Perhaps greeted by his friend Peter Cushing in the Great Beyond...major respect! Rest in Peace and thanks for terrifying me since I was a wee lad.

Rest in peace, Sir Christopher.

I slept with the light on for a week after seeing the original Hammer version of Dracula. RIP Sir Christopher.



This from The Guardian newspaper.

Christopher Lee dies at the age of 93


Sir Christopher Lee, who passed away at the weekend. Photograph: Ian West/PA

Sir Christopher Lee has died at the age of 93 after being hospitalised for respiratory problems and heart failure.

More on this topicChristopher Lee: an actor of muscular intelligence with a staggering career | Peter Bradshaw

The veteran actor, best known for a variety of films from Dracula to The Wicker Man through to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, passed away on Sunday morning at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London, according to sources.

The decision to release the news days after was based on his wife’s desire to inform family members first. The couple had been married for over 50 years.

As well as his career in film, Lee also released a series of heavy metal albums, including Charlemagne: The Omens of Death. He was knighted in 2009 for services to drama and charity and was awarded the Bafta fellowship in 2011.

His film career started in 1947 with a role in gothic romance Corridor of Mirrors but it wasn’t until the late 50s, when Lee worked with Hammer, that he started gaining fame. His first role with the studio was The Curse of Frankenstein and it was the first of 20 films that he made with Peter Cushing, who also became a close friend. “Hammer was an important part of my life, and generally speaking, we all had a lot of fun,” he said in a 2001 interview.

Lee’s most famous role for Hammer was playing Dracula, a role which became one of his most widely recognised although the actor wasn’t pleased with how the character was treated. “They gave me nothing to do!” he told Total Film in 2005. “I pleaded with Hammer to let me use some of the lines that Bram Stoker had written. Occasionally, I sneaked one in. Eventually I told them that I wasn’t going to play Dracula any more. All hell broke loose.”

In the 70s, Lee continued to gain fame in the horror genre with a role in The Wicker Man, a film which he considered to be his best. “Wonderful film... had a hell of a time getting it made,” he said. “Its power lies in the fact that you never expect what eventually happens, because everyone is so nice.” He went on to play a Bond villain in 1974’s The Man with the Golden Gun and turned down a role in Halloween, which he later said was one of biggest career regrets. In his career, he also turned down a role in Airplane!, something he also regretted.

His concern over being typecast in horror films led him to Hollywood and roles in Airport ‘77 and Steven Spielberg’s 1941. His career saw a resurgence in 2001 with a role as Saruman in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and then as Count Dooku in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.

He also became a regular collaborator with Tim Burton, who cast him in Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Alice in Wonderland and Dark Shadows. Burton went on to award him with a Bafta fellowship.

In 2011, he returned to Hammer with a role in the Hilary Swank thriller The Resident although he generally tried to avoid the horror genre in later years. “There have been some absolutely ghastly films recently, physically repellent,” he said. “What we did was fantasy, fairy tales - no real person can copy what we did. But they can do what Hannibal Lecter does, if they’re so inclined, people like Jeffrey Dahmer and Dennis Nilsen, and for that reason, I think such films are dangerous.”

Lee still has one film yet to be released, the fantasy film Angels in Notting Hill, where he plays a godly figure who looks after the universe. He was also set to star in 9/11 drama The 11th opposite Uma Thurman but it’s believed that the film hadn’t yet started production.

In an interview in 2013, Lee spoke about his love of acting. “Making films has never just been a job to me, it is my life,” he said. “I have some interests outside of acting – I sing and I’ve written books, for instance – but acting is what keeps me going, it’s what I do, it gives life purpose.”

[www.theguardian.com]

RIP Sir Christopher.


"As we say in England, it can get a bit trainspottery"

Not wanting death to dominate the IORR pages with a separate post but Ron Moody has also died today, aged 91. Best known for his role as Fagin in Oliver. RIP Ron Moody.

[www.bbc.co.uk]

What an amazing life and career!

At age 93, we fans knew this day would come, but it's still very sad news. RIP.

RIP - Thanks for great acting.

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Silver Dagger
Not wanting death to dominate the IORR pages with a separate post but Ron Moody has also died today, aged 91. Best known for his role as Fagin in Oliver. RIP Ron Moody.

[www.bbc.co.uk]

Jazz great Ornette Coleman just passed. Perhaps we need an obit thread of the day.

[www.nytimes.com]

Rest in peace, Sir Christopher!

His longevity was quite remarkable.

Rest in peace, Christopher Lee

Celluloid heroes never really die.

Thank you for all the great art Mr Lee, you are a great one.

One of the greatest English movie stars and one of the few with an own personality RIP

__________________________

Absolutely loved his movies. Rest in peace Chris...

Saddened about this; I always think his best roles were as Lord Summarisle in The Wicker Man, and the Duke De Richelieu in The Devil Rides Out. The Devil Rides Out was a great film of a right potboiler of a novel, and Charles Gray was more than a match as a villain.

I could also throw in Fr Michael in To The Devil A Daughter - another Denis Wheatley based film, and one of the last Hammer Studio films.

That sucks. Loved his movies, and he seemed like a cool guy in interviews. As a big Bond fan (especially Roger Moore's tenure), I loved him as Scaramanga. It wasn't the best Bond film, but one of the better villains I think.

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NoCode0680
That sucks. Loved his movies, and he seemed like a cool guy in interviews. As a big Bond fan (especially Roger Moore's tenure), I loved him as Scaramanga. It wasn't the best Bond film, but one of the better villains I think.

