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Christopher Lee is a Actor and Producer British born on 27 may 1922 at Belgravia (United-kingdom)
Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, CBE (27 May 1922 – 7 June 2015) was an English actor, singer, author, and World War II veteran. With a career spanning nearly 70 years, Lee initially portrayed villains and became best known for his role as Count Dracula in a sequence of Hammer Horror films. His other film roles include Francisco Scaramanga in the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), Saruman in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001–2003) and The Hobbit film trilogy (2012–2014), and Count Dooku in the final two films of the Star Wars prequel trilogy (2002 and 2005).
Lee was knighted for services to drama and charity in 2009, received the BAFTA Fellowship in 2011 and received the BFI Fellowship in 2013. Lee considered his best performance to be that of Pakistan's founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah in the biopic Jinnah (1998), and his best film to be the British horror film The Wicker Man (1973).
Always noted as an actor for his deep strong voice, Lee was also known for his singing ability, recording various opera and musical pieces between 1986 and 1998 and the symphonic metal album Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross in 2010 after having worked with several metal bands since 2005. The heavy metal follow-up titled Charlemagne: The Omens of Death was released on 27 May 2013. He was honoured with the "Spirit of Metal" award at the 2010 Metal Hammer Golden God awards ceremony.
Lee died from complications of respiratory problems and heart failure in a Chelsea hospital on the morning of 7 June 2015 at the age of 93.
Lee was a step-cousin of Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond spy novels, and a distant relative of Robert E. Lee and the astronomer John Lee.
Lee was engaged for a time in the late fifties to Henriette von Rosen, whom he met at a nightclub in Stockholm. Her father, Count Fritz von Rosen, proved demanding, getting them to delay the wedding for a year, asking his London-based friends to interview Lee, hiring private detectives to investigate him, and asking Lee to provide him with references, which Lee obtained from Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., John Boulting and Joe Jackson. Lee found the meeting of her extended family to be like something from a surrealist Luis Buñuel film and thought they were "killing me with cream". Finally, Lee had to have the permission of the King of Sweden to marry. Lee had met him some years before whilst filming Tales of Hans Anderson and received his blessing. However, shortly before the wedding, Lee ended the engagement. He was concerned that his financial insecurity in his chosen profession meant that she "deserved better" than being "pitched into the dishevelled world of an actor". She understood and they called the wedding off.
Lee was introduced to Danish painter and former model Birgit "Gitte" Krøncke by a Danish friend and his wife in 1960. They were engaged soon after and married on 17 March 1961. They had a daughter, Christina Erika Carandini Lee (b. 1963), who married Juan Francisco Aneiros Rodriguez in July 2001. Lee was also the uncle of the British actress Dame Harriet Walter. Both Lee and his daughter Christina provided spoken vocals on Rhapsody of Fire's album From Chaos to Eternity.
Known for his imposing height, Lee stood 6 ft 5 in (1.95 m) tall. Lee and his wife Birgit were listed as among the fifty best-dressed over 50 by the Guardian in March 2013.
Lee was a supporter of the British Conservative Party. He described Michael Howard as "the ideal person to lead the party" in 2003 and supported William Hague and David Cameron.
Contrary to popular belief, Lee did not have a vast library of occult books. When giving a speech at the University College Dublin on 8 November 2011, he said: "Somebody wrote I have 20,000 books. I'd have to live in a bath! I have maybe four or five [occult books]." He further admonished the students against baneful occult practices, warning them that he had met "people who claimed to be Satanists. Who claimed to be involved with black magic."; however, he himself had certainly never been involved: "I warn all of you: never, never, never. You will not only lose your mind, you'll lose your soul.
