Birth Date
May 27, 1922
Died
June 7, 2015
Nationality
United Kingdom
Sun Sign
Gemini
Natural hair color
Dark Brown
Eye color
Dark Brown
Height
6 ft 4.5 in | 194 cm
Weight
75 kg | 165.5 lbs
Shoe size
11 US | 44 EU
Early acting career First movie Breakthrough
Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee was born in Belgravia, London, England, United Kingdom, on May 27, 1922, was an English actor.
Young Christopher Lee first started performing in a school production of "Rumpelstiltskin", in role as the demonic lead.
He got his television debut in anthology series Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Presents (1953-1956) in various roles.
He made his big screen debut in British drama film Corridor of Mirrors (1947) in role as Charles.
Christopher's breakthrough performances came in British horror films: The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) as The Creature and Dracula (1958) as Count Dracula.
He landed his Hollywood debut with disaster film Airport '77 (1977) in role as Martin Wallace.
Best Movies
He played Saruman in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001–2003) and the Hobbit film trilogy (2012–2014).
He portrayed Count Dooku / Darth Tyranus in the Star Wars prequel trilogy (2002–2005).
He was nominated for two Saturn Awards for Best Actor for his roles as Lord Summerisle in horror thriller film The Wicker Man (1973) and as Alquazar in fantasy adventure film Arabian Adventure (1979).
The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) action spy with Roger Moore, Britt Ekland and Maud Adams
Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966) supernatural horror opposite Barbara Shelley and Francis Matthews
The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959) gothic horror mystery with Peter Cushing and André Morell
The Mummy (1959) horror opposite Peter Cushing and Yvonne Furneaux
The Devil Rides Out (1968) horror with Charles Gray, Niké Arrighi and Leon Greene
The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970) mystery crime opposite Robert Stephens and Colin Blakely
The Four Musketeers (1974) adventure action with Faye Dunaway, Raquel Welch and Oliver Reed
Horror Express (1973) science fiction horror opposite Silvia Tortosa and Peter Cushing
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) musical fantasy with Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore and Helena Bonham Carter
The City of the Dead (1960) supernatural horror opposite Venetia Stevenson, Betta St. John and Patricia Jessel
Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970) supernatural horror with Linda Hayden and Geoffrey Keen
Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968) supernatural horror opposite Veronica Carlson and Barbara Ewing
Taste of Fear (1961) thriller with Susan Strasberg, Ronald Lewis and Ann Todd
The House That Dripped Blood (1971) opposite John Bryans, John Bennett and John Malcolm
Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1965) horror with Peter Cushing and Donald Sutherland
Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972) horror opposite Peter Cushing and Stephanie Beacham
The Whip and the Body (1963) gothic horror with Daliah Lavi and Tony Kendall
The Gorgon (1964) horror opposite Peter Cushing, Richard Pasco and Barbara Shelley
Scars of Dracula (1970) horror with Dennis Waterman, Jenny Hanley and Patrick Troughton
The Creeping Flesh (1973) horror opposite Peter Cushing and Lorna Heilbron
Hugo (2011) adventure drama directed and produced by Martin Scorsese
TV Shows
How the West Was Won (1978) Western television series in role as The Grand Duke
The Far Pavilions (1984) miniseries in role as Kaka-ji Rao
Shaka Zulu (1986) South African television series in role as Lord Bathurst
Around the World in 80 Days (1989) NBC miniseries in role as Stuart
The Tomorrow People (1995) science fiction television series in role as Rameses
Ivanhoe (1997) BBC and A&E Network miniseries in role as Lucas de Beaumanoir
The Odyssey (1997) adventure miniseries in role as Tiresias
The New Adventures of Robin Hood (1997-1998) TNT series in role as Olwyn
Gormenghast (2000) BBC serial in role as Flay
Pope John Paul II (2005) miniseries in role as Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński
Facts
Attended the Summer Fields School.
Studied Ancient Greek and Latin in Wellington College.
Had English and Italian ancestry.
He served in the Royal Air Force and in British Intelligence, during World War II.
Had older sister, Xandra Carandini Lee.
He was fluent in Italian, French, Spanish and German.
He voiced King Haggard in animated fantasy film The Last Unicorn (1982) and Jabberwock in live-action/animated dark fantasy adventure movie Alice in Wonderland (2010).
Received the Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1994.
He was knighted by Prince Charles in 2009.
Received the BAFTA Fellowship in 2011.
He was an avid golfer.
Christopher died on June 7, 2015, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London, United Kingdom, at the age of 93.
Relationships
He was married to Birgit "Gitte" Krøncke (1961-2015), they had a daughter, Christina Erika Carandini Lee.
Has been in relationship with Henriette Von Rosen, in the late 1950s.