You cannot top Mr Big / Kananga.

As an amusing story, or not so: back in the day when I used to drink, a friend of mine and I were on a train between London and Reading, and we were in a right state. A woman was on the train, who was the spit of Jane Seymour. Two lunatics started quoting Live & Let Die dialogue at her, which were me and my mate.

Also saddened re: Ornette Coleman. I have his Beauty Is A Rare Thing atlantic box, and Dancing In Your Head with Prime Time and the Joujuka Musicians.

I bet there's a great jam with Charlie Haden in heaven.

One of my favorite actors. Apart from the prequel Star Wars films and his interpretation of Saruman in LOTR films, my personal favorite are his great Hammer Films performances.

Also, he had a nice small part in the classic 1960s film 'Horror Hotel.'

RIP Christopher Lee

WOW 93 years old! What a great rich life he had. Such a great character actor, which such a unique look and timber to his voice. All his work with the Hammer films that revitalized Brit gothic horror. And then of course his excellent work on Lord of the Rings. Brilliant!

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Silver Dagger
I slept with the light on for a week after seeing the original Hammer version of Dracula. RIP Sir Christopher.

lmfao. You probably weren't the only one. RIP Mr. Lee.

peace

Im sure theres more than a few here that can relate- (Im in my mid-50's) but how well I remember sneaking downstairs around 11:30 on a Saturday night late 1960's/early 1970's , wedged up against the TV with the volume down low so my parents wouldnt bust me watching Dracula Prince of Darkness or Dracula Has Risen from The Grave, absolutely rigid with fear but unable to look away and strangely drawn to the buxom wenches for reasons I did not yet understand...great times....God bless Christopher Lee.....

Having been watching a slew of Hammer and Amicus films over the winter and spring, I found myself thinking about this rather frequently of late: "Wow, Christopher Lee is still alive, but for how much longer?"

The only metal album I have in my record collection is the one that has Christopher Lee's name on it, Charlemagne: By The Sword and The Cross.



In this video message taped on January 1, 2010, this self-described metal singer discusses his upcoming album of "symphonic metal", also revealing that he is actually descended from Charlemagne.





Here's the music video for a track from the album, "The Bloody Verdict of Verden" aka "The Blood of the Saxon Men":





In 2013, Lee released a heavy metal Christmas single featuring the songs "Jingle Hell" and "My Way":





Above videos were uploaded by Charlemagne Productions: [www.youtube.com]

Here's a photo tribute to the life and work of Christopher Lee featuring his full recording of My Way--Sid Vicious had nothing on this guy!

RIP Christopher Lee
Great actor and the best Dracula ever.

RIP and thanks for the great work. And all of those Hammer Horror babes!!!! Got a favorite?

Truly one of the great;
I posted this on FB this morning, thought I'd share here.

The word "Legend" is thrown about far too easily these days, especially in the entertainment industry...but this week we have lost a genuine Legend of the screen.
Sir Christopher Lee has passed away aged 93.
Lee's career may well be unparalleled; After serving in the RAF (and teh precursor to the SAS) during the war he starred in over 200 movies from Laurence Olivier's "Hamlet" in 1948 to the classic Hammer horror movies and his defining performances as Dracula, to Sherlock Holmes, to being a Bond Villain and ultimately the Star Wars and Lord of The Rings movies in the 2000s.
On any film set Lee was the most intelligent man there, He could speak 8 languages and yet was incredibly modest, in his autobiography Roger Moore tells some great stories about Lee on set.
I never met him unfortunately but I know many who did and the words they always use are Elegant, Charming and Gracious; what better way to describe the ultimate English Gentleman.
Lee never stopped working, after he turned 80 he completed over 20 movies, recorded a couple of heavy metal albums and did a lot of voice work for video games. He also wrote a couple of auto-biographies that I cannot recommend highly enough.
But it's for his classic film work he will be remembered; With 200 films to his credit it's impossible to list everything that was great but here's a top 10 of my favourite moments of his career....

As Scaramanga in "The Man With The Golden Gun" (Fleming himself wanted Lee to be cast as "Dr No"; I'm glad that didn't happen as we would have been robbed of his enigmatic performance and the finest of the Bond villains)

As Lord Summerisle in the magnificent "The Wicker Man" (Lee's favourite of his own movies, he's truly wonderful in this)

As Dracula in "Dracula" ("Horror of Dracula" in the US) and "Dracula-Prince of Darkness" - nobody played the Count better.

As Rasputin in "Rasputin;The Mad Monk"

As Sherlock Holmes in "Sherlock Holmes & The Deadly Necklace" (he returned to the role twice later but it's a shame he didn't play the role more often when he was in his prime in the 60s and 70s)

As Mycroft Holmes in "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes" (Even if he wasn't Holmes, Lee always added a gravitas to any other Holmes project he was in, see also his performance in "The Hound of The Baskevilles")

As Marlowe/Blake in the Jeckyll & Hyde "I Monster"

As Duc De Richeleau in "The Devil Rides Out"

As Fremont in "Scream & Scream Again"

As Rochefort in both "The Three Musketeers" & "The Four Musketeers"

Lee was a legend in every sense, Knighted in 2009 and recognized by BAFTA with their Fellowship in 2011, no awards could quite be enough for a live truly lived to it's fullest; We will never see his like again.

RIP Sir Christopher Lee.

Oh dear, the first two years pages of IORR are starting to look like a virtual graveyard. RIP Christopher Lee, RIP Ornette Coleman, RIP James Last...RIP everyone!