Christopher Lee
Biography
Christopher Lee (May 5, 1922 – June 7, 2015) was an English actor and musician. Lee initially portrayed villains and became famous for his role as Count Dracula in a string of Hammer Horror films. Other notable roles include Lord Summerisle in The Wicker Man (1973), Francisco Scaramanga in The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), Count Dooku in Star Wars episodes II and III (2002, 2005) and Saruman in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001–2003). Lee considers his most important role to have been his portrayal of Pakistan's founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah in the biopic Jinnah (1998). He is well known for his deep, commanding voice. Lee has performed roles in 266 films since 1948 making him the Guinness book world record holder for most film acting roles ever. He was knighted in 2009 and received the BAFTA Fellowship in 2011.
Gallery
Known For
Acting History
2025
Legacy of Screams: The Evolution of Horror Movies as Self - (archive footage)
2024The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim as Saruman (voice)
2024Hammer: Heroes, Legends and Monsters as Self (archive footage)
2024Constel·lació Portabella as (archive footage)
2024Children of the Wicker Man as Self (archive footage)
2024The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee as Self / Various (Archive)
2023Faces of Death as (archive footage)
2020Peter Cushing: In His Own Words as Himself
2019La gran il·lusió, relat intermitent del cinema català as Self (archive footage)
2017Drácula Barcelona as Himself
2017Dark Glamour: The Blood and Guts of Hammer Productions as Self - Actor / Various Roles (archive footage)
2015Angels in Notting Hill as The Boss / Mr. President (voice)
2015Fifty Shades of Erotica as (archive footage)
2014The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies as Saruman the White
2014Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films as Corrigan (archive footage) (uncredited)
2014How to Be Sherlock Holmes: The Many Faces of a Master Detective as Self
2014Face of Unity as Self
2013The Trail of Dracula as Self (Archival Footage)
2013The Girl from Nagasaki as Old Officer Pinkerton
2013Necessary Evil: Super-Villains of DC Comics as Narrator
2013Night Train to Lisbon as Father Bartholomeu
2013Extraordinary Tales as Narrator (voice) (segment 'The Fall of the House of Usher')
2012Christopher Lee: A Legacy of Horror and Terror as Self
2012The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey as Saruman the White
2012The Fall of the House Of Usher as The Narrator
2012Top Gear: 50 Years of Bond Cars as Self
2012Dracula vs. Vampir
2012Everything or Nothing as Self
2012The Complete Bob Wilkins Creature Features
2012Dark Shadows as Clarney
2012Back to Black: The Making of Dracula Prince of Darkness as Dracula (archive footage)
2012Enzo Ferrari 1898 - 1988 as Narrator
2012Shoot the Moon: The Making of 'Hugo' as Self
2011Hugo as Monsieur Labisse
2011The Wicker Tree as Old Man
2011The Resident as August
2011Season of the Witch as Cardinal D'Ambroise
2010Christopher Lee: Gentleman of Horror as Self
2010Burke & Hare as Old Joseph
2010Boogie Woogie as Mr. Alfred Rhinegold
2010The Heavy as Mr. Mason
2010Alice in Wonderland as Jabberwocky (voice)
2009Glorious 39 as Older Walter Page
2009Triage as Joaquín Morales
2008The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Original Poem as Narrator (voice)
2008Star Wars: The Clone Wars as Count Dooku (voice)
2008The Colour of Magic as Death
2008Fanex Files: Hammer Films as Self
