7, 2016|publisher=Bangor University|url= https://www.bangor.ac.uk/news/archive/the-men-who-impersonate-military-personnel-for-stolen-glory-29463|access-date=December 26, 2024}}</ref>

== Career ==
=== 1947–1957: Career beginnings ===
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." The Armed Forces were sending veterans with an education in the Classics to teach at universities, but Lee felt his Latin was too rusty and didn't care for the strict curfews.{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=109}} During lunch with his mother's cousin [[Nicolò Carandini]], who had become the Italian Ambassador to Britain, Lee was detailing his war wounds when Carandini said, "Why don't you become an actor, Christopher?"{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=110}} Lee liked the idea, and after assuaging his mother's protests by pointing to the successful Carandini performers in Australia (which included his great-grandmother [[Marie Carandini]], who had been an opera singer), he met Nicolò's friend [[Filippo Del Giudice]], a lawyer-turned-film producer and head of [[Two Cities Films]], part of the [[Rank Organisation]]. Lee recalled that Giudice "looked me up and down" and "concluded that I was just what the industry had been looking for." He was sent to see [[Josef Somlo]] for a contract:{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=111}}

{{blockquote|Initially, I was told [by Somlo] 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..." At the beginning I didn't know anything about the technique of working in front of a camera, but during those 10 years, I did the one thing that's so vitally important today – I watched, I listened and I learned. So when the time came I was ready... Oddly enough, to play a character who said nothing [The Creature in ''[[The Curse of Frankenstein]]''].<ref name=TFInterview>{{cite news |url=http://www.totalfilm.com/features/the_total_film_interview__christopher_lee |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070612192345/http://www.totalfilm.com/features/the_total_film_interview__christopher_lee |archive-date=12 June 2007 |title=Interview – Christopher Lee |work=Total Film |date=1 May 2005 |access-date=25 August 2013}}</ref>}}

Somlo sent him to see Rank's [[David Henley (producer)|David Henley]] and Olive Dodds, who signed him on a seven-year contract.{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=111}} Like other students at Rank's "[[The Company of Youth|Charm School]]," Lee had difficulty finding work.{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=112}} He finally made his film début in 1948, in [[Terence Young (director)|Terence Young]]'s [[Gothic romance]] ''[[Corridor of Mirrors (film)|Corridor of Mirrors]]''.<ref name="Yahoo">[https://movies.yahoo.com/person/christopher-lee/biography.html "Christopher Lee- Biography"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120519163736/http://movies.yahoo.com/person/christopher-lee/biography.html |date=19 May 2012}}. Yahoo!. Retrieved 7 May 2012</ref> He played Charles; the director got around his height by placing him at a table in a nightclub alongside [[Lois Maxwell]], [[Mavis Villiers]], [[Hugh Latimer (actor)|Hugh Latimer]] and [[John Penrose (actor)|John Penrose]]. Lee had a single line, "a satirical shaft meant to qualify the lead's bravura."{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=112}}

In this early period, he made an uncredited appearance in [[Laurence Olivier]]'s film version of ''[[Hamlet (1948 film)|Hamlet]]'' (1948), as a [[spear carrier]] (his later co-star and close friend [[Peter Cushing]] played [[Characters in Hamlet#Osric|Osric]]). A few years later, he appeared in ''[[Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N.]]'' (1951) as a Spanish captain. He was cast when the director asked him if he could speak Spanish and [[Swordsmanship|fence]], which he was able to do.<ref name=aprolific>{{cite news |last=Welsh |first=Paul |url=http://www.borehamwoodtimes.co.uk/film_nostalgia/history/690680.print/ |title=A prolific star of the Elstree screen |publisher=[[Borehamwood & Elstree Times]] |date=16 February 2006 |access-date=20 December 2012}}</ref> Lee appeared uncredited in the American epic ''[[Quo Vadis (1951 film)|Quo Vadis]]'' (1951), which was shot in Rome, playing a chariot driver and was injured when he was thrown from it at one point during the shoot.<ref name=TFInterview />

He recalled that his breakthrough came in 1952, when [[Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.]] began making films at the [[British National Studios]]. He said in 2006, "I was cast in various roles in 16 of them and even appeared with [[Buster Keaton]] and it proved an excellent training ground."<ref name=aprolific /> The same year, he appeared in [[John Huston]]'s Oscar-nominated ''[[Moulin Rouge (1952 film)|Moulin Rouge]]''.<ref name="Yahoo" /> Throughout the next decade, [[Christopher Lee filmography|he made nearly 30 films]], including ''[[The Cockleshell Heroes]]'', playing mostly stock action characters.<ref name="AllMovie Filmography">{{cite web |url=http://www.allmovie.com/artist/christopher-lee-p41362 |title=Christopher Lee filmography |publisher=[[AllMovie]] |accessdate=18 December 2015}}</ref>

=== 1957–1976: Work with Hammer ===
[[File:Dracula 1958 c.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Lee as the title character in ''[[Dracula (1958 film)|Dracula]]'' (1958). Lee fixed the image of the fanged [[vampire]] in popular culture.<ref>J Gordon Melton (2010). "The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the Undead" p. 247. Visible Ink Press</ref>]]

Lee's first film for [[Hammer Film Productions]] was ''[[The Curse of Frankenstein]]'' (1957), in which he played [[Frankenstein's monster]], with [[Peter Cushing]] as [[Victor Frankenstein|Baron Victor Frankenstein]].<ref name="Yahoo" /> It was the first film to co-star Lee and Cushing, who ultimately appeared together in over twenty films and became close friends.<ref name=TFInterview /><ref name="AllMovie Filmography" /><!--Cushing, Burton--> 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."<ref name="aprolific" /> A little later, Lee co-starred with [[Boris Karloff]] in the film ''[[Corridors of Blood]]'' (1958). 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]]''.<ref>Johnson, Tom (2009). "The Christopher Lee Filmography: All Theatrical Releases, 1948–2003". p. 79. McFarland.</ref> Karloff and Lee were London neighbours for a time in the mid-1960s.<ref>{{cite news |last=Thomas |first=Kevin |title=Christopher Lee, Man of Many Faces, Almost an Unknown |issue=29 November 1966; Part IV, page 17 |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref>

{{Quote box|width=30%|align=left|quote=Lee's Dracula is a force of nature: red-eyed, blood dripping from fangs, often in the grip of rage. He's hypnotic, physically powerful, well-spoken, but Lee also understood – crucially – that an important layer from Bram Stoker's novel had been missing from Lugosi's performance: sexuality. Lee's Dracula is a rampant sex fiend, using that stare to make buxom ladies everywhere come over a little faint.|source = — ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'' magazine's entry for Lee's portrayal of Dracula as the 7th Greatest Horror Movie Character of All Time.<ref name="Lee Empire" />}}

Lee's own appearance as Frankenstein's monster led to his first appearance as the [[Transylvania]]n vampire [[Count Dracula]] in the film ''[[Dracula (1958 film)|Dracula]]'' (1958, known as ''Horror of Dracula'' in the US).<ref name="Yahoo" /> The film saw Lee's "triumphant debut" fix the image of the fanged vampire in popular culture, according to the writer [[Kevin Jackson (writer)|Kevin Jackson]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Jackson |first=Kevin |title=Fangs for the memories: The A-Z of vampires |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/fangs-for-the-memories-the-a-z-of-vampires-1810987.html |issue=31 October 2009 |newspaper=[[The Independent]]}}</ref> ''Dracula'' has been ranked among the best [[Cinema of the United Kingdom|British films]].<ref>[https://www.timeout.com/london/film/100-best-british-films#tab_panel_4 "The 100 best British films"]. ''Time Out''. Retrieved 24 October 2017</ref> 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."<ref>{{cite news |title=Why Christopher Lee's Dracula didn't suck |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/what-to-watch/christopher-lee-dracula-movies-hammer/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/what-to-watch/christopher-lee-dracula-movies-hammer/ |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=11 March 2019 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The film magazine ''Empire'' ranked Lee's portrayal as Dracula the 7th Greatest Horror Movie Character of All Time.<ref name="Lee Empire">{{Cite web |year=2020 |title=The 100 Best Horror Movie Characters |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/best-horror-characters/|access-date=11 June 2023 |website=Empire}}</ref> [[CNN]] listed the performance third in their top 10 British villains, noting his "chilling, sonorous tone."<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Screening Room's Top 10 British Villains – CNN |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/Movies/10/25/top10.britishvillains/|access-date=11 June 2023 |publisher=CNN}}</ref> Lee accepted a similar role in an Italian-French horror picture called ''[[Uncle Was a Vampire]]'' (1959). The same year he starred as [[Kharis]] in the Hammer Horror film ''[[The Mummy (1959 film)|The Mummy]]''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hearn |first1=Marcus |last2=Barnes |first2=Alan |title=The Hammer Story: The Authorised History of Hammer Films |publisher=Titan Books |year=2007 |page=43 |isbn=978-1-84576-185-1}}</ref>

[[File:The Mummy (1959) trailer - Christopher Lee face 2.png|thumb|upright=1.4|Lee as [[Kharis]] in ''[[The Mummy (1959 film)|The Mummy]]'' (1959)]]

Lee returned to the role of Dracula in Hammer's ''[[Dracula: Prince of Darkness]]'' (1965).<ref name="Yahoo" /> Lee's role has no lines; he merely hisses his way through the film. Stories vary as to the reason for this: Lee states he refused to speak the poor dialogue he was given, but the screenwriter [[Jimmy Sangster]] claims that the script did not contain any lines for the character. This film set the standard for most of the Dracula sequels in the sense that half the film's running time was spent on telling the story of Dracula's resurrection and the character's appearances were brief. Lee went on record to state that he was virtually "blackmailed" by Hammer into starring in the subsequent films; unable or unwilling to pay him his going rate, they would resort to reminding him of how many people he would put out of work if he did not take part:<ref name="landisbook" />

