Christopher Lee
Born: 1922-05-27 in Westminster, London, England, UK
Died: 2015-06-07
Known For: Acting
Biography
Christopher Lee (May 5, 1922 – June 7, 2015) was an English actor and musician. Lee initially portrayed villains and became famous for his role as Count Dracula in a string of Hammer Horror films. Other notable roles include Lord Summerisle in The Wicker Man (1973), Francisco Scaramanga in The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), Count Dooku in Star Wars episodes II and III (2002, 2005) and Saruman in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001–2003). Lee considers his most important role to have been his portrayal of Pakistan's founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah in the biopic Jinnah (1998). He is well known for his deep, commanding voice. Lee has performed roles in 266 films since 1948 making him the Guinness book world record holder for most film acting roles ever. He was knighted in 2009 and received the BAFTA Fellowship in 2011.
Filmography
2025
- Tim Burton: Life in the Line as Self (footage)
- Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror as Self (archive footage)
2024
- The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim as Saruman (voice)
- Hammer: Heroes, Legends and Monsters as Self (archive footage)
- The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee as Self / Various (Archive)
- Children of the Wicker Man as Self (archive footage)
- Constel·lació Portabella as (archive footage)
2023
- Robin Hardy's Script - The Lost Ending as Lord Summerisle
- The Wicker Man at 50 as Lord Summerisle
- Faces of Death as (archive footage)
2022
- The Sound of 007: Live from the Royal Albert Hall as Self (archive footage)
2020
- Peter Cushing: In His Own Words as Himself
2019
- La gran il·lusió, relat intermitent del cinema català as Self (archive footage)
2017
- Dark Glamour: The Blood and Guts of Hammer Productions as Self - Actor / Various Roles (archive footage)
- Drácula Barcelona as Himself
2015
- Fifty Shades of Erotica as (archive footage)
- Extraordinary Tales as Narrator (voice) (segment 'The Fall of the House of Usher')
- Angels in Notting Hill as The Boss / Mr. President (voice)
2014
- The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies as Saruman the White
- Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films as Corrigan (archive footage) (uncredited)
- How to Be Sherlock Holmes: The Many Faces of a Master Detective as Self
- Face of Unity as Self
2013
- Night Train to Lisbon as Father Bartholomeu
- Necessary Evil: Super-Villains of DC Comics as Narrator
- The Girl from Nagasaki as Old Officer Pinkerton
- The Trail of Dracula as Self (Archival Footage)
- The Gillian Hills Trilogy
2012
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey as Saruman the White
- Dark Shadows as Clarney
- Everything or Nothing as Self
- Top Gear: 50 Years of Bond Cars as Self
- Shoot the Moon: The Making of 'Hugo' as Self
- The Complete Bob Wilkins Creature Features
- Back to Black: The Making of Dracula Prince of Darkness as Dracula (archive footage)
- Enzo Ferrari 1898 - 1988 as Narrator
- The Fall of the House Of Usher as The Narrator
- Christopher Lee: A Legacy of Horror and Terror as Self
- Dracula vs. Vampir
2011
- Hugo as Monsieur Labisse
- Season of the Witch as Cardinal D'Ambroise
- The Resident as August
- The Wicker Tree as Old Man
2010
- Alice in Wonderland as Jabberwocky (voice)
- Burke & Hare as Old Joseph
- Boogie Woogie as Mr. Alfred Rhinegold
- The Color of Magic 2in1 as Smrt
- The Heavy as Mr. Mason
- Christopher Lee: Gentleman of Horror as Self
2009
- Triage as Joaquín Morales
