Christopher Lee

Bio:
Christopher Lee (born Christopher Frank Carandini Lee on May 27, 1922 in Belgravia, London, England) was a British actor and singer. While living with his mother in Switzerland as a young boy, he played his first role as Rumpelstiltskin in a school play. He returned to the UK and continued to pursue acting in school. He attended Wellington College on scholarships, studying the classics. Christopher fought in WWII with the Royal Air Force and after the war, he began his professional career as an actor, making his debut in 1947’s Corridor of Mirrors. He appeared in over 30 films over the next decade with British National Studios, playing stock action characters. However, Christopher made his mark on pop culture in 1957’s The Curse of Frankenstein, his first film with the Hammer horror film studio. Christopher would go on to play Dracula in the 1958 film of the same name. He would play the character at least six more times. Outside of horror films, Christopher played the villain in the James Bond movie, The Man with the Golden Gun and as Sherlock Holmes in a handful of films. In the 2000s, Christopher was cast as Saurman in the Lord of the Rings films, and he played Count Dooku in two of the Star Wars prequels. Christopher Lee died on June 7, 2015, due to respiratory problems and heart failure.

Best Known For:
Christopher Lee is best known as a British actor, for his role as Dracula with the Hammer horror films and as Saruman in the Lord of the Rings films.

Personal Life:  
Sir Christopher Lee was knited in 2001. In addition to acting, Christopher had an extensive musical career, even recording a heavy metal album in 2010. Christopher shares a birthday with fellow horror actor, Vincent Price, and was born a day after his close friend, Peter Cushing. Christopher married painter Brigit Krøncke, in 1961. They had a daughter, Christina, in 1963.