{{blockquote|The process went like this: The telephone would ring and my agent would say, "[[James Carreras|Jimmy Carreras]] [President of Hammer Films] has been on the phone, they've got another Dracula for you." And I would say, "Forget it! I don't want to do another one." I'd get a call from Jimmy Carreras, in a state of hysteria. "What's all this about?!" "Jim, I don't want to do it, and I don't have to do it." "No, you have to do it!" And I said, "Why?" He replied, "Because I've already sold it to the American distributor with you playing the part. Think of all the people you know so well, that you will put out of work!" Emotional blackmail. That's the only reason I did them.<ref name="landisbook">{{cite book |last=Landis |first=John |title=Monsters in the Movies: 100 Years of Cinematic Nightmares |year=2011 |publisher=[[Dorling Kindersley]] |isbn=978-1-4053-6697-7 |page=45}}</ref>}}

His roles in the films ''[[Dracula Has Risen from the Grave]]'' (1968), ''[[Taste the Blood of Dracula]]'' (1969), and ''[[Scars of Dracula]]'' (1970) all gave the Count very little to do. Lee said in an interview in 2005, "all they do is write a story and try and fit the character in somewhere, which is very clear when you see the films. They gave me nothing to do! I pleaded with Hammer to let me use some of the lines that [[Bram Stoker]] had written. Occasionally, I sneaked one in."<ref name="TFInterview" /><!-- Although Lee may not have liked what Hammer was doing with the character, worldwide audiences embraced the films, which were all commercially successful.--> He starred in two further Dracula films for Hammer in the early 1970s, both of which attempted to bring the character into the modern-day era. These were not commercially successful: ''[[Dracula A.D. 1972]]'' (1972) and ''[[The Satanic Rites of Dracula]]'' (1973). The latter film was tentatively titled ''Dracula Is Dead... and Well and Living in London'', a parody of the stage and film musical revue ''[[Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris]]'', but Lee was not amused. Speaking at a press conference in 1973 to announce the film, Lee said, "I'm doing it under protest. I think it is fatuous. I can think of twenty adjectives – fatuous, pointless, absurd. It's not a comedy, but it's got a comic title. I don't see the point."<ref>{{cite book |last=Haining |first=Peter |title=The Dracula Scrapbook |publisher=Chancellor Press |year=1992 |isbn=978-1-85152-195-1}}</ref> ''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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/christopher-lee-words/ |title=Sir Christopher Lee In His Own Words |website=Empire |date=12 June 2015 |first=Owen |last=Williams |url-status=live |archive-date=27 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160927103018/https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/christopher-lee-words/ |access-date=25 September 2022}}</ref>

In all, Lee played Dracula ten times: seven films for Hammer Productions, once for [[Jesús Franco]]'s [[Count Dracula (1970 film)|''Count Dracula'']] (1970), uncredited in [[Jerry Lewis]]'s ''[[One More Time (1970 film)|One More Time]]'' (1970) and [[Édouard Molinaro]]'s ''[[Dracula and Son]]'' (1976) (he also played an unnamed but Dracula-like vampire in ''[[The Magic Christian (film)|The Magic Christian]]'' [1969]). Lee portrayed Rasputin in ''[[Rasputin, the Mad Monk]]'' (1966) and Sir Henry Baskerville (to Cushing's [[Sherlock Holmes]]) in ''[[The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959 film)|The Hound of the Baskervilles]]'' (1959). 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 Holmes|Mycroft]]. Lee considers this film to be the reason he stopped being typecast: "I've never been typecast since. Sure, I've played plenty of heavies, but as [[Anthony Hopkins]] says, "I don't play villains, I play people.""<ref name=TFInterview /> 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. He auditioned for a part in the film ''[[The Longest Day (film)|The Longest Day]]'' (1962), but was turned down because he did not "look like a military man." Some film books incorrectly credit him with a role in the film, something he had to correct for the rest of his life.<ref name=guardianinterview />

Lee's friend the author [[Dennis Wheatley]] was responsible for bringing the [[occult]] to him.<ref name="auto">{{cite news |first=Nigel |last=Farndale |title=Sir Christopher Lee interview: 'I'm softer than people think' |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/8316999/Interview-Christopher-Lee.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/8316999/Interview-Christopher-Lee.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=16 January 2016 |date=11 June 2005 |work=[[The Telegraph (magazine)|The Telegraph]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The company made two films from Wheatley's novels, both starring Lee. ''The New York Times'' described Lee's performance in the first, ''[[The Devil Rides Out (film)|The Devil Rides Out]]'' (1967), as "suave dignity".<ref>{{cite news |last=Thompson |first=Howard |title=Movie Review: The Devil Rides Out |url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9A00E3DF1430E034BC4152DFB4678383679EDE |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=25 September 2022}}</ref> However, the second film, ''[[To the Devil a Daughter]]'' (1976), was troubled by production difficulties and was disowned by its author. Although financially successful, it was Hammer's last horror film. Critic [[Leonard Maltin]] described it as "well-made but lacking punch".<ref name="maltin">{{cite book |editor1-last=Maltin |editor1-first=Leonard |date=1995 |title=Leonard Maltin's 1996 Movie & Video Guide |url=https://archive.org/details/leonardmaltinsmo00newy/page/1350 |publisher=Signet |page=[https://archive.org/details/leonardmaltinsmo00newy/page/1360 1360] |isbn=978-0-451-18505-1}}</ref>

[[File:Horror express gip.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|Lee and his close friend [[Peter Cushing]] in ''[[Horror Express]]'' (1972). They starred in twenty-two films together.<ref>{{cite news |first=Alex |last=Hamilton |title=Christopher Lee obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jun/11/christopher-lee |date=11 June 2015 |access-date=16 June 2023 |work=The Guardian}}</ref>]]
Like Cushing, Lee also appeared in horror films for other companies from 1957 to 1977. 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 [[Portrayal of East Asians in American film and theater|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.<ref name="Lindrea 2004">{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3733894.stm |title=Christopher Lee on the making of legends |last=Lindrea |first=Victoria |website=[[BBC News]] |date=11 October 2004 |access-date=27 July 2021}}</ref><ref name=TFInterview /> Lee wanted to break free of his image as Dracula and take on more interesting acting roles. He met with the screenwriter [[Anthony Shaffer (writer)|Anthony Shaffer]], and they agreed to work together. The film director [[Robin Hardy (film director)|Robin Hardy]] and [[British Lion Films|British Lion]] head Peter Snell became involved in the project. Shaffer had a series of conversations with Hardy, and the two decided that it would be fun to make a horror film centring on "old religion," in sharp contrast to the popular Hammer films of the day.<ref name="Burnt Offerings 1">{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XG2W-PetugU |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101234617/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XG2W-PetugU&feature=youtu.be |archive-date=1 November 2020 |title=Burnt Offerings: – The Cult of the Wicker Man 1/4 |via=YouTube |date=4 October 2020 |access-date=25 September 2022}}</ref> Shaffer read the David Pinner novel ''[[Ritual (1967 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. Shaffer and Lee paid Pinner £15,000 ({{Inflation|UK|15000|1971|fmt=eq|cursign=US$}}) for the rights to the novel, and Schaffer set to work on the screenplay. However, he soon decided that a direct adaptation would not work well, and began to craft a new story, using only the novel's basic outline.<ref name="Burnt Offerings 1" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.surreycomet.co.uk/leisure/8985362.The_author_who_inspired_The_Wicker_Man___/ |title=The author who inspired The Wicker Man... |last=Gore |first=Will |publisher=[[Surrey Comet]] |date=22 April 2011 |access-date=11 April 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110826092935/http://www.surreycomet.co.uk/leisure/8985362.The_author_who_inspired_The_Wicker_Man___/ |archive-date=26 August 2011}}</ref> Lee was so keen to get the film made, and the budget was so small, that he gave his services for free.{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=307}} He later called the film the best he had ever made.<ref name=TFInterview />

Lee appeared as the on-screen narrator in [[Jess Franco]]'s ''[[Eugenie... The Story of Her Journey into Perversion|Eugenie]]'' (1970) as a favour to the producer [[Harry Alan Towers]], unaware that it was [[softcore pornography]], as the sex scenes were shot separately.

{{blockquote|I had no idea that was what it was when I agreed to the role. I was told it was about the Marquis de Sade. I flew out to Spain for one day's work playing the part of a narrator. I had to wear a crimson dinner jacket. There were lots of people behind me. They all had their clothes on. There didn't seem to be anything peculiar or strange. A friend said: 'Do you know you are in a film in [[Old Compton Street]]?' In those days that was where the mackintosh brigade watched [[Adult movie theater|their films]]. 'Very funny,' I said. So I crept along there heavily disguised in dark glasses and scarf, and found the cinema and there was my name. I was furious! There was a huge row. When I had left Spain that day everyone behind me had taken their clothes off!<ref name=telegraphinterview />}}

In addition to making films in the United Kingdom, Lee made films in mainland Europe: he appeared in two German films, ''Count Dracula'' (1970), where he again played the vampire count, and ''[[The Blood Demon|The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism]]'' (1967). Other films in Europe he made include ''[[Castle of the Living Dead]]'' (1964) and ''[[Horror Express]]'' (1972). Lee was a producer of the horror film ''[[Nothing But the Night]]'' (1972), in which he starred. It was the first and last film he produced, as he did not enjoy the process.<ref name=guardianinterview>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2003/may/29/features.victoriabarrett |title=The good, the bad and the Christopher Lee |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=29 May 2003 |access-date=21 December 2012 |location=London |first=Victoria |last=Barrett}}</ref>

Lee appeared as the [[Comte de Rochefort]] in [[Richard Lester]]'s ''[[The Three Musketeers (1973 live-action film)|The Three Musketeers]]'' (1973). He injured his left knee during filming, something he still felt many years later.<ref name=TFInterview /> After the mid-1970s, Lee eschewed horror roles almost entirely. Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond spy novels and Lee's step-cousin, had offered him the role of the [[Julius No|titular antagonist]] in the first Eon-produced Bond film ''[[Dr. No (film)|Dr. No]]'' (1962). Lee enthusiastically accepted, but by the time Fleming told the producers, they had already chosen [[Joseph Wiseman]] for the role.<ref name=TFInterview /> Lee finally got to play a [[James Bond (film series)|James Bond]] [[List of James Bond villains|villain]] in ''[[The Man with the Golden Gun (film)|The Man with the Golden Gun]]'' (1974), in which he was cast as the assassin [[Francisco Scaramanga]]. Lee said of his performance, "In Fleming's novel he's just a West Indian thug, but in the film he's charming, elegant, amusing, lethal... I played him like the dark side of Bond."<ref name=TFInterview />

