Christopher Lee (1922-2015)

Some actors aren't afraid of becoming icons, and Christopher Lee was one of them.  Few actors have had the storied careers that he had, starting with his early battles with Errol Flynn, and then what would become one of the hallmarks of his careers, playing the classic Universal movie monsters.  While he would don the makeup of Frankenstein's monster and the bandages of the mummy, it was his portrayal as Dracula, a dangerous and sexy movie monster who was aided by Lee's handsomeness and tall physique, that made him a star.  He starred in ten vampire films, and would frequently find himself in the villainous roles in movies.

One of my very first encounters with Lee was in the film Sleepy Hollow.  My brother and I were watching with my parents when Lee's brief cameo as the Burgomaster came on and my mom squealed with both laughter and terror.  I was curious as to why, and she told me with complete declarative thrill, "that's Christopher Lee-he's Dracula."  It was a testament to Lee, who is one of many actors to have donned the cape, that he was able to so masterfully become a stock movie character that someone would refer to him as simply "the" Dracula.

For me, however, he would become Saruman.  As the Lord of the Rings films unfolded, Lee was a constant highlight for me.  I would watch his evil sorcerer, someone who cared little for anything but power, and was struck by how compelling Lee was that he felt almost like a villain that could emerge victorious, so rare in blockbusters.  He had a mad man's capability backed by just enough logic that you could see why people turned to him  I had a giant poster of Lee in my bedroom growing up, the hoards of uruk hai below him, with his cackle of "TO WAR!" thundering across the screen.  Due in no small part to Lee's brilliance in the film, The Two Towers remains my favorite of all of the Lord of the Rings films.

But with 250 movies, everyone has a favorite Christopher Lee moment onscreen.  He wasn't an actor who won Oscars, but he surely was one who made an impression.  Whether as Dracula, Saruman, Fu Manchu, Count Dooku, Lord Summerisle, or the Man with the Golden Gun, he always made his mark onscreen and commanded movie audiences to cower in fear, much to their delight.