Christopher Lee Was The Coolest Actor Ever! From Multiple Guinness World Records To His Service In World War II, Take A Look Back At His Legendary Life
Being the son of an Italian Countess wasn't the only cool thing about the great Christopher Lee. Here's all you need to know about him
5 Reasons Why Christopher Lee Was the Coolest Actor Ever (Picture Credit: IMDb)
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Hollywood has given the world some of the best and most talented actors in history. Among these gems was the legendary Christopher Lee.
Born on May 27, 1922, Lee was a veteran, figuratively and quite literally. He was an actor renowned for his work in over 200 movies and was known for playing dark and villainous roles — namely Saruman from “The Lord of the Rings,” Francisco Scaramanga in “The Man with the Golden Gun” (James Bond), Count Dooku in the “Star Wars” franchise, and finally the iconic Count Dracula in “Count Dracula.”
Having lived his whole life acting, one would think that Christopher Lee was a great actor. However, even beyond his acting, he was a legend. Here are five reasons why Christopher Lee was the coolest actor ever.
Christopher Lee’s legacy can be proven by the fact that he had not one but multiple Guinness World Records under his name. In 2007, he achieved a Guinness World Record for having the highest number of screen credits, boasting 244 credited roles at that time. He went on to create 15 more films after that, until his death in 2015.
Lee was impressively tall. At 6ft 5in, he held the world record for being the tallest actor in a leading role. He was also recognized as the actor who played in the highest number of films with swordfights — having participated in swordfights in 17 films. In 2009, Lee set the record for being the oldest videogame voice actor by playing the role of Ansem the Wise in “Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days.” Finally, in 2008, the last record he set was of being the most connected actor in Hollywood. This achievement resulted from a group of students developing software that traced the working relationships between actors in the industry.
He Was Knighted
Christopher Lee didn’t win any Oscars in his life, but he had his own kind of success. In 2009, he was knighted by Prince Charles (Now King Charles) for his drama and charity work. So, Christopher Lee was, in fact, ‘Sir’ Christopher Lee.
He Had Met J.R.R Tolkein
Even before being cast as Saruman the White in “The Lord of the Rings” franchise, Lee was a mega-fan of Tolkien’s Middle Earth. He had read the books multiple times and would frequently talk about them in his interviews. According to US Weekly, in an older interview that resurfaced, Lee confirmed that he had once coincidentally met Tolkien in a pub the renowned author used to visit frequently.
He Was a Metalhead
You’d be surprised to hear that Christopher Lee was not only a metal fan. He recorded and released two heavy metal albums, along with two Christmas albums. The first one was released in 2010 and was called “Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross.” It won him a Metal Hammer Golden Gods award. The second was a follow-up and was released in 2013.
He Fought in WWII
You can’t get bored when it comes to Sir Christopher Lee. He was fluent in six languages, skilled in fencing, and even served in World War II. That’s right, folks! Lee was an intelligence officer in the Royal Air Force in WWII. He was an intelligence officer and collaborated with the Special Operations Executive. He retired as a flight lieutenant after the war.
Christopher Lee passed away on June 7, 2015, at the ripe age of 93, leaving a lasting legacy for generations to come.