(2005)
(Actor)
(2002)
(Actor)
(1974)
(Actor)
(2011)
(Actor)
(2008)
(Actor)
(1990)
(Actor)
Source : Wikidata
Christopher Lee
Birth name Christopher Frank Carandini Lee
Nationality United-kingdom
Birth 27 may 1922 at Belgravia (United-kingdom)
Death 7 june 2015 (at 93 years)
Awards Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award
Nationality United-kingdom
Birth 27 may 1922 at Belgravia (United-kingdom)
Death 7 june 2015 (at 93 years)
Awards Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award
Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, CBE (27 May 1922 – 7 June 2015) was an English actor, singer, author, and World War II veteran. With a career spanning nearly 70 years, Lee initially portrayed villains and became best known for his role as Count Dracula in a sequence of Hammer Horror films. His other film roles include Francisco Scaramanga in the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), Saruman in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001–2003) and The Hobbit film trilogy (2012–2014), and Count Dooku in the final two films of the Star Wars prequel trilogy (2002 and 2005).
Lee was knighted for services to drama and charity in 2009, received the BAFTA Fellowship in 2011 and received the BFI Fellowship in 2013. Lee considered his best performance to be that of Pakistan's founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah in the biopic Jinnah (1998), and his best film to be the British horror film The Wicker Man (1973).
Always noted as an actor for his deep strong voice, Lee was also known for his singing ability, recording various opera and musical pieces between 1986 and 1998 and the symphonic metal album Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross in 2010 after having worked with several metal bands since 2005. The heavy metal follow-up titled Charlemagne: The Omens of Death was released on 27 May 2013. He was honoured with the "Spirit of Metal" award at the 2010 Metal Hammer Golden God awards ceremony.
Lee died from complications of respiratory problems and heart failure in a Chelsea hospital on the morning of 7 June 2015 at the age of 93.
Biography
The Carandinis, Lee's maternal ancestors, were given the right to bear the coat of arms of the Holy Roman Empire by the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. Cinemareview notes: "Cardinal Consalvi was Papal Secretary of State at the time of Napoleon and is buried at the Pantheon in Rome next to the painter Raphael. His painting, by Lawrence, hangs in Windsor Castle."Lee was a step-cousin of Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond spy novels, and a distant relative of Robert E. Lee and the astronomer John Lee.
Lee was engaged for a time in the late fifties to Henriette von Rosen, whom he met at a nightclub in Stockholm. Her father, Count Fritz von Rosen, proved demanding, getting them to delay the wedding for a year, asking his London-based friends to interview Lee, hiring private detectives to investigate him, and asking Lee to provide him with references, which Lee obtained from Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., John Boulting and Joe Jackson. Lee found the meeting of her extended family to be like something from a surrealist Luis Buñuel film and thought they were "killing me with cream". Finally, Lee had to have the permission of the King of Sweden to marry. Lee had met him some years before whilst filming Tales of Hans Anderson and received his blessing. However, shortly before the wedding, Lee ended the engagement. He was concerned that his financial insecurity in his chosen profession meant that she "deserved better" than being "pitched into the dishevelled world of an actor". She understood and they called the wedding off.
Lee was introduced to Danish painter and former model Birgit "Gitte" Krøncke by a Danish friend and his wife in 1960. They were engaged soon after and married on 17 March 1961. They had a daughter, Christina Erika Carandini Lee (b. 1963), who married Juan Francisco Aneiros Rodriguez in July 2001. Lee was also the uncle of the British actress Dame Harriet Walter. Both Lee and his daughter Christina provided spoken vocals on Rhapsody of Fire's album From Chaos to Eternity.
Known for his imposing height, Lee stood 6 ft 5 in (1.95 m) tall. Lee and his wife Birgit were listed as among the fifty best-dressed over 50 by the Guardian in March 2013.
Lee was a supporter of the British Conservative Party. He described Michael Howard as "the ideal person to lead the party" in 2003 and supported William Hague and David Cameron.
Contrary to popular belief, Lee did not have a vast library of occult books. When giving a speech at the University College Dublin on 8 November 2011, he said: "Somebody wrote I have 20,000 books. I'd have to live in a bath! I have maybe four or five [occult books]." He further admonished the students against baneful occult practices, warning them that he had met "people who claimed to be Satanists. Who claimed to be involved with black magic."; however, he himself had certainly never been involved: "I warn all of you: never, never, never. You will not only lose your mind, you'll lose your soul.
