Profile of the Day: Christopher Lee

It was announced today that actor Christopher Lee passed away on June 7 at the age of 93.

A prolific actor, Lee was best known for playing villains in some of cinema’s most iconic franchises, including Count Dracula in a sequence of Hammer Horror films, Saruman in The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Count Dooku in two Star Wars prequels.

Lee was born Christopher Frank Carandini Lee on May 27, 1922 in London, England. His father was a Lieutenant Colonel in the 60th King’s Royal Rifle Corps and fought in the Boer War and in World War I. At the outbreak of World War II, Lee volunteered to fight for the Finnish forces. He later joined the Royal Air Force, but poor eyesight prevented him from becoming a pilot. Lee served as an intelligence officer in the RAF Intelligence.

Throughout his long career, Lee made over 250 films and continued to act as he entered his 90s, most recently reprising his Lord of the Rings role as Saruman in The Hobbit trilogy.

RIP Christopher Lee.

View Christopher Lee’s Geni Profile

Image: Wikimedia Commons