I’m writing this on Christopher Lee’s 68th birthday, May 27th, and I’m trying to find words to sum up the career of a man who has appeared in more films than almost any other actor. Not all of these have been good perhaps, but even in the dullest of these (who mentioned ‘Night of the Big Heat’?) he is always worth watching. He’s a highly versatile actor, capable of playing everything from the Mummy to Sherlock Holmes, via Shakespeare – ‘Hamlet’ (1948) won an Oscar, and was his first film with Peter Cushing.

He is undoubtedly best known for his performances as Dracula, his height (6 ft. 4″) lending him an air of authority few, if any, other actors have been able to bring to the role. In addition to the Hammer versions, beginning with ‘Dracula’ (1958) and generally going downhill in quality until the abysmal ‘Dracula AD 1972’, he also appeared in other vampire films, though these were usually feeble spoofs. He was ‘misled’ into appearing in ‘El Conde Dracula’ by promises it would be the definitive telling of Stoker’s tale – since it was directed by Jess Franco, it will not surprise readers to learn this is not how it turned out…

Outside the horror genre, his appearances have been almost as numerous, especially in more recent years. He was Scaramanga in ‘The Man With the Golden Gun’, and is also well known for his appearances in ‘The Three Musketeers’ and it’s two sequels. At other times, he has played Dr Jekyll, Rasputin & Fu Manchu, but for me his most memorable role was as Lord Summerisle in ‘The Wicker Man’ (1973), which in my opinion is the best non-Hammer British horror film ever made.

In recent years his appearances have become slightly less numerous, leaving him free to pursue his other interests – he is a keen golfer, possessing a low handicap, and is also very fond of cricket. However, he can shortly be seen in ‘Gremlins II’, which means the man will be in the (unique?) position of having starred in films with three of your editor’s idols; Nastassja Kinski (‘To the Devil a Daughter’), Sybil Danning (‘The Howling II’) and now Phoebe Cates.

His latest film, as yet unreleased here, is called ‘The Rainbow Thief’, with Michael Caine. During the filming, it was reported that Lee was called to do a scene where he has a heart attack while bonking some beauty. Lee wanted it changed, in deference to his age, and settled for being tickled into a seizure by eight topless bimbos! Some people have all the luck…

Filmography

So you thought Sybil Danning was busy? I lost count of the following list when it went into three figures; all corrections, additions and amendments would be gratefully received, though note that only commonly encountered alternative titles are included:

• 1947 – Corridor of Mirrors
• 1948 – Hamlet
• 1949 – They Were Not Divided
• 1950 – Prelude of Fame
• 1951 – Valley of the Eagles
• 1952 – The Crimson Pirate
• 1953 – Moulin Rouge
• 1954 – Dark Avenger a.k.a. The Warriors
• 1955 – Private’s Progress
• 1956 – Alias John Preston
  Moby Dick
  Ill Met by Moonlight a.k.a. Night Ambush
  The Battle of the River Plate a.k.a. Pursuit of the Graf Spee
• 1957 – The Traitor
  The Curse of Frankenstein
  Corridors of Blood a.k.a. Doctor from Seven Dials
• 1958 – Dracula a.k.a. Horror of Dracula
• 1959 – A Tale of Two Cities
  The Man Who Could Cheat Death
  The Mummy
  Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll
• 1960 – Beat Girl
  City of the Dead
  Taste of Fear a.k.a. Scream of Fear
• 1961 – Hercules in the Haunted Kingdom a.k.a. Hercules in the Centre of the Earth
• 1962 – Hands of Orlac a.k.a. Hands of a Strangler
  The Terror Tongs a.k.a. The Terror of the Tongs
  Uncle Was a Vampire
  Sherlock Holmes & the Deadly Necklace
  The Longest Day
  Pirates of Blood River
  Puzzle of the Red Orchid a.k.a. Secret of the Red Orchid
  Devil’s Daffodil a.k.a. Daffodil Killer
• 1963 – Terror Castle a.k.a. Virgin of Nuremberg
  What a.k.a. Night is the Phantom
  Devil’s Ship Pirates
  Castle of the Living Dead
• 1964 – The Gorgon
• 1965 – Dracula, Prince of Darkness
  Rasputin, the Mad Monk
  Dr. Terror’s House of Horror
  The Skull
  Face of Fu Manchu
  She
• 1966 – Brides of Fu Manchu
• 1967 – Vengeance of Fu Manchu
  Theatre of Death
  Circus of Fear a.k.a. Psycho Circus
  Night of the Big Heat a.k.a. Island of the Burning Damned
  The Devil Rides Out a.k.a. The Devil’s Bride
  Five Golden Dragons
  The Torture Chamber of Dr Sadism
  Curse of the Crimson Altar a.k.a. The Reincarnation a.k.a. about five other titles!
• 1968 – Eve
  The Oblong Box
  Dracula Has Risen From the Grave
  Blood of Fu Manchu a.k.a. Kiss and Tell
• 1969 – Castle of Fu Manchu a.k.a. Torture Chamber of Fu Manchu
  Assignment: Istanbul
  Taste the Blood of Dracula
  Night of the Blood Beast a.k.a. Throne of the Blood Monster
  The Magic Christian
  One More Time
• 1970 – Eugenie: The Story of Her Journey Into Perversion a.k.a. Sade 70
  El Conde Dracula a.k.a. Bram Stoker’s Dracula
  The Scars of Dracula
  Scream & Scream Again
  The House That Dripped Blood
  Julius Caesar
  The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes
• 1971 – I, Monster
• 1972 – Dracula AD 1972 a.k.a. Dracula Today
  Hannie Calder
  Dark Places
  Poor Devil (TVM)

• 1973 – The Satanic Rites of Dracula a.k.a. Count Dracula & His Vampire Bride
  Panic on the Trans-Siberian Express a.k.a. Horror Express
  Creeping Flesh
  Nothing But The Night
  Deathline a.k.a. Raw Meat
  The Wicker Man
• 1974 – The Three Musketeers
  The Man with the Golden Gun
• 1975 – Tendre Dracula
  In Search of Dracula
  The Four Musketeers
• 1976 – Dragon’s Murder
  Killer Force
  Mask of Murder
  To the Devil a Daughter
  Revenge of the Dead
  Dracula Pere et Fils
  Meat Cleaver Massacre
  Diagnosis: Murder
• 1977 – Airport ’77
  Starship Invasion a.k.a. Alien Encounter
  End of the World
• 1978 – Return From Witch Mountain
  Caravans
  The Pirate
• 1979 – The Passage
  Arabian Adventure
  1941
  Circle of Iron a.k.a. The Silent Flute
  Bear Island
  Captain America II
• 1981 – The Salamander
  An Eye for an Eye
  Goliath Awaits (TVM)
  Jaguar Lives
• 1982 – Safari 3000
• 1983 – The House of the Long Shadows
  Whispering Death
  The Return of Captain Invincible a.k.a. The Legend in Leotards
• 1984 – Rosebud Hotel
  The Howling II
• 1988 – Murder Story
• 1989 – The Return of the Three Musketeers
• 1990 – Treasure Island
  Gremlins II
  The Rainbow Thief