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Filmography of Christopher Lee (224 films)
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, 2h24Directed by Andy Serkis, Peter Jackson
Origin USA
Genres Fantasy, Action, Adventure
Themes Films about magic and magicians, Monde imaginaire, Middle-earth films, Films about dragons, Children's films
Actors Dean O'Gorman, Lee Pace, Martin Freeman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Luke Evans, Orlando Bloom
Roles Saruman
Rating73%
Bilbo and the Dwarves watch from the Lonely Mountain as the dragon Smaug sets Laketown ablaze, and its people flee. Bard the Bowman breaks out of prison, and eventually kills Smaug with the black arrow brought to him by his son Bain. Smaug's falling body crushes the fleeing Master of Laketown, who was escaping Laketown on a boat laden with the town's gold. Bard reluctantly becomes the new leader of the Laketown people as they seek refuge in the ruins of Dale, while Legolas travels to investigate Mount Gundabad with Tauriel. Thorin, now struck with "dragon sickness" over the vast treasure in the mountain, searches obsessively for the Arkenstone, which Bilbo had previously found but kept hidden. Thorin, hearing that people have come to Dale, orders the entrance of the Lonely Mountain sealed off.
Night Train to Lisbon (2013)
, 1h51Directed by Bille August
Origin Suisse
Genres Drama, Thriller, Crime, Romance
Actors Jeremy Irons, Christopher Lee, Bruno Ganz, Mélanie Laurent, Martina Gedeck, Jack Huston
Roles Father Bartholomeu
Rating67%
Walking over a bridge in Bern, Raimund Gregorius, a Swiss professor of ancient languages, notices a young woman in a red coat standing on the railing, about to leap. Dropping his briefcase, he runs and pulls her down. She helps him gather the papers that have spilled from his briefcase and accompanies him to the school where he teaches. But instead of waiting to talk, she leaves during the middle of his class, without her coat.
Genres Documentary, Action, Crime
Themes Documentary films about the visual arts, Superhero films
Actors Christopher Lee, Clancy Brown, Kevin Conroy, Claudia Black, Guillermo del Toro, Richard Donner
Roles Narrator
Rating66%
Necessary Evil: Super-Villains of DC Comics explores the roles that DC villains have had in shaping the stories that they appear in.
The Girl from Nagasaki (2013)
, 1h47Origin German
Genres Musical, Romance
Themes Films about music and musicians, Musical films, Films based on operas
Actors Christopher Lee, Edoardo Ponti, Sasha Alexander, Michael Wincott, Michael Nyqvist, Robert Evans
Roles Old Officer Pinkerton
Rating69%
The film is a reworking of Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly, in which the tragic heroine is obsessed with an American pilot.
, 2h41Directed by Peter Jackson
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Science fiction, Fantasy, Action, Adventure
Themes Films about animals, Films about magic and magicians, Monde imaginaire, Middle-earth films, Films about dragons, Children's films
Actors Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Benedict Cumberbatch, Cate Blanchett, Lee Pace
Roles Saruman
Rating77%
Thorin and his company are being pursued by Azog and his Orc party following the events of the previous film. They are ushered along by Gandalf to the nearby home of Beorn, a skin-changer who can take the form of the bear. That night, Azog is summoned to Dol Guldur by the Necromancer, who commands him to marshal his forces for war. Azog then delegates the hunt for Thorin to his son Bolg. The following day, Beorn escorts the company to the borders of Mirkwood, where Gandalf discovers Black Speech imprinted on an old ruin. This coincides with a telepathic message from Galadriel urging him to investigate the tombs of the Nazgûl. He warns the company to remain on the path and leaves them. Upon entering the forest they lose their way and are ensnared by giant spiders. Bilbo then sets about freeing the dwarves with the help of his recently acquired invisibility ring. He subsequently drops the Ring and first begins to understand its dark influence after he brutally kills a centipede-like creature to retrieve it.
