Legend is the only word that even comes close. After well over a half century of iconic roles in everything from the Hammer Dracula films to The Lord of the Rings, the great Sir Christopher Lee has passed away at age 93.
At 6' 5", Lee was an imposing figure, but the life he lived cast the longest shadow of all.
During World War II Lee served in the British Special Forces but refused to discuss it, saying he was bound by an oath of secrecy. One hint came during filming of Lord of the Rings when director Peter Jackson asked him, "Peter have you ever heard the sound a man makes when he's stabbed in the back?" during filming of a gory sequence. "Well, I have, and I know what to do," Lee Replied. Lee was also a world champion fencer and holds a Guinness World Record for being in more onscreen sword fights than any actor in history, dueling with everyone from Errol Flynn to Yoda, performing all of his own stunts. He was fluent in Italian, French, Spanish and German.
Lee was married for 54 years to Danish model Birgit Kroencke. Lee had appeared in over 260 films, including the Hammer Dracula series, The Wicker Man, Bond villain Scaramanga in The Man with the Golden Gun, Space:1999, 1941, Gormenghast, Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow, Count Dooku in the Star Wars prequels and wizard Saruman in The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies. His final film appearances will be in The Angels of Notting Hill and The 11th, with Uma Thurman.
Christopher Lee has always been one of my personal favorite actors and he leaves behind a legacy of incredible work that will stand for generations. Thank you for an incredibly body of work, Sir Christopher. The world will never forget you.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment