Christopher Lee has passed away

[atg]

Current only seeing this on the Guardian:
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/ju ... 93-dracula

Sir Christopher Lee has died at the age of 93 after being hospitalised for respiratory problems and heart failure.

The veteran actor, best known for a variety of films from Dracula to The Wicker Man through to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, passed away on Sunday morning at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London, according to sources.

The decision to release the news days after was based on his wife’s desire to inform family members first. The couple had been married for over 50 years.

As well as his career in film, Lee also released a series of heavy metal albums, including Charlemagne: The Omens of Death. He was knighted in 2009 for services to drama and charity and was awarded the Bafta fellowship in 2011.

His film career started in 1947 with a role in gothic romance Corridor of Mirrors but it wasn’t until the late 50s, when Lee worked with Hammer, that he started gaining fame. His first role with the studio was The Curse of Frankenstein and it was the first of 20 films that he made with Peter Cushing.

Lee still has one film yet to be released, the fantasy film Angels in Notting Hill. He was also set to star in 9/11 drama The 11th opposite Uma Thurman but it’s believed that the film hadn’t yet started production

More to follow.

[Thanas]

That sucks, he was a great actor.

[Eternal_Freedom]

It's a great shame. But we can hardly say he died too young or didn't have a good run. I mean, releasing Christmas heavy metal albums at the age of 90? The man was just plain awesome.

EDIT: Also worth noting his service in WW2, including talking down a potentially mutinous RAF squadron, being with the Gurkhas during the battle for Monte Cassino and being involved with the precursors to the SAS, though he never gave details. So he was a badass in real life as well as on film. Kudos to you Sir.

[Borgholio]

Yeah he had a hell of a career. Definitely a legend. Now I have to go watch LOTR again.

[Ziggy Stardust]

There is a very little to not like about him. Such a great and unusual actor, and human in general.

He volunteered to fight for the Finns in the Winter War (never saw action, though); he had a long and active World War II service, including at least some time attached to Special Forces; after the war he was a Nazi hunter; then he was Dracula, a Bond villain, dozens of other great roles (many of them alongside the late great Peter Cushing), Saruman, Count Dooku, a metal singer ...

(And, hey, glad I managed to get in this thread before Flagg comes in and complains about another celebrity death thread)

[FTeik]

RIP Sir Christopher and condolences to his family.

It is really astounding and awe-inspiring how some people can have several careers, while most people can't even manage one.

[Pelranius]

Well, he definitely had a good run.

He apparently had the most movie credits for an actor, according to IMDB, at 282.

[The Romulan Republic]

I'm surprised by how hard this news hit me.

Definitely an impressive man. And of course, I will always remember him as Dooku and Sauruman.

[TheFeniX]

This sucks, but talk about leaving behind a legacy. Just his listing of acting accomplishments can only be described as Legendary. He did like, at least, a movie a year for 60 years?

Loved him in Gremlins 2. Yea, yea, I know. But sometimes you just have to love a terrible movie.

[Flagg]

Oh man. Please tell me his last movie wasn't the abysmally horrid 'The Hobbit: The Battle Of Staying Awake For 5 Hours' (At least it felt that long, and dear god, the BLOAT in all 3 shitty Hobbit movies. Peter Jackson killed Christopher Lee. On film and in real life.

[InsaneTD]

Oh. Such sad news. Hopefully it was peaceful in the end. The man was certainly a god amongst men.

[TOSDOC]

Geez, this sucks. I imagine it will be one sad memorial segment at the next Oscars.

Time to pull out some old favorites for a fest, like The Creeping Flesh and Horror Express. I loved watching him work with his old friend Peter Cushing.

[The Grim Squeaker]

This has to be the shittiest year in recent memory in terms of geek celebrity deaths.
Terry Pratchett, Nimoy, now Lee? Agh.

[Flagg]

This sucks, but talk about leaving behind a legacy. Just his listing of acting accomplishments can only be described as Legendary. He did like, at least, a movie a year for 60 years?

Loved him in Gremlins 2. Yea, yea, I know. But sometimes you just have to love a terrible movie.

Since when is Gremlins 2 terrible? I think it's easily one of the best comedies overall of the early '90s. Especially when it not only made fun of itself (which it did in spades), but a ton of '80s action movies.

And any motherfucker that has a problem with John Gizmo, his paper clip and rubber band bow, and last but not least the red bandana, a perfect fuzzy likeness to Stallone in Rambo 3, can eat my dick after midnight. And you will get wet.