- Glorious 39 as Older Walter Page
2008
- The Colour of Magic as Death
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars as Count Dooku (voice)
- The Color of Magic - Die Reise des Zauberers Teil 1 as Death (synchro)
- The Color of Magic - Die Reise des Zauberers Teil 2 as Death (synchro)
- Fanex Files: Hammer Films as Self
- The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Original Poem as Narrator (voice)
2007
- The Alan Titchmarsh Show as Self
- The Golden Compass as First High Councilor
- Tasmanian Devil: The Fast and Furious Life of Errol Flynn as Narrator (voice)
- Famous Monster: Forrest J Ackerman as Self (archive footage)
- Hollywood Chinese as Self
- Ein Leben wie im Flug as Self
- Beloved Count as Self
- Bloody Jess as Self
- Rhapsody of Fire - Visions from the Enchanted Lands as Self
- Amazon Trek: In Search of Vanishing Secrets as Narrator
2006
- Semperopernball as Self
- The Making of 'The Fellowship of the Ring' as Self
- The Making of 'The Two Towers' as Self
- Witch's Dungeon: 40 Years of Chills as Self
2005
- Corpse Bride as Pastor Galswells (voice)
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as Dr. Wonka
- Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith as Count Dooku
- Pope John Paul II as Kardinal Stefan Wyszyński
- The Adventures of Greyfriars Bobby as The Lord Provost
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: Different Faces, Different Flavors
2004
- Willkommen bei Carmen Nebel as Self
- Crimson Rivers II: Angels of the Apocalypse as Emerich
- A Filmmaker's Journey: Making 'The Return of the King' as Self
- The Story of Star Wars as Count Dooku (archive footage)
2003
- Beyond the Movie: The Return of the King as Self
- J.R.R. Tolkien: Origins of Middle-Earth as Self
- Drácula en la Hammer as Christopher Lee
- Whales of Atlantis: In Search of Moby Dick as Self - Narrator (voice)
2002
- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers as Saruman
- Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones as Count Dooku
- From Puppets to Pixels: The Making of Star Wars Episode II as Self / Count Dooku
- Best Ever Bond as Self / Scaramanga
- The Fellowship of the Ring: From Book to Script as Self
- The Fellowship of the Ring: The Fellowship of the Cast as Self
- The Fellowship of the Ring: Cameras in Middle-earth as Self
- To the Devil... The Death of Hammer
- The Fellowship of the Ring: Designing and Building Middle-earth + Weta Workshop + Costume Design as Self
- Perversion Stories as Self
2001
- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring as Saruman
- Aeschbacher as Self
- Passage to Middle-Earth: The Making of 'The Lord of the Rings' as Self
- R2-D2: Beneath the Dome as Self
- Quest for the Ring as Self
- Beyond the Movie: The Fellowship of the Ring as Self
- Burnt Offering: The Cult of The Wicker Man
- The Wicker Man Enigma as Himself
- The Devil's Island: Journey Into Jungle Alcatraz as Narrator
2000
- Gormenghast as Flay
- In the Beginning as Rameses I
- Sleepy Hollow: Behind the Legend as Self
- Inside 'The Man with the Golden Gun'
- The Many Faces of Dracula as Narrator
- Ghost Stories for Christmas as Narrator
- Ian Fleming: 007's Creator as Self
1999
- Sleepy Hollow as Burgomaster
- The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Adventures in the Secret Service as Count Ottokar Graf Czernin
1998
- Russell Mulcahy’s Tale of the Mummy as Sir Richard Turkel
- The Mummy as Self - Host
- Jinnah as Muhammad Ali Jinnah
- Dare To Dream: The Making of Jinnah as Self
- Ex-S: The Wicker Man as Self
- 100 Years of Horror as Presenter
1997
- The Odyssey as Tiresias
- Ivanhoe as Lucas de Beaumanoir
