The Ten: Iconic Christopher Lee Roles

With nearly 300 on screen credits, a towering stature matched by a fearsome voice, the only Lord of the Rings actor to actually know J.R. Tolkien, and a war veteran who took on Nazis, Sir Christopher Lee lived an inspiring and incredible life. That was until he passed away last month (June 11th), leaving the world of entertainment with a massive void.

Even at the age of 93, it still feels as if he went too young. Maybe it was that his presence seemed to hardly change (he definitely didn’t look 93) or maybe it was that his career continued up until his passing. Either way, it felt as if his legacy was stopped short and that 77 years of acting just wasn’t enough.

To commemorate Sir Christopher Lee’s amazing career, we’ve put together our list of his Ten Most Iconic Performances. The movies may not have been home runs, but Lee definitely was.


10 Count Dooku (Star Wars Prequel Trilogy)

Christopher Lee Iconic Roles Dooku

Leave your arguments about the prequel trilogy at the door, because even if you weren’t a big fan of these movies, Lee was perfect as the fallen Jedi turned Sith Lord, Count Dooku. His voice and stature was perfect for the character Lucas came up with many years before.


9 Blind Pew (Treasure Island)

Christopher Lee Iconic Roles Blind Pew

This one might not show up on many top ten lists, but as a person who vividly remembers the 1990 made for television movie and even more vividly remembers Christopher Lee’s performance in it, I knew this had a place on the list. His role was iconic, had it been seen by more people (and to be that young and remember him that much later) says something about the impression it left.


8 Sir Henry Baskerville (The Hound of the Baskervilles)

Christopher Lee Iconic Roles Baskerville

Even though Lee is credited with playing Sherlock Holmes in his career, his best Holmes performance is actually as Sir Henry Baskerville. The movie was all around a triumph, thanks in part to Lee and Peter Cushing starring as Holmes.


7 Doctor Catheter (Gremlins II: The New Batch)

Christopher Lee Iconic Roles Catheter

If you’re seeing a trend, I promise it will disappear. And as much as I want to use my childhood to defend this one, it’s completely unnecessary. Lee’s Doctor Catheter was a perfect cheese for a franchise that was already a little quirky. Although the sequel was not as good as the original, it was good and thanks in big part to Lee.


6 Muhammed Ali Jinnah (Jinnah)

Christopher Lee Iconic Roles Jinnah

In what Sir Christopher Lee considers his greatest film achievement, Jinnah is also often found on lists commemorating Lee’s career. The controversial biopic focusing on the founder of Pakistan was another movie that sits in my memory thanks almost entirely to Lee’s performance.


5 Lord Summerisle (The Wicker Man)

Christopher Lee Iconic Roles Wicker Man

The role was done so well he was granted a cameo in the less than worthy remake. Lee once again goes with a darker character here and once again delivers without an issue.


4 Francisco Scaramanga (Man with the Golden Gun)

Christopher Lee Iconic Roles 007

Definitely boasting one of the coolest names for a Bond villain, Lee’s Scaramanga might actually be Bond’s best villain overall. The man with the Golden Gun is a great Bond flick and in big part to the towering and charming Scaramanga.


3 Frankenstein’s Monster (The Curse of Frankenstein)

Christopher Lee Iconic Roles Frankenstein

Even though Peter Boyle did a fantastic job as Dr. Frankenstein’s creation in a later comedic adaptation, the bar was set with Lee’s performance in The Curse of Frankenstein. Lee’s stature was perfect to take on a role like this, even if he deserved some more lines in the script.


2 Saruman (Lord of the Rings)

Christopher Lee Iconic Roles Saruman

Of the many amazing casting choices the team made for the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Sir Christopher Lee as Saruman was at the top of the list. Although Tolkien would have liked him to play Gandolf, Lee was much too old when an adaptation finally took place. But we aren’t complaining here.


1 Dracula (Dracula)

Christopher Lee Iconic Roles Dracula

Dracula: considered by many to be Lee’s most iconic role ever. Sir Christopher Lee was well known for this role and for taking on the character in the many sequels. Even after saying he would no longer star in monster movies he continued to welcome a role as Dracula stating that he is anything but a monster.


Sir Christopher Lee. With over seven decades of acting under his belt to go along with other impressive life stories, the man was definitely a legend. However, making a top ten list for an actor with around 300 acting credits is not easy. So we want to know what your favorite Lee performances are. Let us know in the comments below.

BRAND PARTNERS
Recent Posts