Dark Shadows (2012)
, 1h52Directed by Tim Burton
Origin USA
Genres Fantastic, Comedy, Horror comedy
Themes Films about animals, Films about magic and magicians, Wolves in film, Werewolves in film, Vampires in film, Comedy horror films, Mise en scène d'un mammifère
Actors Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Bella Heathcote, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley
Roles Clarney
Rating61%
In 1760, the Collins family moves from Liverpool, England to Maine and establishes the fishing town Collinsport where they built their estate Collinwood.
Frankenweenie (2012)
, 1h27Directed by Tim Burton
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Fantasy, Horror, Animation
Themes Films about animals, Films about computing, Films based on science fiction novels, Comedy science fiction films, Films about dogs, Frankenstein films, Comedy horror films, Cyberpunk films, Children's films, Mise en scène d'un mammifère
Actors Charlie Tahan, Frank Welker, Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Catherine O'Hara, Jeffrey Jones
Roles Movie Dracula (archive footage)
Rating69%
Young filmmaker and scientist Victor Frankenstein lives with his parents, Edward and Susan Frankenstein, and his beloved dog, Sparky, in the quiet town of New Holland. Victor's intelligence is recognized by his classmates at school, his somber next-door neighbor, Elsa Van Helsing, mischievous, Igor-like Edgar "E" Gore, obese and gullible Bob, overconfident Toshiaki, creepy Nassor, and an eccentric girl nicknamed Weird Girl, but communicates little with them due to his relationship with his dog. Concerned with his son's isolation, Victor's father encourages him to take up baseball and make achievements outside of science. Victor hits a home run at his first game, but Sparky, pursuing the ball, is struck by a car and killed.
, 2h49Directed by Peter Jackson
Origin USA
Genres Fantasy, Action, Adventure
Themes Films about animals, Films about magic and magicians, Monde imaginaire, Middle-earth films, Films about dragons, Children's films
Actors Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Stephen Fry, James Nesbitt, Ken Stott
Roles Saruman
Rating77%
Approaching his 111th birthday, the hobbit Bilbo Baggins begins writing down the full story of his adventure 60 years earlier for the benefit of his nephew Frodo. This connects The Hobbit with The Lord of the Rings movie 10 years earlier which had a similar scene. Long before Bilbo's involvement, the Dwarf king Thrór brings an era of prosperity for his kin under the Lonely Mountain, far to the East, until the arrival of the dragon Smaug. Destroying the nearby town of Dale, Smaug drives the Dwarves out of their mountain and takes their hoard of gold. Thrór's grandson Thorin sees King Thranduil and his Wood-elves on a nearby hillside, and is dismayed when they take their leave rather than aid his people, resulting in Thorin's everlasting hatred of Elves.
Hugo (2011)
, 2h7Directed by Martin Scorsese
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Fantastic, Adventure
Themes Films about films, Films about children, Films about magic and magicians, Transport films, Rail transport films, Steampunk films, Children's films, Robot films
Actors Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Asa Butterfield, Chloë Grace Moretz, Ray Winstone, Emily Mortimer
Roles Monsieur Labisse
Rating74%
In 1931, 12-year-old Hugo Cabret lives in Paris with his father, a widowed, but kind and devoted master clockmaker. Hugo's father takes him to see films and loves those of Georges Méliès best of all.
The Wicker Tree (2011)
, 1h30Directed by Robin Hardy
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Drama, Thriller, Horror
Themes Films about religion, Films about sexuality
Actors Graham McTavish, Jacqueline Leonard, Honeysuckle Weeks, Clive Russell, Christopher Lee, Keith Warwick
Roles Old Man
Rating38%
Beth is a successful pop singer and a devout evangelical Christian from Texas, United States. She and her fiance Steve both wear purity rings, and belong to a group known as the "Cowboys for Christ", who travel to "heathen areas" of the world to preach Christianity. The Reverend Moriarty (James Mapes) sends them off to travel to Glasgow, Scotland, hoping to save some souls once there. However, they are shocked when they receive a very negative reception, Beth even being set upon by a large dog.