- Wyrd Sisters as Death (voice)
- Soul Music as Death (voice)
- Soul Music as Death (voice)
1996
- Moses as Pharaoh
- 100 Years of Horror as Self - Host
- Alisea and the Dream Prince as Azaret
- The Stupids as Evil Sender
- A Century of Science Fiction as Narrator (voice)
- In the Footsteps of Sherlock Holmes
- Welcome to the Discworld as Death
- The Man Who Ruined the British Film Industry as Self
- The Many Faces of Christopher Lee
1995
1994
- Brisant as Self
- The World of Hammer as Self (archive footage)
- Police Academy: Mission to Moscow as Commandant Rakov
- Flesh and Blood: The Hammer Heritage of Horror as Narrator (voice) / Self
- The Rainbow Thief as Uncle Rudolf
- A Feast at Midnight as V. E. 'Raptor' Longfellow
- Funny Man as Callum Chance
1993
- Blue Heelers as Scott James
- Death Train as General Konstanin Benin
1992
- The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles as Count Ottokar Graf Czerin
- Innocent Blood as Count Dracula (archive footage)
- Sherlock Holmes: Incident at Victoria Falls as Sherlock Holmes
- Dracula in the Movies as (archive footage)
- Beauty and the Beast as Monsieur Renard (voice)
- Double Vision as Mr. Bernard
- Cyber Eden as Cedric
1991
- Ghost as Self - Narrator
- Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady as Sherlock Holmes
- Journey of Honor as King Philip
- Curse III: Blood Sacrifice as Dr. Pearson
- Fear in the Dark as Narrator
- Halloween Monster Bash as Professor Alexander Saxton (archive footage)
1990
- Stern TV as Self
- Gremlins 2: The New Batch as Doctor Catheter
- Treasure Island as Blind Pew
- The Care of Time as Karlis Zander
- The Miser as Cardinale Spinosi
1989
- Around the World in 80 Days as Stuart
- The French Revolution as Sanson (« Les Années terribles »)
- The Return of the Musketeers as Rochefort
- The French Revolution as Sanson
- For Better or for Worse as Lazos
- Murder Story as Willard Hope
- Night of the Eagles as Walter Strauss
1988
- Nase vorn as Self
- Dark Mission: Flowers of Evil as Luis Morel
- Olympus Force: The Key as Filly
1987
- Seitenblicke as self
- Mio in the Land of Faraway as Kato
- Hammer: The Studio That Dripped Blood as Self
- Casanova as Branicki
- The Girl as Peter Storm
- Creepy Classics as Franklyn Marsh - (archive footage)
1986
- Wedden, dat..? as Self
- Shaka Zulu as Lord Bathurst
- Un métier de seigneur as Fog
- Jocks as President White
- The Disputation as King James of Aragon
1985
- Howling II: Stirba - Werewolf Bitch as Stefan Crosscoe
- The Many Faces of Sherlock Holmes as Himself - Presenter
- Mask of Murder as Chief Supt. Jonathan Rich
- Don't Scream: It's Only a Movie! as Self - Narrator
- The Best of All Time Horror Classics
1984
- The Far Pavilions as Rao-Sahib
- The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers as King Vladimir V
- The Rosebud Beach Hotel as King
- The Bengal Lancers! as Sir James Hunter
1983
- House of the Long Shadows as Corrigan
- The Return of Captain Invincible as Mr. Midnight
- New Magic as Mr. Kellar
- Errol Flynn: Portrait of a Swashbuckler as Narrator
1982
- Champs-Elysées as Self
- Faerie Tale Theatre as King Vladimir V
- The Last Unicorn as King Haggard (voice)
- Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers! as Self (archive footage)
- Charles & Diana: A Royal Love Story as Prince Philip
- Massarati and the Brain as Victor Leopold
- The Rank Charm School as Self
- Safari 3000 as Count Borgia
1981
- Wetten, dass..? as Self
- Goliath Awaits as John McKenzie
- An Eye for an Eye as Morgan Canfield
- The Salamander as Prince Baldasar, the Director of Counterintelligence
- Evil Stalks This House as Host
1980