Because of his filming schedule in [[Bangkok]], the film-director [[Ken Russell]] was unable to sign Lee to play the Specialist in ''[[Tommy (1975 film)|Tommy]]'' (1975). That role was eventually given to [[Jack Nicholson]]. In an AMC documentary on ''[[Halloween (1978 film)|Halloween]]'' (1978), [[John Carpenter]] states that he offered the role of [[Samuel Loomis]] to Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, before [[Donald Pleasence]] took the role. Years later, Lee told Carpenter that the biggest regret of his career was not taking the role of Dr. Loomis.<ref>{{cite AV media |last=Smith |first=Steve |display-authors=etal |year=2003 |title=Halloween: A Cut Above the Rest |medium=TV Documentary |publisher=[[Prometheus Entertainment]]}}</ref>

=== 1977–1999: Move to Hollywood ===
[[File:Christopher Lee à Aubagne (13) pendant le Festival des Passions (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|Christopher Lee at Festival des Passions in [[Aubagne]], France, in September 1996]]
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]].<ref name=telegraphinterview /> His first American appearance was in the disaster film ''[[Airport '77]]'' (1977). In 1978, Lee surprised many people with his willingness to go along with a joke, appearing as guest host on NBC's ''[[Saturday Night Live]]''.<ref name=TFInterview /> [[Steven Spielberg]], who was in the audience for that show, cast him in ''[[1941 (film)|1941]]'' (1979).<ref name=TFInterview /> Meanwhile, Lee co-starred with [[Bette Davis]] in the Disney film ''[[Return from Witch Mountain]]'' (1978).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/212737 |title=Return from Witch Mountain |website=Turner Classic Movies |access-date=15 August 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904054710/http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/212737%7C0/Return-from-Witch-Mountain.html |archive-date=4 September 2015 }}</ref> He turned down the role of Dr. Barry Rumack (finally played by [[Leslie Nielsen]]) in the disaster spoof ''[[Airplane!]]'' (1980), a decision he later called "a big mistake."<ref name=TFInterview /> <!--Lee appeared in ''[[The Return of Captain Invincible]]'' (1982), a comedy-musical film. Lee sings on two tracks in the film ("Name Your Poison" and "Mister Midnight"), written by [[Richard O'Brien]] and [[Richard Hartley (composer)|Richard Hartley]]. Later, he appeared alongside [[Reb Brown]] and [[Sybil Danning]] in ''[[Howling II: Your Sister Is a Werewolf]]'' (1985). -----This is just an uncited list, "and then he did another thing.{{cn}} And another thing.{{cn}} And yet another.{{cn}}" So what? -->

Lee played the [[mad scientist]] Dr. Catheter in ''[[Gremlins 2: The New Batch]]'' (1990). In a nod to his role as Dracula in Hammer Films, as the Bat Gremlin transforms, Dr. Catheter experiences deja-vu – the audience hears Dracula music.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sir Christopher Lee: Vampire, wizard, jedi and heavy metal musician |url=https://www.itv.com/news/2015-06-11/sir-christopher-lee-vampire-wizard-jedi-and-heavy-metal-musician |access-date=21 October 2022 |publisher=ITV}}</ref> Lee made his last appearances as Sherlock Holmes in the television films ''[[Incident at Victoria Falls]]'' (1991) and ''[[Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady]]'' (1992).<ref>{{cite web |title=Christopher Lee |url=https://www.arthur-conan-doyle.com/index.php/Christopher_Lee |website=The Arthur Conan Doyle Encyclopedia |access-date=10 January 2022 |url-status=live |archive-date=10 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220110113225/https://www.arthur-conan-doyle.com/index.php/Christopher_Lee}}</ref>

Lee and Peter Cushing appeared together in more than a dozen feature films for Hammer Films, [[Amicus Productions]], and other companies, as well as in ''Hamlet'' (1948) and ''Moulin Rouge'' (1952), albeit in separate scenes. They featured, too, in separate instalments of the ''[[Star Wars]]'' films: Cushing as [[Grand Moff Tarkin]] in the original film, and Lee decades later as [[Count Dooku]]. The last project that 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.<ref>{{cite web |last=Gillis |first=Joe |title=All 24 Movies Featuring Christopher Lee & Peter Cushing |url=https://screenrant.com/christopher-lee-peter-cushing-24-movies-all/ |publisher=[[Screen Rant]] |access-date=10 January 2022 |date=7 August 2021}}</ref>

Lee considered his best performance to be in this period, when he played Pakistan's founder [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]] in the biopic ''[[Jinnah (film)|Jinnah]]'' (1998).<ref name=TFInterview /><ref name="Lindrea 2004" />

=== 2000–2009: Resurgence in franchise films ===
[[File:ChristopherLeeSaruman2.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Lee at [[Forbidden Planet (bookstore)|Forbidden Planet]], New Oxford Street, London, signing ''The Two Towers'']]

Lee had many television roles. These included the role Flay in the [[BBC]] television serial ''[[Gormenghast (TV serial)|Gormenghast]]'' (2000) based on [[Mervyn Peake]]'s novels. He also appeared as Lucas de Beaumanoir, the Grand Master of the [[Knights Templar]], in the BBC/[[A&E Network|A&E]] co-production of Sir [[Walter Scott]]'s ''[[Ivanhoe]]'' (1997).<ref name="BBC Notts 2001">{{cite web |title=Stuck on you. Horror star flies into Notts |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/nottingham/spotlight/2001/christopher_lee.shtml |publisher=[[BBC]] |access-date=10 January 2022 |date=31 July 2001}}</ref><!-- He played a role in the made-for-TV series ''[[La Révolution française (film)|La Révolution française]]'' (1989) in part 2, "Les Années Terribles," as the executioner, [[Charles-Henri Sanson]], who beheaded [[Louis XVI of France|King Louis XVI]], [[Maximilien de Robespierre]], [[Stefan Wyszyński]] in the [[CBS]] film ''John Paul the Second'' (2005) and others.-->

Lee portrayed [[Saruman]] in [[Peter Jackson]]'s fantasy action epic [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy]]. In the commentary, he stated that for decades he had dreamt of playing [[Gandalf]]. He conceded that he was now too old, and that his physical limitations prevented him from being considered; [[Ian McKellen]], who was in his early 60s, was cast in the role alongside Lee, in his mid-70s. The role of Saruman, unlike that of Gandalf, required no horse-riding and far less fighting. Lee had met [[J. R. R. Tolkien]] once, which made him the only person involved in Peter Jackson's films to have done so.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Paul |first1=Leggett |title=Good Versus Evil in the Films of Christopher Lee |date=2018 |publisher=McFarland |pages=1}}</ref> He made a habit of reading [[The Lord of the Rings|the novels]] at least once a year.{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=274}}{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=337}}<ref>{{cite video |people=[[Peter Jackson]] |title=Cameras in Middle-earth (''The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' Special Extended Edition documentary) |medium=DVD |publisher=[[New Line Cinema]] |year=2002}}</ref> In addition, he performed for [[The Tolkien Ensemble]]'s album ''[[At Dawn in Rivendell]]'' in 2003.<ref>{{cite AV media |author=[[The Tolkien Ensemble]] |title=[[At Dawn in Rivendell]] |publisher=[[Decca Records|Decca]] |type=CD |year=2003}}</ref> Lee's appearance in the final film in the trilogy, ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King]]'', was cut from the theatrical release, but the scene was reinstated in the extended edition.<ref>{{cite web |last1=McCarrick |first1=Michael |title=Lord of the Rings: Why Saruman Doesn't Appear in Return of the King's Theatrical Cut |url=https://www.cbr.com/lord-of-the-rings-return-of-the-king-saruman-fate-explained/ |publisher=CBR |access-date=27 July 2021 |date=25 February 2021}}</ref> ''The Lord of the Rings'' marked the beginning of a major career revival that continued with the role of the villainous Count Dooku in the [[George Lucas]]-directed ''[[Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones]]'' (2002) and ''[[Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith]]'' (2005). Lee acted opposite [[Hayden Christensen]], [[Ewan McGregor]], and [[Natalie Portman]], and did most of the swordplay himself, though a stunt double was required for the long shots with more vigorous footwork.<ref name=TFInterview /> [[Anthony Daniels]] described him as "a real bastion of cinema history" in his memoirs.{{sfn|Daniels|2019|p=171}}

[[File:Christopher Lee as Saruman LOTR.jpg|thumb|Lee played the corrupted wizard [[Saruman]] in [[Peter Jackson]]'s [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'']] and [[The Hobbit (film series)|''The Hobbit'']] film trilogies. The role has been described as "one of the most powerful villains in cinema history", relying on Lee's "physical appearance", in contrast to the Dark Lord Sauron.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Tilakaratne |first1=Wishka |title=Christopher Lee's Best Performances, Ranked |url=https://movieweb.com/christopher-lee-best-performances-ranked/ |website=MovieWeb |access-date=27 December 2022 |date=28 June 2022}}</ref>]]

