Christopher Lee, one of the tallest actors to ever come out of England, was indeed larger than life, and it was remarkable to see how active his career was late in his life. It’s hard to imagine Lee being gone, because he’s been with us for so long, but the acting great has unfortunately passed at the age of 93.
Directors like George Lucas and Peter Jackson worked with Lee because he played Dracula and Frankenstein in the classic British Hammer films, and it was remarkable to see his career have a late act revival with the Lord of the Rings series, and his appearances in the Star Wars prequels.
Because of Lee’s height, he was cast in horror films, but he wouldn’t curse being typecast, and was very proud of his career. Like the other giants of horror like Chaney, Karloff and Lugosi, Lee made his mark, scaring the hell out of audiences, and reinventing himself for today’s generation in the Star Wars and LOTR films.
As the L.A. Times reports, many filmmakers have tweeted their memories and respects to the man, including Stephen King, who called Lee the original king of the vampires, and Sir Roger Moore, who battled Lee in the Man With the Golden Gun, and called him one of his oldest friends, having first met in 1948.
As Frodo, Elijah Wood, tweeted, “An extraordinary man and life lead, Sir Christopher Lee. You were an icon, and a towering human being with stories for days. We’ll miss you.” Agreed.
