Christopher Lee

Photo of Christopher Lee

Biography

Self-described with typical good humor as "tall, dark and gruesome," Christopher Lee was a remarkably prolific leading man and character actor whose six decades-long film career made him among the world's most popular and recognizable performers. He languished in bit roles for almost a decade before achieving instant fame as an elegant and sexually charged Count Dracula in "Horror of Dracula" (1958) for England's legendary Hammer Studios. Its …
Read More »

Job Title

Actor, Music

Born

Christopher Frank Carandini Lee on May 27, 1922 in Belgravia, England, GB

Career Milestones

2012

Returned to Middle Earth as Saruman in "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien and directed by Peter Jackson

2011

Cast in Martin Scorsese's family adventure "Hugo"

2010

Re-teamed with Burton for a fifth time for "Alice in Wonderland" as the villainous Jabberwock

2008

Voiced Count Dooku in the animated feature "Star Wars: The Clone Wars"

2007

Collaborated with Burton for a fourth time on "Sweeney Todd," playing the spirit of Sweeney Todd's victims called The Gentleman Ghost

2005

Played Willy Wonka's (Johnny Depp) father in Tim Burton's adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic tale "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"

2005

Reprised role of Count Dooku in "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith"

2003

Again portrayed Saruman in the third and final "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"

2002

Portrayed the villainous Count Dooku in "Star Wars: Episode II - The Attack of the Clones"

2002

Reprised Saruman role in "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers"

2001

Cast as Saruman in Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring"

1999

Played a burgermeister in Tim Burton's "Sleepy Hollow"

1998

Portrayed the title role in "Jinnah," a biopic of the founder of Pakistan

1997

Appeared as Tiresias in the NBC miniseries "The Odyssey"

1996

Portrayed the Evil Sender in John Landis' "The Stupids"

1996

Played Pharaoh to Ben Kingsley's Moses in the TNT miniseries "Moses"

1993

Cast as the disaffected Soviet military leader General Konstatin Benin in the USA Network movie "Alistair MacLean's Death Train"

1992

Director John Landis integrated footage from "Horror of Dracula" into his "Innocent Blood"; gave both Lee and Cushing credits in the film

1992

Reprised role of Sherlock Holmes for two syndicated miniseries' "Sherlock Holmes: Incident at Victoria Falls" and "Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady"

1990

Underwent a two-hour makeup transformation for his portrayal of Blind Pew in Fraser Heston's adaptation of "Treasure Island"

1989

Cast as Andrew Stuart in the NBC miniseries "Around the World in 80 Days"

1986

Played Lord Bathurst in the syndicated miniseries "Shaka Zulu"

1984

Acted the part of Kaka-ji Rao in the HBO miniseries "The Far Pavilions"

1982

Last film with Cushing, "The House of Long Shadows"

1982

Portrayed Prince Philip in the ABC movie "Charles and Diana: A Royal Love Story"

1981

Cast as Chuck Norris' nemesis in "An Eye for an Eye"

1980

Delivered a comic turn as a gay biker in the feature film "Serial"

1979

Acted in Steven Spielberg's "1941"

1979

Did a final turn as Rochefort in Lester's "The Return of the Musketeers"

1979

Provided voices for the animated feature "Nutcracker Fantasy"

1978

Portrayed the mad scientist Victor in Disney's "The Return from Witch Mountain"

1977

Appeared in "Airport '77" as famous oceanographer Martin Wallace

1975

Reprised Rochefort role for Lester's "The Four Musketeers"

1974

Cast as assassin Scaramanga in the James Bond film "The Man With the Golden Gun"

1974

Played Comte de Rochefort in Richard Lester's "The Three Musketeers"

1973

Starred in the classic cult film "The Wicker Man"

1973

Reteamed with Cushing for third and final pairing as Dracula-Von Helsing in "Satanic Rites of Dracula" (released in United States as "Count Dracula and His Vampire Bride")

1972

Formed Charlemagne Production with Anthony Nelson Keys

1972

First time since "Horror of Dracula" that his Dracula squared off against Cushing's Von Helsing

1970

Portrayed Sherlock Holmes' brother Mycroft in Billy Wilder's "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes"; the only actor to have played both brothers

1970

Joined Price and Peter Cushing for "Scream and Scream Again"

1969

Teamed with Vincent Price for "The Oblong Box"

1968

Last film with Fisher, "The Devil Rides Out"

1966

Brilliantly over-the-top as Rasputin in "Rasputin - the Mad Monk"

1965

Second time around as Dracula in Fisher's "Dracula - Prince of Darkness"

1965

Played Fu Manchu (first of five portrayals) in "The Face of Fu Manchu"

1962

Acted the part of Sherlock Holmes in Fisher's "Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace"

1959

First foray into Sherlock Holmes genre, playing Sir Henry Baskerville in Fisher's "The Hound of the Baskervilles"

1959

Took on title role of "The Mummy"; Fisher directed and Cushing co-starred

1958

First of 10 films as Count Dracula, "The Horror of Dracula"; directed by Fisher and co-starred Cushing as Von Helsing

1958

Portrayed the sadistic Marquis St Evremonde in "A Tale of Two Cities"

1957

Breakthrough role as the Creature in Fisher's "The Curse of Frankenstein"; also starred Peter Cushing

1953

Worked with director John Huston on "Moulin Rouge"; also starring Peter Cushing

1951

Acted in Raoul Walsh's "Captain Horatio Hornblower"

1948

First of 12 films with director Terence Fisher, "A Song For Tomorrow"

1948

Appeared as a Palace Guard in Laurence Olivier's "Hamlet"; first film with actor Peter Cushing

1948

Film debut, as Charles in "Corridor of Mirrors"

1947

Signed seven-year contract with Rank Organization

1941

Served as a flight lieutenant in Britain's Royal Air Force before transferring to Intelligence Service

Awards

2008

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival for Festival President's Award

2003

Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

2002

MTV Movie Award for Best Fight in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

2002

MTV Movie Award for Best Villain in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

2002

Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring