Christopher Lee Dies at 93: Dracula & Saruman Actor Remembered
Sir Christopher Lee, the legendary actor famed for his iconic roles as Dracula and Saruman, has passed away at 93. A true cinema giant.
Actor Christopher Lee passed away at the age of 93 on June 7, 2015, after being hospitalized with respiratory problems and heart failure. The veteran actor known for his roles as Dracula and Saruman (The Lord of the Rings) passed away on Sunday at Chelsea Hospital in London. The decision to release the news only days later was made by the star’s wife of more than 50 years. She wanted to inform family members first. In addition to his film career, Lee also released heavy metal albums and was knighted in 2009.
His film career began in 1948 in the film Corridor of Mirrors, but it was working in Hammer films that he began to gain fame. He made more than 20 films with Peter Cushing, starting with The Curse of Frankenstein. His most famous role was Dracula, although he was not satisfied with the way the character was treated. “They didn’t give me anything to do. I begged to use some of Bram Stoker’s lines but nothing happened,” he said in an interview with Total Film in 2005. In the 1970s he continued to gain fame in the horror genre with a role in The Wicker Man, which he considered his best performance. He played a villain in The Man with the Golden Gun in 1974 but refused to participate in Halloween, something he would later regret.
He was worried about roles in horror films, fearing being typecast and decided to make films with other themes, participating in Airport 77. His career took a new lease of life when in 2001 he played Saruman in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and then Count Dooku in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Lee also became a regular collaborator of Tim Burton, appearing in films such as Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Alice in Wonderland and Dark Shadows. Despite being over 90 years old, he was still active. Two of his finished films are about to be released: and there are still films of his to be released (Angels in Notting Hill). He was scheduled to work alongside Uma Thurman, but there was time…
In a 2013 interview, Lee spoke about his love of acting. “Making films has never been just a job for me, it’s my life. Besides acting I enjoy singing and writing, but acting is what gives my life purpose.”
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