Christopher Lee

Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee (27 May 1922 – 7 June 2015) was an English actor and singer. In a career spanning more than sixty years, Lee became known as an actor with a deep and commanding voice who often portrayed villains in horror and franchise films. 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 gained fame for portraying Count Dracula in seven Hammer Horror films. His other film roles include Francisco Scaramanga in the James Bond film ''The Man with the Golden Gun'' (1974), Count Dooku in two ''Star Wars'' films (2002–2008) and Saruman in both ''The Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy (2001–2003) and ''The Hobbit'' film trilogy (2012–2014). He frequently appeared opposite his friend Peter Cushing in horror films, and late in his career had roles in five Tim Burton films, including ''Sleepy Hollow'' (1999), ''Corpse Bride'' (2005), ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' (2005), ''Alice in Wonderland'' (2010) and ''Dark Shadows'' (2012). Lee's other notable roles include ''The Curse of Frankenstein'' (1957), ''Dracula'' (1958), ''A Tale of Two Cities'' (1958), ''The Wicker Man'' (1973), ''Gremlins 2: The New Batch'' (1990), ''Jinnah'' (1998), ''Glorious 39'' (2009) and ''Hugo'' (2011).

In addition to his prolific film career, Lee was a classically trained singer with a passion for heavy metal. He recorded several albums, including the symphonic metal concept albums ''Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross'' (2010) and ''Charlemagne: The Omens of Death'' (2013), where he portrayed the title character of Charlemagne, a figure to whom he traced his own ancestry. These projects, which included his spoken word, singing, and dramatic narration, were deeply personal artistic endeavours that showcased his distinctive vocal range and earned him a unique place in the world of metal music.

Before his acting career, Lee served in the Royal Air Force as an intelligence officer, attached to the No. 260 Squadron RAF during World War II as a liaison officer for the Special Operations Executive. He was discharged from the RAF in 1946 with the rank of flight lieutenant. Provided by Wikipedia