- Serial as Luckman Skull
- Once Upon a Spy as Marcus Valorium
- Desperate Moves as Dr. Carl Boxer
1979
- 1941 as Capt. Wolfgang von Kleinschmidt
- Captain America II: Death Too Soon as Miguel
- Arabian Adventure as Caliph Alquazar
- Bear Island as Lechinski
- The Passage as Gypsy
- Jaguar Lives! as Adam Caine
- The Horror Show as (archive footage)
1978
- Return from Witch Mountain as Victor Gannon
- Caravans as Sardar Khan
- Circle of Iron as Zetan
- Mickey's 50 as Self
1977
- How the West Was Won as The Grand Duke
- Auf los geht's los as Self
- The Pirate as Samir Al Fay
- Airport '77 as Martin Wallace
- End of the World as Father Pergado / Zindar
- Playboy's Playmate Party
- Starship Invasions as Captain Rameses
- Meatcleaver Massacre as On-Screen Narrator
- The Occult: Mysteries Of The Supernatural as Narrator
1976
- Charlie's Angels as Dale Woodman
- To the Devil a Daughter as Father Michael
- Dracula and Son as Le prince des Ténèbres
- Albino as Bill
- Killer Force as Major Chilton
- The Keeper as The Keeper
1975
- Saturday Night Live as Self - Host
- Space: 1999 as Captain Zandor
- The Butcher, the Star and the Orphan as Satanus / Van Krig
- In Search of Dracula as Self – Host / Vlad Tepes / Count Dracula
1974
- The Man with the Golden Gun as Francisco Scaramanga
- The Four Musketeers as Rochefort
- Diagnosis: Murder as Dr. Stephen Hayward
1973
- Orson Welles' Great Mysteries as Arnaud
- The Wicker Man as Lord Summerisle
- The Three Musketeers as Rochefort
- The Satanic Rites of Dracula as Count Dracula
- The Creeping Flesh as James Hildern
- Nothing But the Night as Col. Charles Bingham
- Dark Places as Dr. Ian Mandeville
- Poor Devil as Lucifer
1972
- Dracula A.D. 1972 as Count Dracula
- Horror Express as Prof. Sir Alexander Saxton
- Death Line as Stratton-Villiers, MI5
- Vampir Cuadecuc as Self
- Umbracle as The Man
1971
- Film '72 as Self
- Theatre Macabre as Self – Host
- Hannie Caulder as Bailey
- I, Monster as Dr. Charles Marlowe / Mr. Edward Blake
- The House That Dripped Blood as John Reid (segment 3 "Sweets to the Sweet")
1970
- Treffpunkte as Self
- The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes as Mycroft Holmes
- Taste the Blood of Dracula as Dracula
- Eugenie as Dolmance
- Count Dracula as Dracula
- Scars of Dracula as Dracula
- Scream and Scream Again as Fremont
- Julius Caesar as Artemidorus
- The Bloody Judge as Lord George Jeffreys
- One More Time as Dracula
1969
- The Magic Christian as Ship's Vampire
- The Castle of Fu Manchu as Dr. Fu Man Chu
- The Oblong Box as Dr. J. Neuhartt
- Quelle horreur mon saigneur Dracula as Self
1968
- Dracula Has Risen from the Grave as Dracula
- The Devil Rides Out as Duc de Richleau
- The Movie Orgy as Fu Manchu/Dracula (archive footage)
- Curse of the Crimson Altar as J.D. Morley
- The Blood of Fu Manchu as Dr. Fu Man Chu
- The Face of Eve as Colonel Stuart
1967
- Night of the Big Heat as Godfrey Hanson
- The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism as Count Frederic Regula / Graf von Andomai
- The Vengeance of Fu Manchu as Dr. Fu Manchu
- Five Golden Dragons as Dragon #4
- Theatre of Death as Philippe Darvas
1966
- Dracula: Prince of Darkness as Count Dracula
- Rasputin: The Mad Monk as Grigori Rasputin
- The Brides of Fu Manchu as Fu Manchu
- Circus of Fear as Gregor
1965
- Dr. Terror's House of Horrors as Franklyn Marsh
- The Skull as Sir Matthew Phillips
- The Face of Fu Manchu as Dr. Fu Man Chu
- Ten Little Indians as Mr. U.N. Owen (voice)
- She as Billali
1964
- The Gorgon as Prof. Karl Meister
- The Devil-Ship Pirates as Captain Robeles
- Crypt of the Vampire as Count Ludwig Karnstein
