Random Christopher Lee: Way More Hardcore Than Saruman (20 items)

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  (#1) He Holds Three Guinness World Records

  Christopher Lee did not like to sit idle. He once said, “I want to die with my boots on,” and he did just that (well, metaphorically anyway). The actor died in 2015, just a couple of months before he was going to start his gazillionth film. In 2007, Guinness World Records honored him with the title of most screen credits held by any living actor, with 244 credits under his belt. Since 2007, he added 24 more credits to that list.

  But that’s not his only world record. He also holds the title for being the tallest leading actor in history, standing at 6’5’’. Later, Vince Vaughan went on to share that title with him. Lee also holds the title of most films with a swordfight by an actor, having dueled in 17 films. Of course, this includes his lightsaber fights as Count Dooku in Star Wars.
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  (#2) Christopher Lee Had An Impressive (And Top Secret) Military Career

  Christopher Lee kicked some serious Nazi ass during WWII. In the beginning of the war, Lee helped out the Finnish by fighting against the Russians in 1939. When the British officially joined the war, Lee worked for the Special Air Service (SAS), and ran top secret missions. He fought in North Africa and then later moved on to Winston Churchill’s Special Operations Executive (SOE) and hunted Nazi criminals throughout Europe and liberated camps.

  “I was attached to the SAS from time to time but we are forbidden – former, present, or future – to discuss any specific operations. Let’s just say I was in the Special Forces and leave it at that. People can read in to that what they like,” Lee said. So, uh, that's unspeakably cool. The details of Lee’s participation in the Special Forces is still classified. He's more James Bond than actual James Bond.

  The name is Lee, Christopher Lee. 
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  (#3) He's Related To Charlemagne And Robert E. Lee

  Christopher Lee has a pretty impressive family tree. Lee’s mother was an Italian countess and famous beauty who modeled for a handful of prominent painters and sculptors. Through her, Lee could trace his lineage all the way back to King Charlemagne. Lee’s family even bears Charlemagne’s coat of arms.

  Lee was also a distant relative of another famous man: American Civil War general Robert E. Lee. As if his family tree needed to get any cooler, Lee is also a step-cousin of Ian Fleming. Lee’s mother divorced his father and remarried Harcourt George St. Croix Rose, Fleming’s uncle. Lee would later work with Fleming on the James Bond film, The Man with the Golden Gun.
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  (#4) He Saw France's Last Public Execution

  Christopher Lee had a taste for the macabre, even before his days of playing monsters. In 1939, Lee found himself in France after his stepfather went bankrupt and could no longer afford Lee’s expensive private school. So what does a 17 year old do on a nice summer day in France? Attend a public execution.

  On June 17, a man accused of multiple homicides, Eugen Weidmann, became the last man to be publicly executed in France. And, because everything in Lee's life was metal, the dude was f*cking guillotined. Insanely, you can watch the execution on YouTube (if that's the sort of thing you're interested in watching).

  Lee witnessing the execution must have stirred up a deep interest with him on the subject matter. He ended up studying the history of public executions and he knew the names of every public executioner in England, dating back to the 15th century.
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  (#5) He Knows What Stabbing Sounds Like

  After his notable (and top-secret) military career, Lee saw a lot of the atrocities that went along with WWII. “When the Second World War finished I was 23 and already I had seen enough horror to last me a lifetime. I’d seen dreadful, dreadful things, without saying a word. So seeing horror depicted on film doesn’t affect me much,” he said in an interview

  That being said, he’s much more acquainted with death than your regular actor. When Lee was filming Return of the King, he actually schooled director Peter Jackson on what happens to a person when they are stabbed in the back. Jackson wanted Lee’s character Saruman to cry out in pain when he was stabbed in the scene above. But then Lee turned to Jackson and asked, “Have you any idea what kind of noise happens when somebody is stabbed in the back? Because I do.” The person does not cry out at all, because they are physically unable to. As Lee explained, when a person is stabbed in the back “the breath is driven out of the body.”

  So that’s why, if you watch the scene above, Saruman is gasping for air when Grima Wormtongue stabs him in the back.  
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  (#6) Christopher Lee Could Have Been An Opera Singer If He Wanted

  Lee was a very gifted singer, with a powerful voice that was on par with some of the world’s best tenors. In fact, it's likely he could have pursued a career in opera if he had continued his training. See, Lee’s family has a background in opera.

  His grandparents actually opened up the first opera company in Australia. He was invited to join the opera house by world famous tenor Jussi Bjorling. Bjorling even wanted to take young Lee under his wing and train him personally because he saw so much potential in him.
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  (#7) He Climbed Mt. Vesuvius Three Days Before It Erupted

  While Lee was on military leave in Naples in 1944, he climbed Mount Vesuvius just three days before it erupted. Now, imagine him saying “Smoke rises from the Mountain of Doom Vesuvius. The hour grows late and Gandalf the Grey rides to Isengard seeking my counsel.”

