Of all the actors to play the coveted role of Count Dracula, Sir Christopher Lee was by far my favorite. Born in 1922, he was the same age my Grandfather would have been and came from that generation who know what an honest day's work.
Something my generation and every generation after me sadly lacks. As well as sorely lacking a respect for our elders as the internet and social media have made us more opinionated, arrogant and with the way people can readily create as many anonymous profile to attack people with no fear of any recourse...
...cowardly.
They weren't called The Greatest Generation for nothing, kids.
But he was more than just Dracula. Sir Christopher is in fact mentioned in the Guinness Book of World Records for most movies acted in. Like I said, from a generation which was a head and should above the rest.
And in his case, at over 6'5", that phrase rings more true for him.
He was a Bond villain. He was Sherlock Holmes. He was Lord Summerisle in The Wicker Man. He was in two Star Wars films. And age had not dimmed his ability to be a force to be reckoned with when he appeared in the Lord of the Rings films.
Although he could be called on to be a hero in films. Much like his contemporaries Vincent Price and best friend Peter Cushing. He seemed to relish playing the quintessential baddie.
He was in a class of actors who played both Dracula and Sherlock Holmes.
They don't make them like Sir Christopher Lee anymore. And I think I may have felt the Earth tremble slightly at his passing. Rest in Peace Sir Christopher Lee! You will be missed!
1 comment:
Brett, I think you've captured the essence of a man, and an actor, who was far greater than many, and I believe that the sheer number of us who mourn his passing speaks volumes about what he had become in our daily lives, or at least as far as our interraction with the screen goes. As a Brit, I am proud to call myself his compatriot, and as a movie viewer I am honoured to have had his presence onscreen throughout my lifetime. He was one of the few (along with Price, Cushing, Karloff, Cheney, et al) who made hooror not only accessible, but brought it into the public eye ... and in hindsight I would have loved to have thanked him for this personally, but as with all hindsight, by nature it comes too late. Thank you Sir Christopher for your lifetime shared with us all, Thank you Brett for this fitting Eulogy, and my sincerest condolences to those left behind whether related by blood, marriage, or the silver screen.
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