2007The Golden Compass as First High Councilor
2007Tasmanian Devil: The Fast and Furious Life of Errol Flynn as Narrator (voice)
2007The Alan Titchmarsh Show as Self
2007Amazon Trek: In Search of Vanishing Secrets as Narrator
2007Rhapsody of Fire: Visions from the Enchanted Lands as Self
2007Famous Monster: Forrest J Ackerman as Self (archive footage)
2007Hollywood Chinese as Self
2007Ein Leben wie im Flug as Self
2007Beloved Count as Self
2007Bloody Jess as Self
2006Semperopernball as Self
2006Witch's Dungeon: 40 Years of Chills as Self
2005Pope John Paul II as Kardinal Stefan Wyszyński
2005The Adventures of Greyfriars Bobby as The Lord Provost
2005Corpse Bride as Pastor Galswells (voice)
2005Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as Dr. Wonka
2005Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith as Count Dooku
2004A Filmmaker's Journey: Making 'The Return of the King' as Self
2004The Story of Star Wars as Count Dooku (archive footage)
2004Crimson Rivers II: Angels of the Apocalypse as Emerich
2004Willkommen bei Carmen Nebel as Self
2003The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King as Saruman (Extended Cut)
2003Beyond the Movie: The Return of the King as Self
2003Drácula en la Hammer as Christopher Lee
2003The Making of 'The Two Towers'
2003Whales of Atlantis: In Search of Moby Dick as Self - Narrator (voice)
2002The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers as Saruman
2002Best Ever Bond as Self / Scaramanga
2002From Puppets to Pixels: Digital Characters in 'Episode II' as Self / Count Dooku
2002Perversion Stories as Self
2002To the Devil... The Death of Hammer
2002Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones as Count Dooku
2002The Making of 'The Fellowship of the Ring' as Self
2001Burnt Offering: The Cult of The Wicker Man
2001Beyond the Movie: The Fellowship of the Ring as Self
2001The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring as Saruman
2001Passage to Middle-Earth: The Making of 'The Lord of the Rings' as Self
2001Quest for the Ring as Self
2001R2-D2: Beneath the Dome as Self
2001The Wicker Man Enigma as Himself
2001The Devil's Island: Journey Into Jungle Alcatraz as Narrator
2001Aeschbacher as Self
2000Ghost Stories for Christmas as Narrator
2000In the Beginning as Rameses I
2000Sleepy Hollow: Behind the Legend as Self
2000Inside 'The Man with the Golden Gun'
2000Gormenghast as Flay
2000The Many Faces of Dracula as Narrator
2000Ian Fleming: 007's Creator as Self
1999Sleepy Hollow as Burgomaster
1999The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Adventures in the Secret Service as Count Ottokar Graf Czernin
1998Ex-S: The Wicker Man as Self
1998Jinnah as Muhammad Ali Jinnah
1998Dare To Dream: The Making of Jinnah as Self
1998Tale of the Mummy as Sir Richard Turkel
1998100 Years of Horror as Presenter
1998The Mummy as Self - Host
1997Soul Music as Death (voice)
1997The Odyssey as Tiresias
1997Wyrd Sisters as Death (voice)
1997Soul Music as Death (voice)
1997Ivanhoe as Lucas de Beaumanoir
1996Welcome to the Discworld as Death
1996100 Years of Horror as Self - Host
1996Vem Var Dracula as Self
1996The Stupids as Evil Sender
1996In the Footsteps of Sherlock Holmes
1996Moses as Pharaoh
1996Moïse as Pharaoh
1996The Man Who Ruined the British Film Industry as Self
1996Alisea and the Dream Prince as Azaret
1996A Century of Science Fiction as Narrator (voice)
1996The Many Faces of Christopher Lee
1995A Pleasant Terror: The Life and Ghosts of M.R. James as Self
1995Moses as Ramses
1995In Search of James Bond with Jonathan Ross as Self
