Christopher Lee has passed away

[Elfdart]

Two of my favorite Christopher Lee movies (even though he wasn't the star, he really stole the show in both) are The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes where he played Mycroft, and Serial, where he played Luckman Skull: bank manager by day, leader of an all-gay motorcycle gang by night and on weekends. He's recruited by Martin Mull to rescue his daughter from a cult. You can see bits of them storming the compound in this clip.

Cultist: "We looooooove you!"

Skull: "That's nice, but are you willing to prove it?"

[Flagg]

I was never a big fan simply because pretty much all of his pre-LoTR and pre-SW stuff was kind of behind my time and I had never seen him in a noticeable standout role until then. But I'm sorry, I can't make myself feel bad for a man with that life who made it to 93. But his Saruman IS Saruman unless whoever plays him when they remake the movies in 20-30 years knocks it out of the park, and even then...

Nobody is asking you to feel bad for him. He got a far longer run than most people and he also made the most of it. I expect that most people who feel bad about his passing do so because they feel it as a personal loss for whatever personal reasons.

For myself, I'm of the opinion that he should be celebrated for his accomplishments, because that is a fitting tribute for someone who achieved so much. His loss is sad, but not on a personal level.

Oh, I wasn't trying to lessen his accomplishments in any way. I just think we should celebrate the lives of amazing people like him, who lived an extraordinary life that brought entertainment to billions and also lived to an extraordinary age, practicing his craft the entire time.

And I'm not saying people don't have a right to feel bad at his passing, but I will admit that I really have never felt particularly sad for rich celebrities (or just rich) who live very long accomplished lives and happen to die like everyone else that has ever lived. It's just... Alien to me to be sad instead of happy.

[Flagg]

There is a very little to not like about him. Such a great and unusual actor, and human in general.

He volunteered to fight for the Finns in the Winter War (never saw action, though); he had a long and active World War II service, including at least some time attached to Special Forces; after the war he was a Nazi hunter; then he was Dracula, a Bond villain, dozens of other great roles (many of them alongside the late great Peter Cushing), Saruman, Count Dooku, a metal singer ...

(And, hey, glad I managed to get in this thread before Flagg comes in and complains about another celebrity death thread)

You don't have the right to ever talk about me in any way you deviant piece of shit. And if you want to get into why, we can talk about it in testing where you made your filthy, abhorrent, and borderline psychopathic intimation.

[Elfdart]

Even though he was almost always the villain, I ended up rooting for Christopher Lee's character anyway because he was so goddamned cool.

[Bernkastel]

Even though he was almost always the villain, I ended up rooting for Christopher Lee's character anyway because he was so goddamned cool.

Ah, true. Right away, I think of his first scene in the The Two Towers, where he's talking about how Isengard and Mordor are going to crush everyone and rule Middle Earth. Since it's Christopher Lee making the speech, it ends up giving the wrong effect.

[Elfdart]

Turner Classic Movies will be playing a marathon of Christopher Lee movies June 22:

TCM Remembers Christopher Lee (1922-2015)

Turner Classic Movies Pays Tribute to Christopher Lee on Monday, June 22 with the following festival of films. This program will replace the previously scheduled movies for that day so please take note.

The new schedule for Monday, June 22 will be:
6:15 AM The Mummy (1959)
8:00 AM The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)
9:30 AM Horror of Dracula (1958)
11:00 AM Dracula, Prince of Darkness (1966)
12:45 PM Dracula Has Risen From the Grave (1969)
2:30 PM Horror Express (1972)
4:00 PM The Three Musketeers (1972)
6:00 PM The Four Musketeers (1975)


Self-described with typical good humor as "tall, dark and gruesome," Christopher Lee was a remarkably prolific leading man and character actor whose six decades-long film career made him among the world's most popular and recognizable performers. He languished in bit roles for almost a decade before achieving instant fame as an elegant and sexually charged Count Dracula in "Horror of Dracula" (1958) for England's legendary Hammer Studios. Its success led to almost two decades of fright fare, during which he brought elegance and devilish charm to some of the most memorable figures in horror, including the Frankenstein Monster, the Mummy, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Fu Manchu. In the 1970s, he grew weary of the typecasting and successfully distanced himself from the genre with roles in Richard Lester's "Three Musketeers" (1973), "Airport '77" (1977), "1941" (1979) and even a deftly comic appearance on "Saturday Night Live" (NBC, 1975- ). He remained exceptionally active into the 1980s and 1990s in American and international productions and television, and enjoyed a spectacular third act with significant parts in Tim Burton's "Sleepy Hollow" (1998), Episodes II and III of the "Star Wars" saga, and Peter Jackson's epic "Lord of the Rings" trilogy (2001-03). An icon to several generations of fans and filmmakers, Lee's acting career showed no signs of slowing in the slightest, even as he neared his ninth decade.

