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

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)
Constel·lació Portabella as (archive footage)
Children of the Wicker Man as Self (archive footage)

2023

Faces of Death as (archive footage)

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)
Face of Unity as Self
How to Be Sherlock Holmes: The Many Faces of a Master Detective as Self

2013

Night Train to Lisbon as Father Bartholomeu
Necessary Evil: Super-Villains of DC Comics as Narrator
The Trail of Dracula as Self (Archival Footage)
The Girl from Nagasaki as Old Officer Pinkerton
The Gillian Hills Trilogy

2012

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey as Saruman the White
Dark Shadows as Clarney
Everything or Nothing as Self
Shoot the Moon: The Making of 'Hugo' as Self
Top Gear: 50 Years of Bond Cars as Self
The Fall of the House Of Usher as The Narrator
The Complete Bob Wilkins Creature Features
Back to Black: The Making of Dracula Prince of Darkness as Dracula (archive footage)
Dracula vs. Vampir
Enzo Ferrari 1898 - 1988 as Narrator
Christopher Lee: A Legacy of Horror and Terror as Self

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 Heavy as Mr. Mason
Christopher Lee: Gentleman of Horror as Self

2009

Triage as Joaquín Morales
Glorious 39 as Older Walter Page

2008

Star Wars: The Clone Wars as Count Dooku (voice)
The Colour of Magic as Death
The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Original Poem as Narrator (voice)
Fanex Files: Hammer Films as Self

2007

The Alan Titchmarsh Show as Self
The Golden Compass as First High Councilor
Hollywood Chinese as Self
Tasmanian Devil: The Fast and Furious Life of Errol Flynn as Narrator (voice)
Famous Monster: Forrest J Ackerman as Self (archive footage)
Ein Leben wie im Flug as Self
Rhapsody of Fire: Visions from the Enchanted Lands as Self
Beloved Count as Self
Bloody Jess as Self
Amazon Trek: In Search of Vanishing Secrets as Narrator

2006

Semperopernball as Self
Witch's Dungeon: 40 Years of Chills as Self

2005

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as Dr. Wonka
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith as Count Dooku
Corpse Bride as Pastor Galswells (voice)
Pope John Paul II as Kardinal Stefan Wyszyński
The Adventures of Greyfriars Bobby as The Lord Provost
Pope John Paul II

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
The Making of 'The Two Towers'
Whales of Atlantis: In Search of Moby Dick as Self - Narrator (voice)
J.R.R. Tolkien: Origins of Middle-Earth as Self
Drácula en la Hammer as Christopher Lee

2002

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers as Saruman
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones as Count Dooku
The Making of 'The Fellowship of the Ring' as Self
From Puppets to Pixels: Digital Characters in 'Episode II' as Self / Count Dooku
Best Ever Bond as Self / Scaramanga
To the Devil... The Death of Hammer
Perversion Stories as Self

2001

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring as Saruman
Aeschbacher as Self
R2-D2: Beneath the Dome as Self
Quest for the Ring as Self
Passage to Middle-Earth: The Making of 'The Lord of the Rings' as Self
Beyond the Movie: The Fellowship of the Ring as Self
The Devil's Island: Journey Into Jungle Alcatraz as Narrator
The Wicker Man Enigma as Himself
Burnt Offering: The Cult of The Wicker Man

2000

Gormenghast as Flay
In the Beginning as Rameses I
Sleepy Hollow: Behind the Legend as Self
The Many Faces of Dracula as Narrator
Ghost Stories for Christmas as Narrator
Inside 'The Man with the Golden Gun'
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
Jinnah as Muhammad Ali Jinnah
Dare To Dream: The Making of Jinnah as Self
The Mummy as Self - Host
100 Years of Horror as Presenter
Ex-S: The Wicker Man as Self

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

100 Years of Horror as Self - Host
Moses as Pharaoh
The Stupids as Evil Sender
Alisea and the Dream Prince as Azaret
A Century of Science Fiction as Narrator (voice)
Vem Var Dracula as Self
Welcome to the Discworld as Death
The Many Faces of Christopher Lee
In the Footsteps of Sherlock Holmes
The Man Who Ruined the British Film Industry as Self

1995

Tales of Mystery and Imagination as Narrator
In Search of James Bond with Jonathan Ross as Self
A Pleasant Terror: The Life and Ghosts of M.R. James as Self