1995Tales of Mystery and Imagination as Narrator
1994A Feast at Midnight as V. E. 'Raptor' Longfellow
1994The World of Hammer as Self (archive footage)
1994Flesh and Blood: The Hammer Heritage of Horror as Narrator (voice) / Self
1994Funny Man as Callum Chance
1994Police Academy: Mission to Moscow as Commandant Rakov
1994The Rainbow Thief as Uncle Rudolf
1994Brisant as Self
1993Blue Heelers as Scott James
1993Death Train as General Konstanin Benin
1992Cyber Eden as Cedric
1992Double Vision as Mr. Bernard
1992Innocent Blood as Count Dracula (archive footage)
1992The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles as Count Ottokar Graf Czerin
1992Sherlock Holmes: Incident at Victoria Falls as Sherlock Holmes
1992Beauty and the Beast as Monsieur Renard (voice)
1991Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady as Sherlock Holmes
1991Fear in the Dark as Narrator
1991Curse III: Blood Sacrifice as Dr. Pearson
1991Journey of Honor as King Philip
1990The Care of Time as Karlis Zander
1990Gremlins 2: The New Batch as Doctor Catheter
1990The Miser as Cardinale Spinosi
1990Stern TV as Self
1990Treasure Island as Blind Pew
1989Honeymoon Academy as Lazos
1989The French Revolution as Sanson (« Les Années terribles »)
1989Murder Story as Willard Hope
1989Night of the Eagles as Walter Strauss
1989The French Revolution as Sanson
1989Around the World in 80 Days as Stuart
1989The Return of the Musketeers as Rochefort
1988Dark Mission: Flowers of Evil as Luis Morel
1988Olympus Force: The Key as Filly
1987Seitenblicke as self
1987Creepy Classics as Franklyn Marsh - (archive footage)
1987The Girl as Peter Storm
1987Mio in the Land of Faraway as Kato
1987Hammer: The Studio That Dripped Blood as Self
1986The Disputation as King James of Aragon
1986Un métier de seigneur as Fog
1986Jocks as President White
1986Shaka Zulu as Lord Bathurst
1986Wedden, dat..? as Self
1985Mask of Murder as Chief Supt. Jonathan Rich
1985Howling II: Stirba - Werewolf Bitch as Stefan Crosscoe
1985The Many Faces of Sherlock Holmes as Himself - Presenter
1985The Best of All Time Horror Classics
1984The Rosebud Beach Hotel as King
1984The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers as King Vladimir V
1984The Bengal Lancers! as Sir James Hunter
1984The Far Pavilions as Rao-Sahib
1983House of the Long Shadows as Corrigan
1983The Return of Captain Invincible as Mr. Midnight
1983New Magic as Mr. Kellar
1983Errol Flynn: Portrait of a Swashbuckler as Narrator
1982The Last Unicorn as King Haggard (voice)
1982The Rank Charm School as Self
1982Charles & Diana: A Royal Love Story as Prince Philip
1982Faerie Tale Theatre as King Vladimir V
1982Massarati and the Brain as Victor Leopold
1982Safari 3000 as Count Borgia
1982Champs-Elysées as Self
1982Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers! as Self (archive footage)
1981Goliath Awaits as John McKenzie
1981An Eye for an Eye as Morgan Canfield
1981Evil Stalks This House as Host
1981The Salamander as Prince Baldasar, the Director of Counterintelligence
1981Wetten, dass..? as Self
1980Once Upon a Spy as Marcus Valorium
1980Serial as Luckman Skull
1980Desperate Moves as Dr. Carl Boxer
19791941 as Capt. Wolfgang von Kleinschmidt
1979Bear Island as Lechinski
1979Captain America II: Death Too Soon as Miguel
1979Jaguar Lives! as Adam Caine
1979Arabian Adventure as Caliph Alquazar
1979The Passage as Gypsy
1979The Horror Show as (archive footage)
1978The Pirate as Samir Al Fay
1978Mickey's 50 as Self
1978Caravans as Sardar Khan
1978Circle of Iron as Zetan
1978Return from Witch Mountain as Victor Gannon
