Last week we heard of the tragic loss of Sir Christopher Lee. A man who at 93, you would be forgiven for saying ‘well he had a good run.’ But Christopher Lee was someone who I never imagined we would be without. An icon of cinema and by all accounts, he was a true gentleman.
When you hear the name Christopher Lee, what image pops into your mind? Very likely it will be that of Dracula. Lee’s portrayal dominating Hammer films between 1958s ‘Dracula’ (the best in my opinion) and 1973s ‘The Satanic Rites of Dracula.’ It was Lee as Dracula that launched his career, and his remains the most iconic if not THE Dracula.
But Lee also graced our screens through Hammer as Frankenstein’s Monster, The Mummy, Rasputin and even Henry Baskerville in a Hammer adaptation of the famous Sherlock Holmes novel to name but a few. This was a fine role, and one I enjoy watching immensely. Lee criticises the English way of speakingt, while delivering his line as the American Sir Henry, in a thick British accent and not a hint of sarcasm!
Lee has appeared in over 250 films. I challenge anyone to suggest they have not seen a film with Christopher Lee in. You would be surprised. The recent heavy weights like Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings have introduced a whole new generation to his magic. 80s comedies like Gremlins 2 and also frequent collaborations with Tim Burton and Johnny Depp on no less than 5 occasions!
And lets not forget his incredible and chilling turn as Lord Summerisle in The Wicker Man. I urge you to head on over to IMDB and look through the Christopher Lee filmography, you will be astounded by the number of films he has appeared in, films you may have to watch again to find him!
For me though (apart from Dracula), Christopher Lee will always be Francisco Scaramanga in The Man with the Golden Gun. I have spoken at length before how Lee stole the film with this role and how under appreciated this Bond villain is. Lee was simply amazing in this part and really showed us his incredible talent as an actor.
I will miss Christopher Lee appearing regularly in new films, but will always remember him for some of my favourite film roles and know that I have pleasure yet in discovering him in films I have not seen.
Goodbye Sir Christopher Lee
I will leave you with my favourite Lee quote, no prizes for guessing the film! 🙂
“A duel between titans… my golden gun against your Walther PPK.”
“One bullet against my six?”
“I only need one, Mr. Bond”
Chris
