Christopher Lee had long film career

Christopher Lee, an actor who brought dramatic gravitas and aristocratic bearing to screen villains from Dracula to the wicked wizard Saruman in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, has died at age 93.

Lee appeared in more than 250 movies, taking on memorable roles such as the James Bond enemy Scaramanga and the evil Count Dooku in two Star Wars prequels.

But for many, he will forever be known as the vampire Count Dracula in a slew of gory, gothic British “Hammer Horror” thrillers churned out in the 1950s and ’60s that became hugely popular around the world.

He railed against the typecasting, however, and ultimately the sheer number and range of his roles — including Sherlock Holmes and the founder of Pakistan — secured his place in film history.

He launched his horror career in 1957, starring as the monster in Hammer’s The Curse of Frankenstein. In 1958, Lee made his first appearance as the famous vampire in Dracula.

Lee went on to play the vampire in sequels including Dracula: Prince of Darkness, Dracula Has Risen From the Grave, Taste the Blood of Dracula, Scars of Dracula and Dracula A.D. 1972.

Starting in the 1970s, Lee tried to shake off the Hammer mantle. He played the villain in The Man with the Golden Gun and appeared in non-Hammer horror films. The most distinguished was 1973’s The Wicker Man, a cult classic in which Lee played the lord of a Scottish pagan community troubled by the appearance of an inquisitive police officer.

Lee also appeared in several films by Tim Burton, including Sleepy Hollow and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Lee felt his gift for comedy was underappreciated. He was proud to have hosted Saturday Night Live in 1978 and told the BBC his greatest regret was turning down the part that went to Leslie Nielsen in the slapstick comedy Airplane.