1977Starship Invasions as Captain Rameses
1977The Occult: Mysteries Of The Supernatural as Narrator
1977End of the World as Father Pergado / Zindar
1977Airport '77 as Martin Wallace
1977Meatcleaver Massacre as On-Screen Narrator
1977How the West Was Won as The Grand Duke
1977Auf los geht's los as Self
1976Charlie's Angels as Dale Woodman
1976Dracula and Son as Le prince des Ténèbres
1976Death in the Sun as Bill
1976To the Devil a Daughter as Father Michael
1976Killer Force as Major Chilton
1976The Keeper as The Keeper
1975Saturday Night Live as Self - Host
1975Space: 1999 as Captain Zandor
1975In Search of Dracula as Self – Host / Vlad Tepes / Count Dracula
1975The Butcher, the Star and the Orphan as Satanus / Van Krig
1974The Man with the Golden Gun as Francisco Scaramanga
1974The Four Musketeers as Rochefort
1974Diagnosis: Murder as Dr. Stephen Hayward
1973The Three Musketeers as Rochefort
1973The Wicker Man as Lord Summerisle
1973Orson Welles' Great Mysteries as Arnaud
1973Dark Places as Dr. Ian Mandeville
1973The Satanic Rites of Dracula as Count Dracula
1973Nothing But the Night as Col. Charles Bingham
1973Poor Devil as Lucifer
1973The Creeping Flesh as James Hildern
1972Death Line as Stratton-Villiers, MI5
1972Horror Express as Prof. Sir Alexander Saxton
1972Dracula A.D. 1972 as Count Dracula
1972Vampir Cuadecuc as Self
1972Umbracle as The Man
1971Hannie Caulder as Bailey
1971I, Monster as Dr. Charles Marlowe / Mr. Edward Blake
1971Theatre Macabre as Self - Host
1971The House That Dripped Blood as John Reid (segment 3 "Sweets to the Sweet")
1970Scars of Dracula as Dracula
1970The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes as Mycroft Holmes
1970Julius Caesar as Artemidorus
1970Treffpunkte as Self
1970Taste the Blood of Dracula as Dracula
1970One More Time as Dracula
1970Count Dracula as Dracula
1970Eugenie as Dolmance
1970The Bloody Judge as Lord George Jeffreys
1970Scream and Scream Again as Fremont
1969The Magic Christian as Ship's Vampire
1969The Oblong Box as Dr. J. Neuhartt
1969The Castle of Fu Manchu as Dr. Fu Man Chu
1969Quelle horreur mon saigneur Dracula as Self
1968Curse of the Crimson Altar as J.D. Morley
1968Dracula Has Risen from the Grave as Dracula
1968The Blood of Fu Manchu as Dr. Fu Man Chu
1968The Devil Rides Out as Duc de Richleau
1968Eve as Colonel Stuart
1968The Movie Orgy as Fu Manchu/Dracula (archive footage)
1967The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism as Count Frederic Regula / Graf von Andomai
1967Five Golden Dragons as Dragon #4
1967Theatre of Death as Philippe Darvas
1967The Vengeance of Fu Manchu as Dr. Fu Manchu
1967Night of the Big Heat as Godfrey Hanson
1966The Brides of Fu Manchu as Fu Manchu
1966Circus of Fear as Gregor
1966Rasputin: The Mad Monk as Grigori Rasputin
1966Dracula: Prince of Darkness as Count Dracula
1965The Skull as Sir Matthew Phillips
1965The Face of Fu Manchu as Dr. Fu Man Chu
1965Ten Little Indians as Mr. U.N. Owen (voice)
1965She as Billali
1965Dr. Terror's House of Horrors as Franklyn Marsh
1964The Gorgon as Prof. Karl Meister
1964The Castle of the Living Dead as Count Drago
1964The Devil-Ship Pirates as Captain Robeles
1964Crypt of the Vampire as Count Ludwig Karnstein
1964Horror!!! as Self
1963The Whip and the Body as Kurt Menliff
1963Horror Castle as Erich
1963Corridors of Blood as Resurrection Joe
1963Challenge the Devil as Mephistoles
1962Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace as Sherlock Holmes
1962The Alfred Hitchcock Hour as Karl Jorla
1962The Devil's Agent as Baron Ferdi von Staub