1994

Brisant as Self
Police Academy: Mission to Moscow as Commandant Rakov
The World of Hammer as Self (archive footage)
The Rainbow Thief as Uncle Rudolf
Funny Man as Callum Chance
Flesh and Blood: The Hammer Heritage of Horror as Narrator (voice) / Self
A Feast at Midnight as V. E. 'Raptor' Longfellow

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)
Double Vision as Mr. Bernard
Cyber Eden as Cedric
Sherlock Holmes: Incident at Victoria Falls as Sherlock Holmes
Dracula in the Movies
Beauty and the Beast as Monsieur Renard (voice)

1991

Journey of Honor as King Philip
Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady as Sherlock Holmes
Fear in the Dark as Narrator
Curse III: Blood Sacrifice as Dr. Pearson
Halloween Monster Bash as Professor Alexander Saxton (archive footage)
Ghosts: A Journey Into the Paranormal as Self - Narrator

1990

Gremlins 2: The New Batch as Doctor Catheter
Stern TV as Self
Treasure Island as Blind Pew
The Miser as Cardinale Spinosi
The Care of Time as Karlis Zander

1989

Around the World in 80 Days as Stuart
The French Revolution as Sanson
The Return of the Musketeers as Rochefort
The French Revolution as Sanson (« Les Années terribles »)
Honeymoon Academy as Lazos
Murder Story as Willard Hope
Night of the Eagles as Walter Strauss

1988

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
The Girl as Peter Storm
Hammer: The Studio That Dripped Blood as Self
Creepy Classics as Franklyn Marsh - (archive footage)

1986

Shaka Zulu as Lord Bathurst
Wedden, dat..? as Self
Jocks as President White
The Disputation as King James of Aragon
Un métier de seigneur as Fog

1985

Howling II: Stirba - Werewolf Bitch as Stefan Crosscoe
Mask of Murder as Chief Supt. Jonathan Rich
The Many Faces of Sherlock Holmes as Himself - Presenter
The Best of All Time Horror Classics

1984

The Far Pavilions as Rao-Sahib
The Rosebud Beach Hotel as King
The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers as King Vladimir V
The Bengal Lancers! as Sir James Hunter

1983

House of the Long Shadows as Corrigan
The Return of Captain Invincible as Mr. Midnight
Errol Flynn: Portrait of a Swashbuckler as Narrator
New Magic as Mr. Kellar

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)
Massarati and the Brain as Victor Leopold
Charles & Diana: A Royal Love Story as Prince Philip
Safari 3000 as Count Borgia
The Rank Charm School as Self

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
The Passage as Gypsy
Arabian Adventure as Caliph Alquazar
Jaguar Lives! as Adam Caine
Captain America II: Death Too Soon as Miguel
Bear Island as Lechinski
The Horror Show as (archive footage)

1978

Circle of Iron as Zetan
Return from Witch Mountain as Victor Gannon
Caravans as Sardar Khan
Mickey's 50 as Self
The Pirate as Samir Al Fay

1977

How the West Was Won as The Grand Duke
Auf los geht's los as Self
Airport '77 as Martin Wallace
The Pirate as Samir Al Fay
End of the World as Father Pergado / Zindar
Starship Invasions as Captain Rameses
Meatcleaver Massacre as On-Screen Narrator
Playboy's Playmate Party
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
The Keeper as The Keeper
Killer Force as Major Chilton

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 Three Musketeers as Rochefort
The Wicker Man as Lord Summerisle
The Satanic Rites of Dracula as Count Dracula
The Creeping Flesh as James Hildern
Dark Places as Dr. Ian Mandeville
Poor Devil as Lucifer
Nothing But the Night as Col. Charles Bingham

1972

Horror Express as Prof. Sir Alexander Saxton
Dracula A.D. 1972 as Count Dracula
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
The House That Dripped Blood as John Reid (segment 3 "Sweets to the Sweet")
I, Monster as Dr. Charles Marlowe / Mr. Edward Blake

1970

Eugenie as Dolmance
Taste the Blood of Dracula as Dracula
Scars of Dracula as Dracula
Treffpunkte as Self
Count Dracula as Dracula
Julius Caesar as Artemidorus
The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes as Mycroft Holmes
The Bloody Judge as Lord George Jeffreys
One More Time as Dracula
Scream and Scream Again as Fremont