In 2005, Lee played [[List of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory characters#Dr Wilbur Wonka|Dr Wonka]], father of [[Willy Wonka]], in [[Tim Burton]]'s [[Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (film)|film adaptation]] of the [[Roald Dahl]] children's classic ''[[Charlie and the Chocolate Factory]].''<ref>{{cite news |title=Sir Christopher Lee: Vampire, wizard, jedi and heavy metal musician |url=https://www.itv.com/news/2015-06-11/sir-christopher-lee-vampire-wizard-jedi-and-heavy-metal-musician |access-date=5 September 2022 |publisher=ITV}}</ref> He also voiced Pastor Galswells in the animated film ''[[Corpse Bride]]''. In 2007, Lee collaborated with Burton again on ''[[Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007 film)|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. These songs were recorded, but eventually cut since Burton felt that the songs were too theatrical for the film. Lee's appearance was completely cut from the film, but Head still had an uncredited one-line cameo.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kcrw.com/etc/programs/tt/tt031210tim_burton |title=Tim Burton |publisher=[[KCRW]] |access-date=4 October 2010 |date=29 July 2006}}</ref> Also in 2007 he played the First High Councillor in ''[[The Golden Compass (film)|The Golden Compass]]''. In late November 2009, Lee narrated the Science Fiction Festival in [[Trieste]], Italy.<ref>{{cite web |title=2009 Trieste Science+Fiction |url=https://www.sciencefictionfestival.org/en/archivio/tsff-2009/ |publisher=Science Fiction Festival |access-date=25 September 2022}}</ref> Also in 2009, Lee starred in [[Stephen Poliakoff]]'s British period drama ''[[Glorious 39]]'', [[Academy Award]]-nominated director [[Danis Tanović]]'s war film ''[[Triage (film)|Triage]]'', and Duncan Ward's comedy ''[[Boogie Woogie (film)|Boogie Woogie]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2008/10_october/31/1939.shtml |title=Stephen Poliakoff's feature film 1939, featuring stellar line-up of UK's finest acting talent, starts shooting |publisher=[[BBC]] |access-date=30 September 2017}}</ref>

During this time Lee provided voices for numerous films and video games.<ref name="Behind the Voice Actors">{{cite web |title=Christopher Lee |url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Christopher-Lee/ |website=Behind the Voice Actors |access-date=25 September 2022 |archive-date=24 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624195734/https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Christopher-Lee/ |url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|Pohle|Hart|Baldwin|2017|pp=325–328}} He spoke fluent English, Italian, French, Spanish, and German, and was moderately proficient in Swedish, Russian, and Greek.<ref name="tiscali">{{cite web |url=http://www.tiscali.co.uk/entertainment/film/biographies/christopher_lee_biog.html |title=Extensive biography at Tiscali UK |publisher=[[Tiscali]] |access-date=4 October 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326052506/http://www.tiscali.co.uk/entertainment/film/biographies/christopher_lee_biog.html |archive-date=26 March 2009}}</ref> He was the original voice of [[Thor]] in the German dubs of the Danish 1986 animated film ''[[Valhalla (1986 film)|Valhalla]]'', and of King Haggard in both the English and German dubs of the 1982 animated adaptation of ''[[The Last Unicorn (film)|The Last Unicorn]]''.<ref name="Behind the Voice Actors" /> He provided all the voices for the English dub of ''[[Monsieur Hulot's Holiday]]'' (1953).<ref>{{cite news |title=Monsieur Hulot's Holiday (1953) |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6b999bde |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160519070656/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6b999bde |url-status=dead |archive-date=19 May 2016 |access-date=15 November 2020 |publisher=British Film Institute}}</ref> He voiced [[Death (Discworld)|Death]] in the animated versions of [[Terry Pratchett]]'s ''[[Soul Music (novel)|Soul Music]]''<ref name="Behind the Voice Actors" /> and ''[[Wyrd Sisters]]'',<ref name="Behind the Voice Actors" /> and reprised the role in the [[Sky1]] live action adaptation ''[[The Colour of Magic (TV film)|The Colour of Magic]]'', taking over from the late [[Ian Richardson]].<ref name="Behind the Voice Actors" /> He provided the voice for the role of [[Ansem the Wise]]/[[DiZ]] in video games including ''[[Kingdom Hearts II]]''.<ref name="Behind the Voice Actors" />

[[File:Christopher Lee 2.jpg|thumb|left|Lee filming Marcus Warren's ''[[The Heavy (film)|The Heavy]]'' in [[Westminster]], London in 2007]]
Lee reprised his role as Saruman in the video game ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth]]''.<ref name="Behind the Voice Actors" /> 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 Théoden]] and others in the readings or singing of their respective poems or songs.<ref>A selection of independent international reviews is given at {{cite web |last1=Weichmann |first1=Christian |title=The Lord of the Rings: Complete Songs and Poems (4-CD Box) |url=http://www.tolkien-ensemble.net/rezensionen/rezensionen.html |publisher=[[The Tolkien Ensemble]] |access-date=13 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161027034047/http://www.tolkien-ensemble.net/rezensionen/rezensionen.html |archive-date=27 October 2016 |language=English}}</ref> In 2007, he voiced the transcript of ''[[The Children of Húrin]]'' by J. R. R. Tolkien for the audiobook version of the novel.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Tolkien |first1=J. R. R. |last2=Lee |first2=Christopher |title=The Children of Hurin (Audiobook) |date=2006 |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] |url=https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/The-Children-of-Hurin-Audiobook/B004EW5K28}}</ref> In 2005, Lee provided the voice of Pastor Galswells in ''[[The Corpse Bride]]'', co-directed by Tim Burton and [[Mike Johnson (animator)|Mike Johnson]].<ref name="Behind the Voice Actors" /> He served as the narrator on ''[[The Nightmare Before Christmas]]'' poem, also written by Tim Burton as well. Lee reprised his role as Count Dooku in the animated film ''[[Star Wars: The Clone Wars (film)|Star Wars: The Clone Wars]]'' (2008).<ref name="Behind the Voice Actors" />

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]]''.<ref name="Behind the Voice Actors" /><ref>[http://eagames.co.uk/products.view.asp?id=387 The EA Games website]. Retrieved 2 May 2006. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060314212024/http://eagames.co.uk/products.view.asp?id=387 |date=14 March 2006}}</ref> In 2013, Lee voiced The Earl of Earl's Court in the [[BBC Radio 4]] radio play ''[[Neverwhere (radio play)|Neverwhere]]'' by [[Neil Gaiman]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=BBC Radio 4 Extra – Neil Gaiman – Neverwhere – The Earl of Earl's Court |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/2QjvbpK5pLH4vJl9jgtQ77D/the-earl-of-earl-s-court|access-date=11 June 2023 |publisher=BBC |language=en-GB}}</ref> Lee recorded special dialogue, in addition to serving as the Narrator, for the ''[[Lego The Hobbit (video game)|Lego The Hobbit]]'' video game released in April 2014; at 91 years and 316 days old he appears in the ''[[Guinness Book of Records]]'' as the oldest video game narrator.<ref>{{cite news |title=Oldest videogame voice actor |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/94943-oldest-videogame-voice-actor |access-date=14 September 2020 |agency=Guinness World Records}}</ref>

=== 2010–2015: Later roles ===
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''.<ref name="Lindrea 2004" /> In 2010, he marked his fourth collaboration with Tim Burton by voicing the [[Jabberwock]] in Burton's [[Alice in Wonderland (2010 film)|adaptation]] of [[Lewis Carroll]]'s classic book ''[[Alice in Wonderland]]'', alongside [[Johnny Depp]], [[Helena Bonham Carter]] and [[Anne Hathaway]].<ref name="AllMovie Filmography" /><ref name="Behind the Voice Actors" /> Lee respected Depp as "a fellow survivor",<ref name="Walker 2006" /> describing him as "inventive and [having] enormous versatility".<ref name="Walker 2006">{{cite web |url=http://new.spectator.co.uk/2006/05/never-be-terrible-in-a-terrible-movie/ |title=Never Be Terrible in a Terrible Movie |last=Walker |first=Tim |website=[[The Spectator]] |date=31 May 2006 |access-date=17 December 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016085817/http://new.spectator.co.uk/2006/05/never-be-terrible-in-a-terrible-movie/ |archive-date=16 October 2015}}</ref> In 2010, Lee received the [[Steiger Award]] (Germany) and,<ref>{{cite news |title=Steiger Award 2010: Die Preisverleihung |language=de |trans-title=Steiger Award 2010: The Award Ceremony |url=https://www.ruhrnachrichten.de/nachrichten/steiger-award-2010-die-preisverleihung-g15787.html |access-date=11 June 2021 |work=[[Ruhr Nachrichten]] |date=13 March 2010 |quote=Marius Müller-Westernhagen, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Sir Christopher Lee – die Liste der Prominenten, die am Samstag in der Bochumer Jahrhunderthalle mit dem Steiger Award 2010 ausgezeichnet worden sind, ist lang. |archive-date=11 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210611114849/https://www.ruhrnachrichten.de/nachrichten/steiger-award-2010-die-preisverleihung-g15787.html |url-status=dead}}</ref> in February 2011, Lee was awarded the [[BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award|BAFTA Fellowship]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12395181 |title=Christopher Lee to receive Bafta Fellowship |work=[[BBC News]] |date=8 February 2011 |access-date=14 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110210090142/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12395181 |archive-date=10 February 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Christopher Lee (Berlinale 2012) 2.jpg|thumb|right|Lee at the [[Berlin International Film Festival]] in February 2012]]
In 2011, he appeared in a Hammer film, ''[[The Resident (film)|The Resident]]'', for the first time in 35 years. The film was directed by [[Antti Jokinen]], and Lee gave a "superbly sinister" performance alongside [[Hilary Swank]] and [[Jeffrey Dean Morgan]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/mar/10/the-resident-review |title=The Resident – review |date=10 March 2011 |access-date=2 January 2014 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |last1=Clarke |first1=Cath}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/18048 |title=Hi-Res Look at Hilary Swank in Hammer Films' 'The Resident' |publisher=Bloody-disgusting.com |access-date=4 October 2010 |date=10 November 2009}}</ref> While filming scenes for the film in [[New Mexico]] in early 2009, Lee injured his back when he tripped over power cables on set.<ref name=timesinterview>{{cite news |url=http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/arts/film/article2432282.ece |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131220234403/http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/arts/film/article2432282.ece |url-status=dead |archive-date=20 December 2013 |title=Christopher Lee: a giant among actors |newspaper=[[The Times]] |date=20 November 2009 |access-date=20 December 2012}}</ref> Lee appears as the unnamed "Old Gentleman" who acts as Lachlan's mentor in a flashback.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ruemorgueradio.com/RMpodcast/RM-051.mp3 |title=RM-051.mp3 (audio/mpeg Object) |last=Hardy |first=Robin |publisher=[[Rue Morgue Radio]] |access-date=12 April 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130520175938/http://ruemorgueradio.com/RMpodcast/RM-051.mp3 |archive-date=20 May 2013}}</ref> Also in 2011, Lee appeared in the critically acclaimed ''[[Hugo (film)|Hugo]]'', directed by [[Martin Scorsese]].<ref name="Trumbore 2011">{{cite web |last=Trumbore |first=Dave |title=Christopher Lee Talks The Hobbit, Hugo and Dark Shadows |url=https://collider.com/christopher-lee-the-hobbit-dark-shadows/ |website=Collider |access-date=11 June 2021 |date=29 December 2011 |url-status=live |archive-date=25 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130725230553/https://collider.com/christopher-lee-the-hobbit-dark-shadows/}}</ref>

