Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) – Sir Christopher Lee — Count Dracula of the old Hammer films to fans around the world — died last Sunday (June 7) in a hospital as a result of heart and respiratory problems, British newspaper Telegraph reported on its website on Thursday (June 11).
The Telegraph posted a photo of part of the death certificate to confirm the actor’s death at age 93 at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital,
Following are some information about Lee’s life from the CNN Library.
Lee was born Christopher Frank Carandini Lee on May 27, 1922, in London, England.
His father, Geoffrey Lee, was a professional soldier, and his mother, was the Contessa Estelle Marie Carandini di Sarzano.
Lee is a distant relative by his mother’s second marriage, to Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond.
On March 17, 1961, Lee married Birgit “Gitte” Kroencke with whom he had a daughter, Christina Ericka, born November 23, 1963.
The actor did some military service as a flight lieutenant in the Royal Air Force and Special Forces from 1941 to 1946.
He also worked with British Intelligence in World War II.
He spoke four languages — French, Italian, Spanish, and German.
He was only member of the cast of “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy who met author J.R.R. Tolkien.
Timeline
1939-1941: Works as an office clerk until joining the RAF during World War II.
1947: Joins the Rank Organization acting school, often called “The Charm School,” a British program that groomed new acting talent.
1948: First movie Corridor of Mirrors is released.
1957: Begins working with Hammer Film Productions, the start of his horror film career. The Curse of Frankenstein is released that same year.
1958: Horror of Dracula is released, the first time Lee portrays Count Dracula.
1965: The first of Dr. Fu Manchu movies, The Face of Fu Manchu, is released.
1974: Appears as James Bond’s nemesis Scaramanga in The Man with the Golden Gun.
1977: His autobiography, Tall, Dark and Gruesome, is published.
2001: In recognition of his contributions to film, he receives the Commander of the Order of the British Empire award.
2002: Stars in two of the year’s top grossing movies, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.
2003: His autobiography is re-released with a new title, Lord of Misrule: The Autobiography of Christopher Lee.
2009: Is made a Knight of the British Empire.
February 2011: Receives the Academy Fellowship, the highest honor, at the Orange British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA).
2012: Reprises his role as Saruman from The Lord of the Rings trilogy in part one of The Hobbit trilogy, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
May 27, 2013: Releases his “100 percent heavy metal” album, Charlemagne: The Omens of Death, a follow-up to the more symphonic Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross from 2010.
December 2013: Releases a second heavy metal Christmas album, A Heavy Metal Christmas Too, a follow-up to his 2012 A Heavy Metal Christmas.
CNN contributed to this report.
