Most of the younger crowd know him as Saruman from The Lord of the Rings. I remember him as as the vampire from all of the Hammer Horror films. Contrary to popular myth he did not have an occult library and in fact repeatedly warned people to steer well clear of that sort of thing. A truly iconic figure, he reposed at the very respectable age of 93.
Memory eternal.
I think his best performance was as Lord Summerisle in The Wicker Man (1973). You could see the doubt in his face when Sergeant Howie said that when the crops failed again next year the people would sacrifice him instead. And he was one of a handful of apt characters in the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings films. A superb actor, a tremendously gifted man of noble birth and bearing, education, experience and solid sense. May he rest in peace.
ReplyDeleteIf I'm not mistaken, he was the Man with the Golden Gun (Scaramanga) in that
ReplyDeleteJames Bond film.
Yes he was.
ReplyDeleteAnd Ian Fleming's cousin.
ReplyDeleteUndoubtedly his were the greatest portrayals of Count Dracula to ever be seen on stage or screen.
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ReplyDeleteIn case you didn't know, Sir Christopher Lee was also a total badass.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.badassoftheweek.com/christopherlee.html