Veteran actor Christopher Lee has passed away at the age of 93. Born in London in the year 1922, Lee volunteered to fight in World World II starting in 1939, eventually going on to join the Royal Air Force. Once home, he began having small roles in the feature film world before finding his niche in a slew of Hammer films, starting with 1957’s The Curse of Frankenstein and on up through the 60s and 70s.
The actor accrued over 280 acting credits over the course of his prolific career, including The Wicker Man, 1941, The Man with the Golden Gun, and a personal favorite, Gremlins 2: The New Batch. An avid reader, Lee was a massive fan of author J.R.R. Tolkien and turned in an iconic performance as Saruman in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, reprising the role for the recent Hobbit films.
Lee also developed a rapport with filmmaker Tim Burton starting with 1999’s Sleepy Hollow. The two would make five films together—six in total if you count his excised role in Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Lee also made his mark on the Star Wars franchise with his character of Count Dooku in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.
One glance at his resume and it’s clear Lee was an incredibly hard working and voracious lover of cinema. His contributions to the world of film are invaluable. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.
