Prince of Darkness, Master of the Macabre, Lord of Misrule...
You name a bad guy, from Dracula to Frankenstein's monster, the Mummy to Fu Manchu, from The Wicker Man's Lord Summerisle and Bond adversary Scaramanga to Lord of the Rings' wizard gone bad Saruman and Jedi villain Count Dooku, you'll find the fine features of Mr Lee behind him.
The undisputed king of the scary movie, in a movie career spanning almost sixty years he has been put to death in every way known to man ('and in a few ways known only to scriptwriters' as he puts it) and has fought more on screen duels than any other actor, including Douglas Fairbanks and Errol Flynn.
Yup, there's a hell of a lot more to Christopher Lee than fangs and a cape. And for an award-winning actor who has appeared in over 200 films (a world record, in fact) to be remembered principally for sinking his teeth into nubile young girlies during the '60s and '70s is, frankly, an insult.
And he's not just famous for his villainous performances: what about, for example, his role as the lugubrious servant Flay in the BBC's version of Gormenghast (his scenes with Ian Richardson were a joy)? Or his apparent tour de force performance as Pakistani leader Jinnah, which I, and indeed the rest of the world, have yet to see, as the film is still awaiting release?
However, I must admit that my interest in his career was initially sparked by his role as Dracula. I was, after all, the secretary for the Society of the Undead (Vampire Section) for two years, so it's only natural. And the fact that most of his roles do seem to dance on the dark side only adds to his appeal: for me his greatest roles are definitely Saruman and the ruthless Lord Summerisle in The Wicker Man, surely one of the finest horror movies ever made.
But just what is about Christopher Lee that makes him so great? Is it his great height (over six foot) and aristocratic bearing, his piercing eyes and compelling, deep voice or his magnetic on screen presence that make him so mesmerising to watch? Damned if I know.
Suffice it to say that his presence in a film, however rubbish that film may be (and he'll be the first to admit that he's made some stinkers) lifts it to a higher level. (You had to wonder about Star Wars prequel Attack of the Clones, when the best sequence in the film by a mile was a fight between a puppet and an eighty-year-old man…)
2003 saw the publication of Christopher Lee's autobiography, Lord of Misrule, a highly entertaining read that offers a fascinating insight into the many talents of the man (although there was rather more information about golf than I found necessary, being far more interested in his career on screen than on the green).
Through a mixture of family history, war stories and humorous anecdotes, the book reveals an immensely active and hard-working personality who has dedicated his life to the messy business of entertaining people, and rubbed shoulders with superstars from Karloff, Cushing and Price to Muhammad Ali and JRR Tolkein along the way.
Witty and urbane, honest, principled and forthright (he's never one to suffer fools gladly), Christopher Lee CBE is truly a person to admire. And with a career that continues to go from strength to strength, his best deaths may yet be ahead of him…
To find out more about Christopher Lee, check out christopherleeweb.com.
Lord of Misrule is available to buy at Amazon.
Check out my reviews of the following Christopher Lee films:
Three legends together: L-R Peter Cushing, Vincent Price and Christopher Lee
Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Corpse Bride
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Sleepy Hollow
The Wicker Man
Dracula
