film, Lee took a turn as the formidable yet tragic
mummy Kharis and conveyed a sense of sadness and suffering through his eyes and gestures alone. Through- out the ’60s, Lee played a number of other memorable characters for Hammer, including the title role in Rasputin, The Mad Monk (1966) and, in a rare turn, the hero of The Devil Rides Out (1968), in which the incor- ruptible Duc de Richleau must battle a coven of devil worshippers to save the soul of a friend. When it came to his signature role, Lee played Drac-
ula four more times before the end of the decade in Drac- ula: Prince of Darkness (1966), Dracula has Risen from the Grave (1968), Taste the Blood of Dracula (1969) and Scars of Dracula (1970). In each film, his screen time was limited (he had no dialogue at all in Prince of Dark- ness), but this was made up for by increasingly elabo- rate vampire death scenes, such as being impaled on a large golden crucifix, drowning in his own moat and bursting into flames after being struck by a bolt of light- ning. Some of Lee’s most personally rewarding work came
about in the ’70s, as he moved away from gothic horror. In 1973 he played one of his favourite parts, the pagan leader Lord Summerisle in Robin Hardy’s cult master- piece The Wicker Man. The following year saw Lee take on the role of assassin Scaramanga opposite Roger Moore in the James Bond entry The Man with the Golden Gun, and he guest hosted NBC’s Saturday Night Live in 1978, demonstrating his flair for comedy. Gradually appearing in fewer pro-
ductions for Hammer (studio star In- grid Pitt discusses working for the company in its heyday on p.20), Lee grudgingly agreed to make two final Dracula flicks, Dracula, A.D. 1972 (1973) and The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1974), which saw the Count in 1970s London. Lee’s last film for the company – until it was recently reborn after going on hiatus in the mid-’80s – was To the Devil… A Daughter in 1976.
Over the next couple of decades he appeared in a
steady stream of films and television projects, but it was a small role in Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow (1999) that edged him back into the limelight for younger gen- erations. His pivotal part in The Lord of the Rings tril- ogy (2001-2003) marked the start of a major career revival that resulted in scores of new fans. This revival was further spurred on by his villainous turn as Count Dooku in the Star Wars prequels Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002) and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005). In addition, the life-long music lover has sung in sev-
eral of his films, including The Wicker Man, has col- laborated with a number of metal bands (including Manowar and Rhapsody), and has just released a new symphonic metal album titled Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross (see p.24). The multilingual actor (he’s fluent in eight languages) has also provided voice work for video games and lent his distinct baritone nar- ration to scores of film, television and radio projects. Once declared the “most bankable star in the
world,” by USA Today, Lee is as busy as ever with sev- eral projects in the works, including The Resident – the first feature release from the relaunched Hammer Films (see p.23) and The Wicker Tree – the follow-up to The Wicker Man. Sir Christopher Lee granted Rue Morgue an exten-
sive interview from his home in England – in which his commanding voice described a career of unparal- leled distinction.
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