(Biography courtesy of TCMDb)

[Lost Soal]

Sir Ian's tribute to Sir Christopher, posted on facebook

Christopher Lee, CBE, CStJ (1922-2015)

When I arrived in New Zealand to start filming as Gandalf, in the first week of the 21st Century, Peter Jackson held a dinner for some of the cast. I was happily next to Christopher Lee who I had known of throughout my actor-admiring life. He'd been cast as the white wizard Saruman but his opening line to me was: "I've always thought I should play Gandalf. I read 'Lord of the Rings' every year - sometimes twice."

He then treated me to a snatch of the black speech of Mordor and I felt inadequate. Not that that was Chris's intention: he was 78 and well practised in the art of gentlemanly rectitude. The epitome of "tall, dark and handsome" kept any inner demons for his acting Dracula, Frankenstein's monster and, once, as Sherlock Holmes.

It's what made his Saruman so effective. With his long beard and white robes, he had the air of a stern yet benign Pope that belied his ambition to rule Middle-earth, with cruelty and spite.

Between our facing-off on the set, he could easily be persuaded to reminisce. After all there were over 200 films on his CV and a couple of singing albums. His earliest intention was to be an opera bass., Touchingly he was a little nervous at the outset. "Peter made me do my first speech 10 times!!" I told him not to worry as the previous day I'd had to repeat a scene 27 times. His dark eyes widened and glinted but he didn't complain again.

Peter was tickled to have his Hammer Horror hero as the villain and devised a spectacular death to acknowledge his vampiric past - falling onto a spike which pierced his dastardly heart. Chris didn't much approve and I think the episode can only be seen in the extended Director's Cut.

An odd pity that he didn't work in the theatre, nor direct a film, like his idol Laurence Olivier who had Chris as a spear-carrier in his film of 'Hamlet.' But he was justly proud of the span and success of his career in movies and when knighted must, like all of us, have been pleased to share a title with Sir Larry.

The last time Saruman and Gandalf filmed together was 'round a table in Rivendell but while Galadriel, Elrond and I were in the Wellington studio, Sir Christopher's interjections were filmed in London some months later. You can't tell. In movies, all is not as it seems.

Yet when he joined the "Star Wars" cast he said he did all his own stunts without benefit of a stand-in. That certainly wasn't true of his gravity-defying fight with Gandalf. I suspect he just wanted to declare he was in old age fit for purpose. He needn't have worried. His acting prowess never declined. -- Ian McKellen, June 2015

[Terralthra]

He recorded a death metal Christmas album, at 90. When 90 years old you reach, be as badass you will not.

[cmdrjones]

Even though he was almost always the villain, I ended up rooting for Christopher Lee's character anyway because he was so goddamned cool.

Ah, true. Right away, I think of his first scene in the The Two Towers, where he's talking about how Isengard and Mordor are going to crush everyone and rule Middle Earth. Since it's Christopher Lee making the speech, it ends up giving the wrong effect.

I disagree, it was THE right effect, evil is much more attractive and interesting than Good. Otherwise, Evil wouldn't be much of a problem, would it?

[Elfdart]

The Paramount Vault has been kind enough to post Serial (the entire NSFW movie) HERE.

[Bernkastel]

Thanks for the link.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

It was so sad when I heard about this on the radio; I would have posted sooner but for broadband problems. I also remember his performance in the 2005 remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. What I didn't know was he also played the villain in The Man with the Golden Gun- I've seen that film countless times and never made the connection.

[Civil War Man]

I've been watching a bunch of Christopher Lee stuff this week as a memorial. Movies, clips of movies I couldn't find, music videos, etc.

Found this gem on Youtube, though.