  The mountain (Vesuvius, not Doom) erupted on March 17, 1944, about four years into WWII. That was the last time the volcano acted up. The eruption killed 26 people and displaced 12,000. Lee was pretty lucky to have just missed it. But of course, the most famous eruption of Vesuvius occurred in 79 A.D., when it smothered Herculaneum and Pompeii, killing about 30,000 people.
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  (#8) Christopher Lee Met Rasputin's Alleged Assassins

  Rasputin’s death is contested in some circles. The story goes that he was poisoned, shot, beaten, and then finally drowned. The assassins responsible are thought to be Prince Yusupov and Duke Dmitri Pavlovich.

  Christopher Lee had a deeper connection to his role as Rasputin in Hammer’s The Mad Monk than most people are aware of. He had actually met Yusupov and Pavlovich as a child due to his mother’s royal connections.

  “I was pulled out of bed in the middle of the night by my mother. She said there are two people here in black tie and tuxedos, you will remember having met them - but that’s about all,” Lee said.  “And then of course years later it meant a great deal. But I can’t remember their faces. Then I played the part in ’65, although it was not correctly played, because even then Prince Yusupov was alive and he would always bring legal action against anybody who used his name or his wife’s name in a film.”
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  (#9) He Could Have Played Dr. No

  Lee and Ian Fleming were family, and (probably with a bit of a nudge from Fleming), Lee was a shoo-in for a role in the Bond franchise. Lee played Scaramanga in The Man with the Golden Gun, but Fleming had originally wanted his cousin to play another Bond villain.

  “He wanted me to play Dr. No, but by the time he got around to remembering to tell the producers, they’d already cast someone else. Spilt milk,” Lee said in an interview with Total Film. “And unfortunately Ian wasn’t with us when I did Scaramanga, who is not remotely like the character in the book. In Fleming’s novel he’s just a West Indian thug, but in the film he’s charming, elegant, amusing, lethal… I played him like the dark side of Bond.”

  Speaking of Bond, it’s also been thrown around that Fleming originally wanted Lee to play Bond. Perhaps due to Lee’s time in the SAS, Fleming thought he would make an excellent on-screen spy. Apparently, the studio turned down that idea on the basis of nepotism.
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  (#10) He Was The Only Cast Member Of Lord Of The Rings To Meet J.R.R. Tolkien

  Christopher Lee was a long-time fan of Lord of the Rings author, J.R.R. Tolkien. Lee is also the only LOTR cast member to have ever met the man behind the novels. Lee was out with a group of his friends in Oxford, and they stopped in a pub called The Eagle and Child (because England apparently ran out of things to name bars).

  Coincidentally, Tolkien liked to frequent this particular watering hole. Although nothing seems to be able to phase Lee, the actor recalls being star struck upon seeing Tolkien. The only thing he could say to him was, “How do you do?”
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  (#11) He Was Really Into Heavy Metal And Released Several Albums

  Who would think that such a sophisticated and blue-blooded man would be so into heavy metal? Well, even the most hardcore metalheads could take a lesson or two from Christopher Lee. In 2010, Lee released his first metal album in honor of his distant relative, Charlemagne.

  The album was called Charlemagne: By the Word and the Cross. In 2013, he released a follow-up album called Charlemagne: Omens of Death. Richie Faulkner, the guitarist for Judas Priest, collaborated with him on the album. In 2014, Lee released a heavy metal version of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way.” He also recorded a very dark album of Christmas carols, for all the metalheads out there who enjoyed getting into the holiday spirit, but didn't want to seem like sissies. And do you know who Lee thinks is the most “metal” person to have ever lived? Don Quixote.
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  (#12) He Was Guilted Into Continuing To Play Dracula

  Christopher Lee and the horror Hammer Films franchise go way back. Hammer catapulted Lee to mainstream fame for his portrayal of Dracula in eight of their films. He also played the mummy, Frankenstein’s monster, and Rasputin in The Mad Monk. While Lee can thank Hammer for jump-starting his career, he didn’t want to continue playing the role of Dracula, especially as the quality of the films got progressively worse.

  Lee said that he was emotionally blackmailed into reprising his famous role.  The producers behind the films had told him that they already “sold it to the Americans with him in it.” When he still refused, the producers told him that if he backed out, people would lose their jobs.
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  (#13) He's Rumored To Have Been Interested In The Occult

  After playing the Prince of Darkness in close to 10 Hammer films, people began suspecting Lee had a real affinity for the occult. He was rumored to have the largest library on the occult in the entire world, with about 20,000 books. In this interview, Lee joked that if that were true he’d “have to live in a bath.”