1969

The Castle of Fu Manchu as Dr. Fu Man Chu
The Magic Christian as Ship's Vampire
The Oblong Box as Dr. J. Neuhartt
Quelle horreur mon saigneur Dracula as Self

1968

The Movie Orgy as Fu Manchu/Dracula (archive footage)
Dracula Has Risen from the Grave as Dracula
The Devil Rides Out as Duc de Richleau
The Blood of Fu Manchu as Dr. Fu Man Chu
Curse of the Crimson Altar as J.D. Morley
The Face of Eve as Colonel Stuart

1967

The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism as Count Frederic Regula / Graf von Andomai
The Vengeance of Fu Manchu as Dr. Fu Manchu
Night of the Big Heat as Godfrey Hanson
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
Circus of Fear as Gregor
The Brides of Fu Manchu as Fu Manchu

1965

Ten Little Indians as Mr. U.N. Owen (voice)
She as Billali
Dr. Terror's House of Horrors as Franklyn Marsh
The Face of Fu Manchu as Dr. Fu Man Chu
The Skull as Sir Matthew Phillips

1964

The Gorgon as Prof. Karl Meister
Crypt of the Vampire as Count Ludwig Karnstein
The Castle of the Living Dead as Count Drago
The Devil-Ship Pirates as Captain Robeles
Horror!!! as Self

1963

Corridors of Blood as Resurrection Joe
Horror Castle as Erich
The Whip and the Body as Kurt Menliff
Challenge the Devil as Mephistoles

1962

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour as Karl Jorla
The Pirates of Blood River as Captain LaRoche
Secret of the Red Orchid as Capt. Allerman
The Devil's Agent as Baron Ferdi von Staub
Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace as Sherlock Holmes

1961

The Mike Douglas Show as Self
The Avengers as Professor Stone
Taste of Fear as Doctor Pierre Gerrard
The Devil's Daffodil as Ling Chu
Hercules in the Haunted World as King Lico (Licos)
The Terror of the Tongs as Chung King

1960

The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll as Paul Allen
The Hands of Orlac as Nero the magician
Beat Girl as Kenny King
The City of the Dead as Prof. Alan Driscoll
Too Hot to Handle as Novak

1959

One Step Beyond as Wilhelm Reitlinger
Stars in the Ring as Self
The Mummy as Kharis, the Mummy
The Hound of the Baskervilles as Sir Henry Baskerville
The Man Who Could Cheat Death as Dr. Pierre Gerrard
The Treasure of San Teresa as Jaeger
Uncle Was a Vampire as Baron Roderico da Frankurten

1958

Ivanhoe as Sir Otto from the Rhine
The Adventures of William Tell as Prince Erik
Dracula as Count Dracula
A Tale of Two Cities as Marquis St. Evremonde
Battle of the V-1 as Brunner

1957

The Curse of Frankenstein as The Creature
Sailor of Fortune as Yusif Carnot
Fortune Is a Woman as Charles Highbury
Manuela as Voice (voice)
Ill Met by Moonlight as German officer at The Dentist's office
The Truth About Women as Francois Thiers
Bitter Victory as Sgt. Barney
The Traitor as Doctor Neumann

1956

Colonel March of Scotland Yard as Jeanpierre
The Battle of the River Plate as Manolo
Alexander the Great as Nectenabus (voice)
The Errol Flynn Theatre as The Visitant
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 (uncredited)
The Dark Avenger as French Patrol Captain at Tavern (uncredited)
The Cockleshell Heroes as Submarine Commander Alan Grieves
Storm Over the Nile as Karaga Pasha
Alias John Preston as John Preston
That Lady as Capitán
Contraband Spain as Narrador (voz)
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 Awakening as Factory proprietor (uncredited)
The Mirror and Markheim as Visitant

1953

Innocents in Paris as Lieutenant Whitlock
The Top and the Ball as Father

1952

The Crimson Pirate as Joseph (attache)
Moulin Rouge as Georges Seurat (uncredited)
Babes in Bagdad as Slave Dealer
Top Secret as Russian Agent (uncredited)
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
Corridor of Mirrors as Charles
Penny and the Pownall Case as Jonathan Blair
One Night with You as Pirelli's Assistant
A Song for Tomorrow as Auguste

1939

Eugen Weidmann Execution Film as Himself