[Flagg]

Geez, this sucks. I imagine it will be one sad memorial segment at the next Oscars.

Time to pull out some old favorites for a fest, like The Creeping Flesh and Horror Express. I loved watching him work with his old friend Peter Cushing.

Not Ep III and his 3 minutes with his head on a digital body or other actors, and the 2 minutes of mostly him talking menacingly before his decapitation?

[InsaneTD]

This has to be the shittiest year in recent memory in terms of geek celebrity deaths.
Terry Pratchett, Nimoy, now Lee? Agh.

Don't forget Robin Williams.

[Iroscato]

What a man. What a career. What a life.
Really nothing more I can say - I don't even feel particularly sad beyond it being a shame to have him depart this mortal coil. RIP to the Titan that was Christopher Lee. By all the gods old and new, you were awesome.

[Elheru Aran]

The world is the lesser for not having him among us anymore.

RIP.

[Edi]

A drink to his memory is definitely in order tonight. I would go as far as to say that in terms of his accomplishments and from all reports, also his character, he was not just a great man, but someone who could legitimately be called a living legend without any exaggeration.

All in all, it is impossible not to admire his accomplishments and as sad as the news is, we can and should take comfort in the fact that he did have a good run and went down swinging, as it were. His was a flame that burned bright right until the end.

He was one of my favorite actors of all time.

[TOSDOC]

Geez, this sucks. I imagine it will be one sad memorial segment at the next Oscars.

Time to pull out some old favorites for a fest, like The Creeping Flesh and Horror Express. I loved watching him work with his old friend Peter Cushing.

Not Ep III and his 3 minutes with his head on a digital body or other actors, and the 2 minutes of mostly him talking menacingly before his decapitation?

No thanks, I'd prefer the gushing ketchup of Dracula.

RIP Sir Christopher.

[Flagg]

I was never a big fan simply because pretty much all of his pre-LoTR and pre-SW stuff was kind of behind my time and I had never seen him in a noticeable standout role until then. But I'm sorry, I can't make myself feel bad for a man with that life who made it to 93. But his Saruman IS Saruman unless whoever plays him when they remake the movies in 20-30 years knocks it out of the park, and even then...

[Edi]

I was never a big fan simply because pretty much all of his pre-LoTR and pre-SW stuff was kind of behind my time and I had never seen him in a noticeable standout role until then. But I'm sorry, I can't make myself feel bad for a man with that life who made it to 93. But his Saruman IS Saruman unless whoever plays him when they remake the movies in 20-30 years knocks it out of the park, and even then...

Nobody is asking you to feel bad for him. He got a far longer run than most people and he also made the most of it. I expect that most people who feel bad about his passing do so because they feel it as a personal loss for whatever personal reasons.

For myself, I'm of the opinion that he should be celebrated for his accomplishments, because that is a fitting tribute for someone who achieved so much. His loss is sad, but not on a personal level.

[Ziggy Stardust]

He apparently had the most movie credits for an actor, according to IMDB, at 282.

Where did you get that from? According to IMDB's list of most acting credits, he doesn't even make the top 100. Granted, that list includes porn actors which really should be in a separate category (if only for the reason they can churn out dozens in a year). And again, granted, most of that list appear to be people who have made a career of being random baristas and cab drivers in the background as opposed to top billed actors, but that still leaves known quantities like Mickey Rooney, Eric Roberts, John Carradine, Ed Asner, and Danny Trejo as beating out ol' Christopher. Maybe he is "most" in some other category?

[cmdrjones]

Oh man. Please tell me his last movie wasn't the abysmally horrid 'The Hobbit: The Battle Of Staying Awake For 5 Hours' (At least it felt that long, and dear god, the BLOAT in all 3 shitty Hobbit movies. Peter Jackson killed Christopher Lee. On film and in real life.

You just gotta be you Flagg, I admit, you're growing on me.

[Gandalf]

The film world has lost one of its greats.

Oh man. Please tell me his last movie wasn't the abysmally horrid 'The Hobbit: The Battle Of Staying Awake For 5 Hours' (At least it felt that long, and dear god, the BLOAT in all 3 shitty Hobbit movies. Peter Jackson killed Christopher Lee. On film and in real life.

I checked, he recently completed a film about angels wherein he plays "The Boss of the Universe." That seems fitting.