1962Lolita as Kharis, the Mummy (archive footage) (uncredited)
1962The Pirates of Blood River as Captain LaRoche
1962Secret of the Red Orchid as Capt. Allerman
1961The Mike Douglas Show as Self
1961Hercules in the Haunted World as King Lico (Licos)
1961The Devil's Daffodil as Ling Chu
1961Taste of Fear as Doctor Pierre Gerrard
1961The Terror of the Tongs as Chung King
1961The Avengers as Professor Stone
1961The Avengers as Colonel Mannering
1960The Hands of Orlac as Nero the magician
1960Too Hot to Handle as Novak
1960The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll as Paul Allen
1960The City of the Dead as Prof. Alan Driscoll
1960Beat Girl as Kenny King
1959Uncle Was a Vampire as Baron Roderico da Frankurten
1959The Mummy as Kharis, the Mummy
1959The Treasure of San Teresa as Jaeger
1959The Man Who Could Cheat Death as Dr. Pierre Gerrard
1959The Hound of the Baskervilles as Sir Henry Baskerville
1959Stars in the Ring as Self
1959One Step Beyond as Wilhelm Reitlinger
1958The Adventures of William Tell as Prince Erik
1958Dracula as Count Dracula
1958A Tale of Two Cities as Marquis St. Evremonde
1958Ivanhoe as Sir Otto from the Rhine
1958Battle of the V-1 as Brunner
1957The Truth About Women as Francois Thiers
1957Bitter Victory as Sgt. Barney
1957Manuela as Voice (voice)
1957Sailor of Fortune as Yusif Carnot
1957The Curse of Frankenstein as The Creature
1957Fortune Is a Woman as Charles Highbury
1957The Traitor as Doctor Neumann
1957Ill Met by Moonlight as German officer at The Dentist's office
1956The Battle of the River Plate as Manolo
1956Beyond Mombasa as Gil Rossi
1956The Errol Flynn Theatre as The Visitant
1956The Errol Flynn Theatre as Compte de Merret
1956The Errol Flynn Theatre as Maurice Gabet
1956The Errol Flynn Theatre as General Hamelin
1956Port Afrique as Franz Vermes
1956Alexander the Great as Nectenabus (voice)
1956Colonel March of Scotland Yard as Jeanpierre
1956Private's Progress as Major Schultz
1955Storm Over the Nile as Karaga Pasha
1955Alias John Preston as John Preston
1955The Cockleshell Heroes as Submarine Commander Alan Grieves
1955The Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel as Louis (uncredited)
1955Moby Dick Rehearsed as A Stage Manager /Flask
1955Police Dog as Johnny, a constable
1955The Dark Avenger as French Patrol Captain at Tavern (uncredited)
1955Contraband Spain as Narrador (voz)
1955That Lady as Capitán
1955Cross-Roads as Harry Cooper
1954Mark Saber as Larry Spence
1954The Awakening as Factory proprietor (uncredited)
1954The Mirror and Markheim as Visitant
1953Innocents in Paris as Lieutenant Whitlock
1953The Top and the Ball as Father
1952Moulin Rouge as Georges Seurat (uncredited)
1952Babes in Bagdad as Slave Dealer
1952Paul Temple Returns as Sir Felix Raybourne
1952Top Secret as Russian Agent (uncredited)
1952The Crimson Pirate as Joseph (attache)
1951Quo Vadis as Chariot Driver (uncredited)
1951Valley of the Eagles as Det. Holt
1951Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N. as Spanish Captain
1950Prelude to Fame as Newsman
1950They Were Not Divided as Chris Lewis
1949Trottie True as Hon. Bongo Icklesham
1948Hamlet as Palace Guard (uncredited)
1948Scott of the Antarctic as Bernard Day
1948Saraband for Dead Lovers as Herzog Anthony von Wolfenbüttel
1948Penny and the Pownall Case as Jonathan Blair
1948A Song for Tomorrow as Auguste
1948One Night with You as Pirelli's Assistant
1948Corridor of Mirrors as Charles
—Robin Hardy's Script - The Lost Ending as Lord Summerisle
—The Wicker Man At 50 as Lord Summerisle
—Science Fiction Film Awards as Himself