Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/527016
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 14 JUNE 2015 This Week 41 VETERAN British actor Sir Chris- topher Lee, known for his roles in Dracula, James Bond and Lord of the Rings franchises, died in hospi- tal last Sunday. He was 93. He was being treated for respiratory prob- lems and heart failure at London's Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, sources close to the family told the British media. The impressively cheekboned and preternaturally tall actor was a com- manding presence that inspired cult admiration, and thanks to his roles in key genre films, secured a fan base that spanned several generations. An early trademark role was his take on Count Dracula for the British com- pany Hammer Studios in 1958. Though not the first Dracula to enter the cinematic sphere in a mainstream way – that honour be- longs to Bela Lugosi – Lee crafted a distinctive look and feel for Bram Stoker's vampiric Count, aided by Hammer's infamously lurid - though much-loved - baroque aesthetic. Subsequent Dracula sequels from the Hammer stable would yield di- minishing returns, but Lee's reach spread far and wide - notably, he also played the villainous Francisco Scar- amanga in the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) - a franchise based on novels by his cousin Ian Fleming - and his turn as Lord Summerisle in the haunting British horror film The Wicker Man (1973) was another early highlight which resonates to this day. He would later grow weary of being so closely associated with the horror genre, resenting the term "horror legend" being applied to him and insisting that his iconic horror roles made up a only small percentage of his overall work. And he had a point, because apart from cult milestones and crowd pleasers, Lee didn't exactly cherry- pick his roles. His distinctive looks and booming voice ensured he left a trademark stamp in all the pro- ductions he appeared in, eventually amassing a total of 208 titles in his filmography. Later generations would embrace the actor too, as he returned to the realms of the fantastic with key roles in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies (as turncoat-wizard Saru- man) and in the much-maligned but financially successful Star Wars pre- quels, playing the scheming – and highly acrobatic – 'Sith' Lord Count Dooku. But despite leaving an indelible mark on the cinematic landscape via the many theatrical arch-villains he embodied, Lee credited Jinnah (1998), a biographical film about the founder of Pakistan, as his fa- vourite film. The actor was knighted for services to drama and charity in 2009, received the BAFTA Fel- lowship in 2011 and received the BFI Fel- lowship in 2013. Curiously - though also delightfully ap- propriate in the eyes of many fans - Lee also devoted his vocal talents to a number of heavy metal projects, most prominently the symphonic metal albums concept albums Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross (2010) and Charlemagne: The Omens of Death (2013). Lee is survived by his wife Birgit Krøncke and their daughter, Christina. When asked what the secret to his enduring marriage was, Lee said, "Marry some- one wonderful". Lord of the Rings and Dracula star Christopher Lee dies at 93 The veteran British actor was an enduring silver screen presence, embodying iconic roles such as Count Dracula and Saruman in the Lord of the Rings trilogy Though subsequent Dracula sequels would yield diminishing returns, Christoper Lee's take on Bram Stoker's vampiric count made cinema history Lee would endear himself to a younger generation as Saruman, the treacherous wizard of The Lord of the Rings saga – a role he returned to in the series' Hobbit prequel trilogy Lee even dipped into the James Bond series as Francisco Scaramanga, the titular Man with the Golden Gun While it may not stack up with his blockbuster roles, Lee's embodiment of the charismatic, though dangerous, Lord Summerisle in The Wicker Man is considered iconic to this day