Lee reprised the role of Saruman for the prequel film ''[[The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey|The Hobbit]]''.<ref name=chrislee>{{cite news |url=http://christopherleeweb.com/story/sir-christopher-returns-hobbit |agency=Christopher Lee Official Website |title=Sir Christopher Returns in The Hobbit |date=11 January 2011 |access-date=11 January 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110115011730/http://christopherleeweb.com/story/sir-christopher-returns-hobbit |archive-date=15 January 2011}}</ref> He said he would have liked to have shown Saruman's corruption by [[Sauron]],<ref>{{cite news |first=Glen |last=Ferris |title=Christopher Lee on ''The Hobbit'' |work=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] |date=4 June 2008 |url=http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=22681 |access-date=25 September 2022 |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120523070831/http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=22681}}</ref> but was too old to travel to New Zealand, so the production was adjusted to allow him to participate from London.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.movieweb.com/news/christopher-lee-talks-saruman-in-the-hobbit-an-unexpected-journey |title=Christopher Lee Talks Saruman in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey |publisher=[[MovieWeb]] |date=31 December 2011 |access-date=20 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-date=7 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120107035919/http://www.movieweb.com/news/christopher-lee-talks-saruman-in-the-hobbit-an-unexpected-journey}}</ref> In 2012, Lee marked his fifth and final collaboration with Tim Burton, by appearing in Burton's film adaptation of the [[Gothic fiction|gothic]] soap opera ''[[Dark Shadows (film)|Dark Shadows]]'', in the small role of a [[New England]] fishing captain.<ref name="weird">{{cite magazine |url=http://ollyrichards.net/2011/12/04/dark-shadows-preview-feature-empire-nov-11/ |last=Richards |first=Olly |title=The Weird Bunch |magazine=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] |date=November 2011 |page=70}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Dark Shadows: About |url=http://darkshadowsmovie.warnerbros.com/assets/img/_downloads/_pdf/Dark_Shadows_Production_Notes.pdf |publisher=Warner Bros |date=29 April 2012 |access-date=25 September 2022 |url-status=live |archive-date=28 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190228090508/https://www.warnerbros.com/movies/dark-shadows/}}</ref>

[[File:Christopher Lee at the Berlin International Film Festival 2013.jpg|thumb|upright|Lee at the Berlin International Film Festival 2013]]
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:
{{blockquote|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]. I always ask myself, "Well, what else could I do?" Making films has never just been a job to me, it's my life. I have some interests outside of acting – I sing and I've written books, for instance – but acting is what keeps me going, it's what I do, it gives life purpose... I'm realistic about the amount of work I can get at my age, but I take what I can, even voice-overs and narration.<ref>{{cite web |last=Smith |first=Michael |url=http://guardianlv.com/2013/08/johnny-depp-retirement-saddens-christopher-lee/ |title=Johnny Depp Retirement Saddens Christopher Lee |website=Guardian Liberty Voice |date=10 August 2013 |access-date=25 August 2013 |url-status=live |archive-date=11 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130811013746/https://guardianlv.com/2013/08/johnny-depp-retirement-saddens-christopher-lee/}}</ref>}}

Lee narrated the feature-length documentary ''[[Necessary Evil: Super-Villains of DC Comics]]'', which was released on 25 October 2013.<ref>{{cite web |last=Vejvoda |first=Jim |title=New Documentary on DC Supervillains Announced: Necessary Evil to be narrated by Christopher Lee |publisher=IGN |date=26 March 2013 |url=http://uk.ign.com/articles/2013/03/26/new-documentary-on-dc-supervillains-announced |accessdate=25 September 2022}}</ref> 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''. Lee and others who had played Sherlock Holmes discussed the character and the various interpretations of him.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03pzsd9 |title=How to be Sherlock Holmes: The Many Faces of a Master Detective |publisher=[[BBC]] |access-date=21 March 2014}}</ref> He appeared in a web exclusive, reading an excerpt from the Sherlock Holmes short story ''[[The Final Problem]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01nwby9 |title=Web exclusive: Christopher Lee reads The Final Problem |work=[[BBC Four]] |date=23 December 2013 |access-date=21 March 2014}}</ref>

A month before his death, Lee had signed to star with an [[ensemble cast]] in the Danish film ''The 11th''.<ref>{{cite news |last=Child |first=Ben |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/may/19/christopher-lee-and-uma-thurman-attached-to-911-drama-set-in-denmark |title=Christopher Lee and Uma Thurman attached to 9/11 drama set in Denmark |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=19 May 2015 |access-date=21 May 2015}}</ref> One of his final performances was the independent ''[[Angels in Notting Hill]]'' directed by Michael Pakleppa,<ref>{{cite news |last=Rosser |first=Michael |url=http://www.screendaily.com/news/christopher-lee-dies-aged-93/5089303.article |title=Christopher Lee dies aged 93 |work=Screen International |date=11 June 2015 |access-date=17 October 2016}}</ref> a fantasy film about an angel trapped in London who falls in love with a human being. Lee played The Boss / Mr. President and the film premiered in the Regent Street Cinema, London on 29 October 2016.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.regentstreetcinema.com/programme/angels-in-notting-hill/ |website=Regent Street Cinema |title=Listings |date=12 October 2016 |access-date=17 October 2016}}</ref>

== Music career ==
[[File:Lee Golden Gods.jpg|thumb|upright|Lee receiving the "Spirit of Hammer" award for his album ''[[Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross]]'' at the 2010 [[Metal Hammer]] Golden Gods ceremony in London]]

With his operatic<ref>{{cite web |last=Lee |first=Christopher |title=My Music: 'It's been the greatest regret of my life: I still believe I was born to be an opera singer' |url=https://www.gramophone.co.uk/features/article/christopher-lee-my-music-it-s-been-the-greatest-regret-of-my-life-i-still-believe-i-was-born-to-be-an-opera-singer |website=Gramophone |access-date=26 September 2022}}</ref> [[Bass (voice type)|bass]] voice, Lee sang on ''[[The Wicker Man (1973 film)|The Wicker Man]]'' soundtrack, performing [[Paul Giovanni]]'s composition, "The Tinker of Rye."<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://stylusmagazine.com/reviews/various-artists/the-wicker-man.htm |title=The Wicker Man soundtrack |magazine=[[Stylus Magazine]] |date=1 September 2003 |access-date=5 November 2011 |last=Lindsay |first=Cam |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111027211211/http://stylusmagazine.com/reviews/various-artists/the-wicker-man.htm |archive-date=27 October 2011}}</ref> He sang the closing credits song of the 1994 horror film ''[[Funny Man (film)|Funny Man]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Darvell |first1=Michael |title=Sir Christopher Lee (27 May 1922 – 7 June 2015) – From pen-pushing via a stake through the heart to Carmen, heavy metal, The Soldier's Tale and Peter & the Wolf |url=https://www.classicalsource.com/article/sir-christopher-lee-27-may-1922-7-june-2015-from-pen-pushing-via-a-stake-through-the-heart-to-carmen-heavy-metal-the-soldiers-tale-and-peter-the-wolf/ |website=Classical Source |date=13 June 2015 |access-date=26 September 2022}}</ref> In 1977, he appeared on [[Peter Knight (folk musician)|Peter Knight]] and [[Bob Johnson (musician)|Bob Johnson]]'s (from [[Steeleye Span]]) concept album ''[[The King of Elfland's Daughter (album)|The King of Elfland's Daughter]]''.<ref>{{cite AV media |title=The King of Elfland's Daughter |publisher=[[Chrysalis Records]] |type=LP |year=1977 |id=CHR 1137}}</ref>

Lee's first contact with [[heavy metal music]] came by singing a duet with [[Fabio Lione]], lead vocalist of the Italian [[symphonic metal|symphonic]] [[power metal]] band [[Rhapsody of Fire]] on the single "[[The Magic of the Wizard's Dream]]" from their 2004 album ''[[Symphony of Enchanted Lands II – The Dark Secret]]'', although he only performs backing vocals on the album version. 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.<ref name="metal"/> He worked with [[Manowar]] while they were recording a new version of their first album, ''[[Battle Hymns (Manowar album)|Battle Hymns]]'', replacing the original voiceover of [[Orson Welles]], who died in 1985.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.manowar.com/news_body.php?idnews=486 |title=Battle Hymns 2011 – Born To Live Forevermore |publisher=Manowar.com |date=4 November 2010 |access-date=4 November 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101101102724/http://www.manowar.com/news_body.php?idnews=486 |archive-date=1 November 2010}}</ref>

With the song "Jingle Hell," Lee entered the ''Billboard'' [[Hot Singles Sales]] chart at No. 22, thus becoming the second oldest living performer to ever enter the music charts, at 91 years and 6 months.<ref name="Blabbermouth.net">{{cite news |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/christopher-lee-lands-on-billboard-hot-singles-sales-chart-with-heavy-metal-take-on-jingle-bells/#63vjDR2Am55Tfag6.99 |title=Christopher Lee Lands On Billboard Hot Singles Sales Chart With Heavy Metal Take On 'Jingle Bells' |work=[[Blabbermouth.net]] |date=25 December 2013 |access-date=31 December 2013}}</ref><ref name="myguitarlessons.co.uk">{{cite web |date=December 27, 2013 |url=https://myguitarlessons.co.uk/2013/12/christopher-lee-lands-on-billboard-hot-singles-sales-chart-with-jingle-hell/ |title=Christopher Lee Lands on Billboard Hot Singles Sales Chart With 'Jingle Hell' |website=myguitarlessons.co.uk |access-date=January 6, 2025}}</ref> After media attention, the song rose to No. 18. as Lee became the oldest person to have a top 20 hit.<ref name="Billboard Top20">{{cite news |title=Sir Christopher Lee's Metal Christmas is Upon Us Once More |url=https://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2014/12/sir-christopher-lees-metal-christmas-upon-us |access-date=9 October 2020 |work=BBC America}}</ref>

