For some reason I thought he was already dead.
R.I.P., sir.
:(
Sad bump
With the sad news that Christopher Lee has died, we take a look at some facts about the beloved actor.
Lee passed away at the age of 93 in Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London, on Sunday after being treated for respiratory problems.
Well loved for his role in horror films such as Count Dracula, as well as epic adventures like Lord of the Rings and Star Wars, we’ve got 11 amazing facts about legendary actor:
1. He starred in ‘The Wicker Man’ for free, and considered it one of his best acting roles.
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2. He appeared in a movie every year since 1948, other than in the years 1995 and 2006.
3. He trained as a classical singer, and a keen musician. He released several heavy metal albums.
4. Sir Christopher was the only member of the Lord of the Rings cast to meet the books author, J.R.R. Tolkien. He read the trilogy once a year since it was published.
5. Sir Christopher Lee is in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the ‘World’s Tallest Leading Actor’. He stands at a mighty 6 ft 5.
6. Among countless other roles, he starred as Dracula, Gandalf, the Grand Master of the Knights Templar, and the Jabberwocky.
7. Sir Christopher played Dracula 10 times. And Dr. Fu Manchu five times.
8. He was given an Academy Fellowship BAFTA lifetime achievement award in 2011.
9. He was knighted in 2009 for his contribution to screen, the arts, and charity.
10. Sir Christopher suffered a broken hand while shooting a sword fighting scene with Errol Flynn, who was drunk. He carried on filming at the time.
11. This is his life view: “One should try anything he can in his career, except folkdance and incest.”
12. He’s the only acting star to be a Star Wars villain, a Bond baddie, and a monster in a full feature film.
13. He’s a World War Two veteran, and fought for the SAS, RAF, and was at one time an actual spy.
14. When he filmed The Hound of the Baskervilles, he had a real tarantula crawl on him, even though he was very, very scared of spiders.
15. Sir Christopher was interested in public executions and knew the names of every official executioner employed by England dating back to the mid-15th Century.
16.He married Danish model Birgit ‘Gitte’ Kroencke in 1961, and they went solid thereafter.
17. When alive, he had been in more films than any other living actor.
18. He could speak German, French, Italian, Spanish, and a little Swedish, Russian, and Greek.
http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/18-amazing-facts-Christopher-Lee/story-26680098-detail/story.html
RIP
Reminds me of a story where Peter Lorre supposedly quipped at Bela Lugosi's funeral: "Do you think we should drive a stake through his heart just in case?".
Better put a stake through his heart. Just to be sure.
RIP Sir Christopher. Thank you for the many years of entertainment you gave us.
RIP. Fave roles of his were “The Serial” and “Jinnah.”
I also remember him as the host of “Classic Monsters Month” in October 1993 on the SciFi Channel. Wonderful commentary.
One of the giants. He always elevated the material of what he was in. RIP.
I still like him best in the old Hammer films.