Season of the Witch (2011)
, 1h34Directed by Brett Ratner, Dominic Sena
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Science fiction, Thriller, Fantastic, Fantasy, Action, Adventure
Themes Films about magic and magicians, Medical-themed films, Films about religion, Witches in film, Films about viral outbreaks
Actors Nicolas Cage, Ron Perlman, Claire Foy, Robert Sheehan, Stephen Graham, Christopher Lee
Roles Cardinal D'Ambroise
Rating54%
In Villach in the 13th century, three women are accused of witchcraft by a priest. While one claims to be a witch through persuasion from the church, one doesn't deny it and curses the priest. He orders them hanged and drowned. That done, he urges the guards to pull them back up for a ritual to make sure the so-called witches never come back to life. The guards refuse, claiming they are dead enough. The priest returns late at night to perform the ritual. The third corpse takes on a demonic appearance and kills the priest.
The Resident (2011)
, 1h31Directed by Antti Jokinen
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Horror
Actors Hilary Swank, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Christopher Lee, Lee Pace, Aunjanue Ellis, Michael Massee
Roles August
Rating53%
Juliet Devereau (Hilary Swank), an emergency room surgeon, rents an apartment in New York City from Max (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Juliet has recently broken up with her boyfriend Jack (Lee Pace) after she caught him having an affair, but she still has feelings for him. Unbeknownst to Juliet, someone is stalking her, observing her from across the street and apparently entering her apartment.
Grave Tales (2011)
, 1h17Origin United-kingdom
Genres Horror
Actors Brian Murphy, Damien Thomas, Christopher Lee, Marysia Kay, Edward de Souza, Kiki Kendrick
Rating52%
A young, genealogist (Heather Darcy) whiles away her afternoon in an eerie graveyard to identify graves but stumbles upon an elderly gravedigger (Brian Murphy) anxious to share horror stories with her. The gravedigger delights in telling her four, ghoulish tales.
Alice in Wonderland (2010)
, 1h49Directed by Tim Burton
Origin USA
Genres Fantastic, Fantasy, Adventure, Animation
Themes Films about animals, Feminist films, Films about magic and magicians, Monde imaginaire, Films about cats, Mise en scène d'un lapin ou d'un lièvre, Political films, Films based on Alice in Wonderland, Children's films, Mise en scène d'un mammifère
Actors Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Crispin Glover, Matt Lucas, Mia Wasikowska
Roles The Jabberwocky (voice)
Rating64%
Troubled by a strange recurring dream and mourning the loss of her beloved father, nineteen-year-old Alice Kingsleigh attends a garden party at Lord Ascot's estate, where she is confronted by an unwanted marriage proposal, to Hamish Ascot, and the stifling expectations of the society in which she lives. Unsure of how to reply, she pursues a rabbit in a blue waistcoat, and accidentally falls into a large rabbit hole, from which she emerges in a forest, where she is greeted by the White Rabbit, the Dormouse, the Dodo, the Talking Flowers, and Tweedledee and Tweedledum. They argue over her identity as "the right Alice", who must slay the Red Queen's Jabberwocky and restore the White Queen to power, as foretold by Absolem the Caterpillar. The group is then ambushed by the Bandersnatch and a group of playing-card soldiers led by the Knave of Hearts. Alice, Tweedledum and Tweedledee escape into the woods, while the Knave steals the Caterpillar's scroll and the Dormouse leaves the others, with one of the Bandersnatch's eyes. Tweedledum and Tweedledee are then captured by the Red Queen's Jubjub Bird.
Burke & Hare (2010)
, 1h31Directed by John Landis
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Drama, Thriller, Comedy, Horror, Historical, Black comedy
Themes Serial killer films
Actors Simon Pegg, Andy Serkis, Isla Fisher, Christopher Lee, Tom Wilkinson, Tim Curry
Roles Old Joseph
Rating60%
The film opens in Edinburgh. Narration by Angus the Hangman explains how the corpses of the hanged are transported to Dr. Robert Knox for dissection. Knox's rival, Dr. Alexander Monro, wants the steady supply of cadavers but is forced to rely on severed limbs for dissection. Monro's assistant Charles Darwin arrives with a forged letter directing that all corpses thenceforth must be sent to Monro. Angus tells Knox's assistant, Patterson, the news. Patterson delivers the message to Knox.