Sir Christopher Lee Rip

[drpaladin]

   If you needed a superb movie villain, you didn't have to look past Sir Christopher Lee. His towering height  at 6' 5" and haughty attitude struck fear into generations of film watchers. He passed away June 7th at 93 in London. His death was not reported to the media until today.

 

   His career spanned nearly seventy years and over 280 films. He was Count Dracula, Dr Fu Manchu, Frankenstein's monster, the Mummy, Scaramanga in "The Man with the Golden Gun," Count Dooku in "Star Wars II," Saruman in "Lord of the Rings," and so many others. He could do so much with just a look or a gesture. As an avid film buff, I shall miss him.

Edited June 11, 2015 by drpaladin

[Drew Espinosa]

He will be sorely missed. My condolences to his family.

 

[Carlos Hazday]

Someone I loved to hate! Haughty demeanor indeed.

[Thorn Wilde]

I was so sad to hear about this! Christopher Lee was an amazing actor and fantastic human being. He will be sorely missed!

[drpaladin]

  After reading the passage below, I must say that I wouldn't have minded listening to that voice at all; no matter how long he talked.

 

Despite his physical likeness to the Count, Lee’s affinity with his baleful character stopped there. Throughout his career he had a reputation for being a long-winded raconteur whose reminiscences tended to focus on himself. In 1976, when Lee left Britain for the US, the move prompted an acquaintance to joke that “the population of Los Angeles were dusting out their bomb shelters in anticipation of a barrage of anecdotes”. According to another account, on one occasion an actress got off an aircraft looking ashen and exhausted. Questioned about her health by airport staff, she explained that she had been seated next to Lee and that he had not stopped talking about himself during the 10-hour flight.

[Drew Espinosa]

Ninety three years on this planet, he had enough to talk about.

 

Rest in Peace, Sir Christopher Lee.

[Bill W]

Another great one has fallen, but he had a marvelous and long life.  RIP, Christopher! 

[drpaladin]

   Telegraph film critic Robbie Collin made this observation in his article on Christopher Lee's death and I felt it was insightful.

 

 The thing about Sir Christopher Lee being dead is that it doesn’t immediately strike you as being much of a career setback.

For as long as he was an actor (which was a very long time indeed; his first film role was a one-line part in Terence Young’s baroquely strange romance Corridor of Mirrors, in 1948), his characters have often exuded – not immortality, exactly, but a kind of ennobled deathlessness.

You always sensed they’d been around for longer than was perhaps entirely natural, and would more than likely outlast you.

[drpaladin]

   Christopher Lee's relationship with his best friend, the late Peter Cushing, touched me deeply. They appeared in 24 films together.

 

In his autobiography, he relates his first meeting with Peter Cushing during production of "The Curse of Frankenstein" (1957), in which he played the monster. Lee stormed into a dressing room where Cushing was sitting and angrily yelled "I haven't got any lines!" Cushing replied, "You're lucky; I've read the script.".

 

(on his friendship with Peter Cushing) I don't want to sound gloomy, but, at some point of your lives, every one of you will notice that you have in your life one person, one friend whom you love and care for very much. That person is so close to you that you are able to share some things only with him. For example, you can call that friend, and from the very first maniacal laugh or some other joke you will know who is at the other end of that line. We used to do that with him so often. And then when that person is gone, there will be nothing like that in your life ever again.

[drpaladin]

Turner Classic Movies is doing a Christopher Lee tribute this morning. I'm about to binge on my third Dracula film. I love those old Hammer films. 

Edited June 22, 2015 by drpaladin

[Celethiel]

he died

I am saddened... he was a cool character.