Lee released a third EP of covers in May 2014, called ''Metal Knight,'' to celebrate his 92nd birthday; in addition to a cover of "[[My Way]]," it contains "The Toreador March," inspired by the opera ''[[Carmen]]'', and the songs "[[The Impossible Dream (The Quest)|The Impossible Dream]]" and "I, Don Quixote" from the [[Don Quixote]] musical ''[[Man of La Mancha]]''. Lee was inspired to record the latter songs because, "as far as I am concerned, Don Quixote is the most metal fictional character that I know."<ref>*{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-27591562 |title=Christopher Lee makes heavy metal Don Quixote |work=[[BBC News]] |date=27 May 2014 |access-date=29 May 2014}}
* {{cite magazine |url=http://loudwire.com/christopher-lee-92nd-birthday-metal-knight-ep/ |title=Christopher Lee Celebrates 92nd Birthday With Release of 'Metal Knight' EP |magazine=Loudwire |date=28 May 2014 |access-date=29 May 2014}}
* {{cite magazine |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6099359/christopher-lee-delivers-heavy-metal-don-quixote |title=Christopher Lee Delivers Heavy Metal Don Quixote |magazine=Billboard |date=27 May 2014 |access-date=29 May 2014}}</ref> His fourth EP and third annual Christmas release came in December 2014, as he put out "Darkest Carols, Faithful Sing," a playful take on "[[Hark! The Herald Angels Sing]]."<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://loudwire.com/92-year-old-actor-christopher-lee-metal-christmas-song-darkest-carols-faithful-sing/ |title=92-Year-Old Actor Christopher Lee Offers Metal Christmas Song 'Darkest Carols, Faithful Sing' |magazine=Loudwire |date=9 December 2014 |access-date=9 December 2014}}</ref> 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 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."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/legendary-actor-christopher-lee-releases-new-heavy-metal-single-darkest-carols-faithful-sing/ |title=Legendary Actor Christopher Lee Releases New Heavy Metal Single 'Darkest Carols, Faithful Sing' |work=[[Blabbermouth.net]] |date=9 December 2014 |access-date=9 December 2014}}</ref>

Lee is featured in the symphonic metal album ''[[Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross]]'' in 2010, after having previously worked on metal projects.<ref name="metal">{{cite news |title=Christopher Lee to release 'symphonic metal' album |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/jan/05/christopher-lee-symphonic-metal-album |access-date=11 November 2025 |work=The Guardian}}</ref> The heavy metal follow-up ''[[Charlemagne: The Omens of Death]]'' was released in 2013 on Lee's 91st birthday. He was honoured with the "Spirit of Hammer" award at the 2010 [[Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards]] ceremony; when presented the award by [[Tony Iommi]], he jokingly apologized to [[Saxon (band)|Saxon]] for his song "Massacre of the Saxons", and thanked the audience for listening to "a young man right at the beginning of his career".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.brainbubblegum.net/home/2017/7/25/a-young-man-right-at-the-beginning-of-his-career|title="A young man right at the beginning of his career"|date=26 July 2017|website=Brain Bubblegum}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/remembering_the_legend_a_musical_retrospective_of_sir_christopher_lee.html|title=Remembering the Legend: A Musical Retrospective of Sir Christopher Lee|website=www.ultimate-guitar.com}}</ref> On the [[Hollywood Vampires (Hollywood Vampires album)|self-titled debut album]] by [[Hollywood Vampires (band)|Hollywood Vampires]], a supergroup consisting of Johnny Depp, [[Alice Cooper]] and [[Joe Perry (musician)|Joe Perry]], Lee is featured as a narrator in the track "The Last Vampire." Recorded shortly before his death, this marks Lee's final appearance on a musical record.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/see-johnny-depp-alice-cooper-joe-perry-jam-with-rock-royalty-20150805 |title=See Johnny Depp, Alice Cooper, Joe Perry Jam With Rock Royalty |magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=15 August 2015 |date=5 August 2015}}</ref> 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''.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/rhapsody-of-fire-releases-lyric-video-for-new-song-master-of-peace/ |title=Rhapsody of Fire Releases Lyric Video For New Song 'Master Of Peace' |work=[[Blabbermouth.net]] |date=15 February 2019 |access-date=11 March 2019}}</ref>

== Personal life ==

=== Family and relationships ===
[[File:Christopher Lee and Birgit Kroencke, Women's World Awards 2009.jpg|thumb|upright|Lee with his wife, Birgit Krøncke, March 2009]]

The Carandinis, Lee's maternal ancestors, were given the right to bear the [[coat of arms]] of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] by the [[Frederick Barbarossa|Emperor Frederick Barbarossa]].<ref name="Wise 2002" /><ref name="tiscali" /> In the late 1950s, Lee was engaged to Countess Henriette Ewa [[Agnes von Rosen]], whom he had met at a nightclub in Stockholm.{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=220}} Her father, Count Fritz von Rosen, proved demanding, getting them to delay the wedding for a year, asking his London-based friends to interview Lee, hiring private detectives to investigate him, and asking Lee to provide him with references, which Lee obtained from [[Douglas Fairbanks Jr.]], [[Boulting brothers|John Boulting]], and [[Joe Jackson (barrister)|Joe Jackson]].{{sfn|Lee|2003|pp=182–183}} Lee found the meeting of her extended family to be like something from a surrealist [[Luis Buñuel]] film, and thought they were "killing me with cream."{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=184}} Finally, Lee had to have the permission of [[Gustaf VI Adolf|King Gustaf VI of Sweden]] to marry. Lee had met him some years before while filming ''Tales of Hans Anderson'', where he received his blessing.{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=184}} Shortly before the wedding, Lee ended the engagement. He was concerned that his financial insecurity in his chosen profession meant that she "deserved better" than being "pitched into the dishevelled world of an actor." She understood, and they called the wedding off.{{sfn|Lee|2003|pp=185–186}}

Lee was introduced to the Danish painter and former model Birgit "Gitte" Krøncke (1935–2024) by a Danish friend in 1960.{{sfn|Lee|2003|pp=196–198}} They were engaged soon after, and married on 17 March 1961.{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=199}} They had a daughter, Christina Erika Carandini Lee (b. 1963).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://christopherleeweb.com/forums/front-page-news/bride-and-groom |title=To the Bride and Groom! |last=Prepolec |first=Charles |publisher=Christopher Lee Web |date=27 July 2001 |access-date=4 May 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130816165408/http://christopherleeweb.com/forums/front-page-news/bride-and-groom |archive-date=16 August 2013}}</ref> Lee was the uncle of the British actress [[Harriet Walter]].<ref name="tiscali" /> Lee and his daughter Christina provided spoken vocals on Rhapsody of Fire's albums ''Triumph or Agony'' and ''The Cold Embrace of Fear - A Dark Romantic Symphony''. Lee moved to Los Angeles in the 1970s after becoming disillusioned with film roles he was being offered in Britain and stated that in Hollywood, "I was no longer a ''horror star.'' I was an actor."<ref name="JohnsonMiller2016">{{cite book |last1=Johnson |first1=Tom Johnson |last2=Miller |first2=Mark A. |title=The Christopher Lee Filmography: All Theatrical Releases, 1948–2003 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=85g-CgAAQBAJ&pg=PA288 |date=1 May 2016 |publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] |isbn=978-1-4766-0896-9 |page=288}}</ref> He subsequently moved back to England and lived with his family in [[Cadogan Square]] in west London until his death.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Real life film stars who have put in an appearance |journal=Sloane Square |year=2020 |issue=September 2020 |page=58 |url=https://www.cadogan.co.uk/propeller/uploads/2020/11/Sloane-Square-September-20.pdf}}</ref><!-- His Cadogan Square home was briefly featured in the music video accompanying his cover of "[[My Way]]" from his album ''[[Revelation (Christopher Lee album)|Revelation]]''. -->

=== Physical characteristics and beliefs ===
Lee was known for his imposing height of {{convert|6|ft|5|in}}.<ref name=telegraphinterview>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/baftas/8316999/Interview-Christopher-Lee.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110310144042/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/baftas/8316999/Interview-Christopher-Lee.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=10 March 2011 |title=Sir Christopher Lee interview |newspaper=The Telegraph |date=12 February 2011 |access-date=20 December 2012 |location=London |first=Nigel |last=Farndale}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/nottingham/spotlight/2001/christopher_lee.shtml |title=Stuck on you. Horror star flies into Notts |publisher=[[BBC]] |date=31 July 2001 |access-date=20 December 2012}}</ref> On BBC Radio's ''[[Test Match Special]]'' "View from the Boundary" interview with [[Brian Johnston]] on 20 June 1987, Lee described himself as being {{convert|6|ft|4|in|abbr=on}} tall.<ref>{{cite web |title=Test Match Special #40from40: Sir Christopher Lee (02:13 and 21:55) |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p08fy5zx |website=BBC Sounds |access-date=13 June 2020}}</ref> Lee and his wife Birgit were listed among the "fifty best-dressed over 50s" by ''The Guardian'' in March 2013.<ref>{{cite news |title=The 50 best-dressed over 50s |url=https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/gallery/2013/mar/29/50-best-dressed-over-50s |newspaper=The Guardian |location=London |first1=Jess |last1=Cartner-Morley |first2=Helen |last2=Mirren |author2-link=Helen Mirren |first3=Arianna |last3=Huffington |author3-link=Arianna Huffington |first4=Valerie |last4=Amos |date=28 March 2013}}</ref>