- The Castle of the Living Dead as Count Drago
- Horror!!! as Self
1963
- The Whip and the Body as Kurt Menliff
- Horror Castle as Erich
- Challenge the Devil as Mephistoles
1962
- The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson as Self
- The Alfred Hitchcock Hour as Karl Jorla
- The Pirates of Blood River as Captain LaRoche
- The Devil's Agent as Baron Ferdi von Staub
- Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace as Sherlock Holmes
- The Secret of the Red Orchid as Capt. Allerman
1961
- The Mike Douglas Show as Self
- The Avengers as Professor Stone
- The Devil's Daffodil as Ling Chu
- Taste of Fear as Doctor Pierre Gerrard
- Hercules in the Haunted World as King Lico (Licos)
- The Terror of the Tongs as Chung King
1960
- The City of the Dead as Prof. Alan Driscoll
- The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll as Paul Allen
- Too Hot to Handle as Novak
- The Hands of Orlac as Nero the magician
- Beat Girl as Kenny King
1959
- One Step Beyond as Wilhelm Reitlinger
- Stars in der Manege as Self
- Whicker's World
- The Hound of the Baskervilles as Sir Henry Baskerville
- The Mummy as Kharis, the Mummy
- The Man Who Could Cheat Death as Dr. Pierre Gerrard
- Uncle Was a Vampire as Baron Roderico da Frankurten
- The Treasure of San Teresa as Jaeger
1958
- The Adventures of William Tell as Prince Erik
- Ivanhoe as Sir Otto from the Rhine
- Dracula as Count Dracula
- A Tale of Two Cities as Marquis St. Evremonde
- Battle of the V-1 as Brunner
- Corridors of Blood as Resurrection Joe
1957
- The Curse of Frankenstein as The Creature
- Ill Met by Moonlight as German officer at The Dentist's office
- Manuela as Voice (voice)
- The Truth About Women as Francois Thiers
- Fortune Is a Woman as Charles Highbury
- Bitter Victory as Sgt. Barney
- The Traitor as Doctor Neumann
1956
- Colonel March of Scotland Yard as Jeanpierre
- The Errol Flynn Theatre as The Visitant
- The Battle of the River Plate as Manolo
- Alexander the Great as Nectenabus (voice)
- Private's Progress as Major Schultz
- Port Afrique as Franz Vermes
- Beyond Mombasa as Gil Rossi
1955
- The Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel as Louis the Executioner (uncredited)
- The Dark Avenger as French Patrol Captain at Tavern (uncredited)
- Storm Over the Nile as Karaga Pasha
- The Cockleshell Heroes as Submarine Commander Alan Grieves
- Final Column
- That Lady as Capitán
- Contraband Spain as Narrador (voz)
- Alias John Preston as John Preston
- Moby Dick—Rehearsed as A Stage Manager /Flask
- Cross-Roads as Harry Cooper
- Police Dog as Johnny, a constable
1954
- Mark Saber as Larry Spence
- The Mirror and Markheim as Visitant
- The Awakening as Factory proprietor (uncredited)
1953
- Innocents in Paris as Lieutenant Whitlock
- The Top and the Ball as Father
1952
- The Crimson Pirate as Joseph - Military Attaché
- Moulin Rouge as Georges Seurat (uncredited)
- Top Secret as Russian Agent (uncredited)
- Babes in Bagdad as Slave Dealer
- Paul Temple Returns as Sir Felix Raybourne
1951
- Quo Vadis as Chariot Driver (uncredited)
- Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N. as Spanish Captain
- Valley of the Eagles as Det. Holt
1950
- They Were Not Divided as Chris Lewis
- Prelude to Fame as Newsman
1949
- Trottie True as Hon. Bongo Icklesham
1948
- Hamlet as Palace Guard (uncredited)
- Scott of the Antarctic as Bernard Day
- Saraband for Dead Lovers as Herzog Anthony von Wolfenbüttel
- One Night with You as Pirelli's Assistant
- Corridor of Mirrors as Charles
- A Song for Tomorrow as Auguste
- Penny and the Pownall Case as Jonathan Blair
1939
- Eugen Weidmann Execution Film as Himself