We were saddened by the news of Christopher Lee’s passing, but at age 93 and having been in so many films, he leaves us with plenty to remember him by. Younger audiences probably know Lee best from his fantasy and science-fiction roles such as Saruman in The Lord of the Rings (2001-2003) and The Hobbit (2012-2014) movies and Count Dooku in Star Wars Episode II and Episode III (2002-2005). But to an earlier generation, Christopher Lee will always be Dracula, as he starred in the best Hammer horror films of the 1950s through early 1970s. Lee also played Sherlock Holmes, a mad monk, and a host of rapscallions with flair, wit, and verve.
Let’s enjoy this selection of Christopher Lee’s historical costume movie roles for a bit of memorial Man Candy…
What’s your favorite Christopher Lee role?
I’d have to say “The Horror of Dracula” because it was the first of the new takes on the theme and the second of Hammer’s groundbreaking new look in horror. He also, BTW, appeared with frequent co-star Peter Cushing in Olivier’s “Hamlet” uncedited. Cushing had played Osric, the foppish go-between for the duel. But Lee had another side less well known, and that was his service record. Starting in RAF Intelligence, he was later assigned to the Long Range Desert Group, a forerunner of the SAS, the SOE in Europe (he spoke 7 languages) and near the end of the war hunted down war criminals. He also worked for my first wife’s uncle, Max Rosenberg, in several Amicus films. (Max had actually produced “The Evil of Frankenstein” for Hammer before going in with Milton Subotsky to form Amicus. One of his less memorable American films was “Rock, Rock, Rock,” which introduced Tuesday Weld to the world.
I love all his Dracula films, but “Prince of Darkness” has a special place in my black little heart :) Oh & Peter Cushing, there’s another fave, the two of them on screen together is always excellent. But Lee’s turn in “The Three Musketeers” is also pretty fantastic. Hard to pick just one.