Lee was an [[Anglo-Catholicism|Anglo-Catholic]] Christian.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The extraordinary career of Christopher Lee |url=https://cruxnow.com/life/2015/06/the-extraordinary-career-of-christopher-lee/ |date=12 June 2015 |access-date=24 October 2020 |website=Crux}}</ref> Following the Second World War, he was an [[altar server]] at [[St Stephen's, Gloucester Road|St Stephen's]] Church in [[South Kensington]], London, during [[T. S. Eliot]]'s period as a parishioner there.<ref>{{cite book |last=Leggett |first=Paul |title=Good Versus Evil in the Films of Christopher Lee |date=2018 |publisher=McFarland |page=3}}</ref> Politically, Lee supported the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] and favoured [[Michael Howard]] for leader following its defeat in the [[2001 United Kingdom general election|2001 general election]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/christopher-lee-you-ask-the-questions-78073.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100925072809/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/christopher-lee-you-ask-the-questions-735506.html |archive-date=25 September 2010 |title=Christopher Lee: You Ask The Questions – Profiles, People |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |date=13 November 2003 |url-status=dead |access-date=5 August 2009}}</ref><ref name=timesinterview />

Lee had an interest in the occult, to which he was introduced by [[Dennis Wheatley]].<ref name="auto" /> It was once erroneously reported Lee had a library of occult literature that amounted to 20,000 books. During a talk at [[University College Dublin]], Lee confirmed he did not have such a collection and said "Somebody wrote that I had 20,000 books. I don't—I'd have to live in a bath!" He cautioned the audience against involving themselves in occult practices, claiming "I have met people who claim to be Satanists, who claim to be involved with black magic, who claimed that they not only knew a lot about it. But as I said, I certainly have not been involved and I warn all of you: never, never, never. You will not only lose your mind: you lose your soul."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://aleteia.org/2016/06/06/sir-christopher-lee-on-dabbling-with-the-occult-never-never-never/ |title=Sir Christopher Lee on Dabbling with the Occult: "Never, Never, Never" |publisher=aleteia.org |date=6 June 2016 |access-date=27 September 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-metal-as-hell-moment-christopher-lee-warned-us-all-off-black-magic-you-not-only-lose-your-mindyou-lose-your-soul |title=The metal as hell moment Christopher Lee warned us all off black magic: "You not only lose your mind...you lose your soul" |publisher=loudersound |date=8 March 2023 |access-date=27 September 2023}}</ref>

== Death ==
{{Quote box
| width = 30%
| align = right
| quote = Christopher is truly a force to be reckoned with. Doing a scene with him and having him peering down at you, screaming into your face, all you can think of is 'My God, that's Dracula!'
| source = Johnny Depp, who worked with Lee in five Tim Burton films, from ''Sleepy Hollow'' in 1999 to ''Dark Shadows'' in 2012.<ref name="LA Times">{{cite news |title=From the Archives: Christopher Lee dies at 93; screen star of 'Dracula' and 'Lord of the Rings' |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-me-christopher-lee-obituary-20150611-story.html |access-date=15 August 2020 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref>
}}
Lee died at the [[Chelsea and Westminster Hospital]] on 7 June 2015 at the age of 93. The cause of death was heart failure. His wife delayed the public announcement until 11 June, informing his family of the death before releasing the news to the press.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-33098353 |title=Sir Christopher Lee: Screen legend dies aged 93 |work=[[BBC News]] |date=12 June 2015 |access-date=23 March 2016}}</ref><ref name=DEATH>{{cite news |title=Christopher Lee dead: Legendary actor passes away at the age of 93 |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/christopher-lee-dead-live-updates--legendary-actor-passes-away-at-the-age-of-93-10312947.html |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |date=11 June 2015}}</ref><ref name=DEATH2>*{{cite news |title=Christopher Lee dies at the age of 93 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jun/11/christopher-lee-dies-at-the-age-of-93-dracula |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=11 June 2015}}
* {{cite news |title=Sir Christopher Lee dies at 93 – latest reaction and tributes |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/11666316/christopher-lee-dies-live.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/11666316/christopher-lee-dies-live.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=11 June 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Following Lee's death, fans, friends, actors, directors and others involved in the film industry publicly gave their personal tributes.<ref>{{cite news |last=Stevens |first=Tom |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jun/12/christopher-lee-readers-tributes-and-memories |title=Christopher Lee: readers' tributes and memories |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=12 June 2015 |access-date=22 March 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jun/12/christopher-lee-tributes-led-by-peter-jackson |title=Christopher Lee tributes led by Peter Jackson |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=12 June 2015 |access-date=22 March 2016 |first=Ben |last=Child}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/christopher-lee-dead-lord-of-the-rings-co-star-ian-mckellen-pays-tribute-to-on-screen-rival-10317044.html |title=Christopher Lee dead: Lord of the Rings co-star Ian McKellen pays tribute to on-screen rival |work=[[The Independent]] |date=12 June 2015 |access-date=22 March 2016 |first=Kashmira |last=Gander}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-33097590 |title=Sir Christopher Lee: tributes to 'titan of cinema' |work=[[BBC News]] |date=11 June 2015 |access-date=22 March 2016}}</ref> Then-Prime Minister [[David Cameron]] praised Lee as a "titan of [[Classical Hollywood cinema|the golden age of cinema]]."<ref name=DEATH2 /> He was honoured by the academy at the [[88th Academy Awards]] on 28 February 2016 in the annual In Memoriam section.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lee |first=Benjamin |title=Christopher Lee honoured in Oscars ceremony |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/feb/29/christopher-lee-honoured-in-oscars-ceremony |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=29 February 2016 |access-date=21 July 2021}}</ref>

== Honours and legacy ==
{{See also|Christopher Lee filmography}}

Lee was the subject of the BBC's ''[[This Is Your Life (British TV series)|This Is Your Life]]'' in 1974, where he was surprised by [[Eamonn Andrews]].{{sfn|Pohle|Hart|Baldwin|2017|p=329}} In 1994, for his influence on the horror genre, he received the [[Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Horror Writers Association – Lifetime Achievement Award |url=http://horror.org/awards/laawd.htm|access-date=11 June 2023 |website=horror.org}}</ref> In 1997, he was appointed a [[Order of Saint John (chartered 1888)|Commander of the Venerable Order of Saint John]].<ref name="LG 16 January 1997">{{London Gazette |issue=54652 |date=16 January 1997 |page=595}}</ref> On 16 June 2001, as part of [[2001 Birthday Honours|that year's]] [[Birthday Honours|Queen's Birthday Honours]], Lee was appointed a [[Order of the British Empire|Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] "for services to Drama."<ref name="LG 16 June 2001">{{London Gazette |issue=56237 |date=16 June 2001 |pages=7–8 |supp=y}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=16 June 2001 |title=Dudley Moore celebrates CBE |language=en-GB |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1390310.stm|access-date=11 June 2023}}</ref> He was made a [[Knight Bachelor]] "For services to Drama and to Charity" on 13 June as part of the Queen's Birthday Honours [[2009 Birthday Honours|in 2009]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=59090 |date=13 June 2009 |page=1 |supp=y}}</ref> The French government made him a [[Ordre des Arts et des Lettres|Commander of Ordre des Arts et des Lettres]] in 2011.<ref>{{cite news |title=Actor who made Count Dracula role his own |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/actor-who-made-count-dracula-role-his-own-1.2247803 |newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] |access-date=24 July 2021 |date=13 June 2015}}</ref>

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$640&nbsp;million.<ref>{{Cite news |last=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=4 January 2006 |title=In brief: Christopher Lee 'most bankable' star |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2006/jan/04/news1|access-date=11 June 2023 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> In 2010, he was identified as the [[IMDb]] member with the greatest [[closeness centrality]], implying he was the [[Centrality|best-connected]] person in the business.<ref>{{cite book |last=Newman |first=Mark |author-link=Mark Newman |title=Networks: An Introduction |year=2010 |url=http://math.sjtu.edu.cn/faculty/xiaodong/course/Networks%20An%20introduction.pdf |chapter=Chapter 7 |isbn=978-0-19-920665-0 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |edition=1st |access-date=15 May 2020 |archive-date=28 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728132820/http://math.sjtu.edu.cn/faculty/xiaodong/course/Networks%20An%20introduction.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2008, Lee in his role as Count Dracula featured on a [[Great Britain commemorative stamps 2000–2009|commemorative UK postage stamp]] issued by the [[Royal Mail]] to mark 50 years since the release of ''Dracula'' (1958) by [[Hammer Films]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Dracula sinks his teeth into Royal Mail history |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/article/dracula-sinks-his-teeth-into-royal-mail-history-jxdwsnc7npx |access-date=22 September 2022 |work=The Sunday Times}}</ref> In 2010, Lee received the Spirit of Hammer award at the [[Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards]], for his contribution to the metal genre.<ref>{{cite web |title=Metal Hammer Golden Gods Winners |url=https://planetradio.co.uk/planet-rock/news/rock-news/metal-hammer-golden-gods-winners// |access-date=12 January 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=15 June 2010 |title=Metal Hammer honour for Sir Christopher Lee |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/10316731|access-date=11 June 2023}}</ref> In 2011, Lee was awarded a [[BAFTA Fellowship]];<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12395181 |title=Christopher Lee to receive Bafta Fellowship |work=[[BBC News]] |date=8 February 2011| access-date=2 March 2018}}</ref> he received a [[British Film Institute Fellowship|BFI Fellowship]] in 2013.<ref>{{Cite news |date=20 October 2013 |title=Depp surprises Sir Christopher Lee with film award |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-24600683|access-date=11 June 2023}}</ref>