  In fact, he only had about four or five books dealing with Satanism. In the interview, Lee admitted that he had met people who claimed to be Satanists, but he warned the audience to stay away from such nonsense. “You will not only lose your mind, you will lose your soul,” he said.
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  (#14) He Loved The Wicker Man So Much He Starred In It For Free

  Screenwriter Anthony Shaffer actually wrote the part of Lord Summerisle for Christopher Lee. Lee hailed the film time and time again for its brilliance. He also thought that it was the finest film he’s ever acted in.

  “[The Wicker Man] was the best film I’ve ever been in, the best part I’ve ever had. And – not that I’m a judge at all – the best performance I’ve ever given. What a part, what a wonderful, wonderful part,” he said. Not only did he consider it his finest work, Lee was also not paid for the film. The budget was so small, Lee decided to forgo his paycheck so that the film could get made (he also really hated playing Dracula, and saw Wicker Man as his way out).
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  (#15) He Speaks Several Languages

  If you’re the international man of badassery (and darkness) that is Christopher Lee, English is definitely not your only language. He was actually fluent in five! He spoke Italian, French, Spanish, German, and (obviously) mastered English to a Shakespearean degree.

  He was also proficient in Swedish, Russian, and Greek. And, given his enormous brain power, his “proficiency” in those languages probably surpassed most American’s grasp on the English language.
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  (#16) He Was Friends With Johnny Depp

  Christopher Lee and Time Burton collaborated together on four films, including Sleepy Hollow and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Lee especially was very fond of his co-star, Johnny Depp. “[Johnny Depp] as far as I’m concerned, is number one of his generation, there’s no one who can touch him,” Lee said of Depp in an interview with Total Film.

  When Lee passed away in 2015, Depp paid his friend a touching tribute. Depp said that Lee inspired him and that, “His friendship is one that I will always hold close and dear to my heart.”

  “He was the last of his kind. A rare specimen. Hypnotic and commanding, as noble and gallant as he was wise. A brilliant mind with a beautiful heart whose strength of spirit will, in turn, live on in the hearts and minds of many, many generations to come,” Depp said.
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  (#17) He Hosted An Episode Of SNL In 1978

  Even though Lee is considered the Master of the Macabre, it doesn’t mean that he didn’t have a humorous side. In fact, on March 25, 1978, he was the Host of Horror for an episode of Saturday Night Live.

  In his opening monologue, he lamented about the deteriorating state of horror films. It was then followed up by would-be trailers for low-rate horror flicks with absurd premises, like Dr. Jekyll and Mister Rogers, The Island of Lost Luggage, and The Thing That Wouldn’t Leave. In the latter John Belushi was an annoying slug of a man who overstayed his welcome at the expense of Billy Murray and Jane Curtin.  

  He acted in three skits in the episode. In one of the skits he played Professor Henry Higgins in a My Fair Lady spoof. In another skit he was Van Helsing, a role he’s familiar with. Oh, also if you've ever wanted to see Christopher Lee introduce Meatloaf to a live studio audience, do yourself a favor and watch the above clip (SPOILER: his mustache is amazing). 
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  (#18) He Was Best Friends With Peter Cushing

  Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing acted together in nearly two dozen films, many of which belonged to the Hammer horror franchise. But the two were much more than just co-stars, they were best of friends.

  When Cushing passed in 1994, Lee had to say this about their friendship:

  “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.”
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  (#19) He Was On The Cover Of The Paul McCartney Album Band On The Run

  Band on The Run was Paul McCartney and The Wings third post-Beatles album. The story behind the album was pretty crazy in its own right. It was recorded in Lagos, Nigeria because McCartney wanted an exotic location for recording it, which seems unnecessary (it’s not a movie after all).

  Anyway, Lee took part in the star-studded photo for the cover. He’s the second from the right, the one with his hand against the wall. The others on the cover are Paul McCartney and his wife Linda; former Moody Blues guitarist Denny Lane; talk show host Michael Parkinson; actor Kenny Lynch; actor James Coburn; writer, politician, grandson of Sigmund Freud (and posthumously accused rapist), Clement Freud; and boxer John Conteh.
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  (#20) Christopher Lee Was A Champion Fencer

  Since he holds the world record for participating in the most on-screen sword fights, it’s not a stretch to assume that Christopher Lee is a damn good fencer. In fact, he’s an actual world champion.

  “I don’t think I’ve done a single sword fight with an actor which I haven’t been carved up,” Lee said in a fencing demonstration video. “Now the most important thing about a sword fight, apart from getting it right, obviously, is to make it look like you intend to kill the other person.” Wow. Shivers, Mr. Lee. Shivers. 

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