In 2011, accompanied by his wife Birgit, and on the 164th anniversary of the birth of Bram Stoker, Lee was honoured with a tribute by [[University College Dublin]], and described his honorary life membership of the UCD Law Society as "in some ways as special as the Oscars".<ref>*[http://www.rte.ie/ten/2011/1109/leec.html "Christopher Lee honoured by UCD"]. ''RTÉ Ten''. 9 November 2011.{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111110064511/http://www.rte.ie/ten/2011/1109/leec.html |date=10 November 2011}}
* Byrne, Luke. [http://www.independent.ie/national-news/fangs-for-the-memories-as-legend-lee-honoured-2929338.html "Fangs for the memories as legend Lee honoured"]. ''[[Irish Independent]]''. 9 November 2011.</ref> He was awarded the Bram Stoker Gold Medal by the Trinity College Philosophical Society, of which Stoker had been president, and a copy of ''Collected Ghost Stories of MR James'' by Trinity College's School of English.<ref>{{cite news |last=Duncan |first=Pamela |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/1109/breaking53.html |title=Lee receives Bram Stoker award |newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] |date=9 November 2011 |access-date=10 January 2022 |archive-date=10 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111110184331/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/1109/breaking53.html |url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Works ==
=== Filmography ===
{{Main|Christopher Lee filmography}}

=== Books ===
* ''Christopher Lee's X Certificate'', London: Star Books, 1975. Hardcover reprint, ''Christopher Lee's 'X' Certificate'' edited by Christopher Lee and Michel Parry, London: W. H. Allen, 1976. US retitled reprint in paperback as ''From the Archives of Evil,'' New York: Warner Books, 1976.
* ''Christopher Lee's Archives of Evil'', London: Mayflower paperback, 1975. Hardcover reprint as ''Archives of Evil'' presented by Christopher Lee and Michel Parry. London: W. H. Allen, 1977. US retitled reprint in paperback as ''From the Archives of Evil 2,'' New York: Warner Books, 1976.
* ''Christopher Lee's Omnibus of Evil'', London: Mayflower paperback, 1975; reprint 1980). Retitled hardcover reprint as ''The Great Villains: An Omnibus of Evil,'' presented by Christopher Lee and Michel Parry. London: W. H. Allen, 1978.
Note: Lee was a 'ghost-editor' on the above series, which was edited by the anthologist Michel Parry.
* ''Tall, Dark and Gruesome.'' (autobiography). London: W. H. Allen, 1977. Expanded retitled edition as ''Lord of Misrule: The Autobiography of Christopher Lee.'' London: Orion Books, 2003, with an introduction by [[Peter Jackson]].

=== Audiobooks ===
* [[William Peter Blatty]]: ''[[The Exorcist (novel)|The Exorcist]]'' (abridged)
* [[Agatha Christie]]: ''[[The Hound of Death]] and Other Stories'' (unabridged)
* [[Sir Arthur Conan Doyle]]: ''[[The Adventure of the Lion's Mane]] and Other Stories'' (unabridged short stories)
* Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: ''[[The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire]] and Other Stories'' (unabridged short stories)
* Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: ''[[The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes]]'' (unabridged short stories)
* Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: ''[[The Valley of Fear]]'' (abridged)
* [[James Herbert]]: ''[[The Fog (novel)|The Fog]]'' (abridged)
* [[Victor Hugo]]: ''[[The Hunchback of Notre Dame]]'' (abridged)
* [[Gaston Leroux]]: ''[[The Phantom of the Opera (novel)|The Phantom of the Opera]]'' (abridged)
* [[Sir Walter Scott]]: ''[[Ivanhoe]]'' (abridged)
* [[Mary Shelley]]: ''[[Frankenstein]]'' (abridged)
* [[Robert Louis Stevenson]]: ''[[Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde]]'' (abridged)
* [[Bram Stoker]]: ''[[Dracula]]'' (abridged)
* [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]: ''[[The Children of Húrin]]'' (unabridged)
* [[Dennis Wheatley]]: ''[[The Devil Rides Out]]'' (unabridged)
* Dennis Wheatley: ''[[Duke de Richleau|Strange Conflict]]'' (unabridged)

=== Discography ===
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}

==== Albums ====
* ''Christopher Lee Sings Devils, Rogues & Other Villains'' (1998)
* ''[[Revelation (Christopher Lee album)|Revelation]]'' (2006)
* ''[[Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross]]'' (2010)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://christopherleeweb.com/story/charlemagne-music-samples |title=Charlemagne Music Samples |publisher=Christopher Lee Web |access-date=4 October 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100919184242/http://christopherleeweb.com/story/charlemagne-music-samples |archive-date=19 September 2010}}</ref>
* ''[[Charlemagne: The Omens of Death]]'' (2013)<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/entertainment-arts-18367892 |title=Sir Christopher Lee releases second heavy metal album |work=BBC News |date=8 June 2012}}</ref>

==== EPs ====
* ''A Heavy Metal Christmas'' (2012)
* ''A Heavy Metal Christmas Too'' (2013)
* ''Metal Knight'' (2014)

==== Singles ====
* "Let Legend Mark Me as the King" (2012)
* "The Ultimate Sacrifice" (2012)
* "Jingle Hell" (2013): number 18 on the ''Billboard'' [[Hot Singles Sales]], thus becoming the second oldest living performer to ever enter the music charts, at 91 years and 6 months.<ref name="Blabbermouth.net"/><ref name="myguitarlessons.co.uk"/><ref name="Billboard Top20" />
* "Darkest Carols, Faithful Sing" (2014)

==== [[Rhapsody of Fire]] guest appearances ====
* ''[[Symphony of Enchanted Lands II – The Dark Secret]]'' (2004), as narrator and the Wizard King
* ''[[Triumph or Agony]]'' (2006), as narrator and the Wizard King
* ''[[The Frozen Tears of Angels]]'' (2010), as narrator and the Wizard King
* ''[[The Cold Embrace of Fear – A Dark Romantic Symphony]]'' (2010), as narrator and the Wizard King
* ''[[From Chaos to Eternity]]'' (2011), as narrator and the Wizard King
* ''[[The Eighth Mountain]]'' (2019), as narrator <small>(Posthumous release)</small>
{{col-2}}

==== Other guest appearances ====
* ''[[The Avengers (TV series)|The Avengers]]'' episode "Never, never say die" (1967)
* ''[[The Wicker Man soundtrack]]'' (1973)
* ''Hammer Presents "Dracula" With Christopher Lee'' (EMI NTS 186 UK/Capitol ST-11340 USA, 1974)
* ''[[Space: 1999]]'' episode "[[Earthbound (Space: 1999)|Earthbound]]" (1975)
* ''[[The Soldier's Tale]]'' by Stravinsky, with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra conducted by Lionel Friend (Nimbus, 1986)
* ''[[Peter and the Wolf]]'' by Prokofiev, with the English String Orchestra conducted by [[Yehudi Menuhin]] (Nimbus, 1989)
* ''Annie Get Your Gun'' (1995)
* ''[[The Rocky Horror Show]]'' (1995)
* ''[[The King and I]]'' (1998)
* ''Musicality of Lerner and Loewe'' (2002)
* ''[[At Dawn in Rivendell]]'' (2003), [[The Tolkien Ensemble]]
* ''[[Leaving Rivendell]]'' (2005), The Tolkien Ensemble
* ''Edgar Allan Poe Projekt – Visionen'' (2006), recites the poem "[[The Raven]]" and sings the song "Elenore"
* ''[[Battle Hymns MMXI]]'' (2010), [[Manowar]] album
* ''Fearless'' (2013)
* ''[[Hollywood Vampires (Hollywood Vampires album)|Hollywood Vampires]]'' (2015)
{{col-end}}

==See also==
* ''[[The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee]]'', a 2024 documentary film about him<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-68921361|title=Sir Christopher Lee documentary to tell untold story of actor's life|website=[[BBC]]|date=7 May 2024|access-date=16 December 2024}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist|25em}}

== Bibliography ==
{{div col}}
* {{cite book |last=Aknin |first=Laurent |year=2011 |title=Sir Christopher Lee |location=Paris |publisher=Nouveau Monde Éditions |isbn= |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last=Daniels |first=Anthony |author-link=Anthony Daniels |title=I Am C-3PO |year=2019 |publisher=[[DK (publisher)|DK]] |edition=Hardback |isbn=9780241357606}}
* {{cite book |last1=Jones |first1=Russ |author-link=Russ Jones |year=1966 |title=Christopher Lee's Treasury of Terror |author2=[[Mort Drucker|Drucker, Mort]] (illus.) |publisher=[[Pyramid Books]] |oclc= |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last=Lee |first=Christopher |author-link=Christopher Lee |title=Lord of Misrule: The Autobiography of Christopher Lee |location=London |publisher=[[Orion Publishing Group]] |year=2003 |orig-year=1977 |isbn=978-0-7528-5770-1}}
* {{cite book |last=Mosley |first=Stephen |year=2022 |title=Christopher Lee: The Loneliness of Evil |publisher=Midnight Marquee Press |isbn=978-1-64430-128-9 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last1=Pohle |first1=Robert W. |last2=Hart |first2=Douglas C. |last3=Baldwin |first3=Rita Pohle |title=The Christopher Lee Film Encyclopedia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wqZ1DgAAQBAJ&pg=PA329 |year=2017 |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |isbn=978-0-8108-9270-5 |page=329}}
* {{cite book |last=Rigby |first=Jonathan |author-link=Jonathan Rigby |year=2001 |title=Christopher Lee: The Authorised Screen History |publisher=Reynolds & Hearn |isbn= |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last=Stanzick |first=Nicolas |year=2010 |title=Dans les griffes de la Hammer |location=Paris |publisher=Le Bord de l'eau Editions |isbn= |ref=none}}

{{div col end}}

== External links ==
{{wikinews|English actor Christopher Lee dies aged 93}}
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{AFI person | 31819-Christopher-Lee}}
* {{IMDb name}}
* {{TCMDb name}}
* {{Screenonline name|455361|Christopher Lee}}
* {{NPG name}}
* [https://www.theguardian.com/film/2003/may/29/features.victoriabarrett Guardian Profile]
* [https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8097274.stm BBC profile]

{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Christopher Lee
|list =
{{BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award}}
{{Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement}}
{{British Film Institute Fellowship}}
{{The Life Career Award}}
{{MTV Movie Award for Best Fight}}
}}
{{Rhapsody of Fire}}

{{Authority control}}

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