On Christopher Lee

I don't watch 'Reality' shows, and I don't normally follow the lives of Actors and Actresses; I do have my own life. However, there is one actor that I do admire and respect very much.
Mr. Christopher Lee.
So I thought I would spend a minute and chat about him in honour of his Birthday.

Every write up/blog/interview/movie website I have ever found on the Internet, basically regurgitates the same information about Mr. Lee, so I won't. (If you want to know his biography/filmography; you can Google him, Wikipedia, or visit his website; there are no shortages of sources).

So what is so fascinating about Christopher Lee that I would blog about him? Lot's of things, but I won't bore you with recounting all of it. But before I start, for those of you not familiar with him, here are some of the more recent characters he has portrayed in film: 'Saruman' from the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, 'Count Dooku' from Star Wars, and 'Death' (Voice of) from The Colour of Magic. Below is a montage I created a few years ago, featuring a number of characters Mr. Lee had portrayed in films.....
I have one of his biographies (The Lord of Misrule), and I have watched many of his movies, not all, but those where the storyline interested me, and I could actually get my hands on a copy. Movies which gave me a glimpse of his diverse abilities be it drama, horror, historical, comedy, or fantasy. I have a number of CD’s where he has collaborated with different artists in different music genres; these have highlighted Mr. Lee as a ‘multi-faceted’ performer. Though I have gleaned quite a bit of information, I know there is still so much more to this gentleman.

Mr. Lee is more than just a great actor; he is accomplished in literary ventures with published poetry and three books to his credit. Mr. Lee has also provided a number of narrations for various audio books, and has provided his voice for a number of recent computer games. Mr. Lee has donated a picture, a short note and the pen he wrote with, to the charity for the ‘Wipe out Illiteracy’. Mr. and Mrs. Lee are also very active in Children's Charities; including UNICEF.

Mr. Lee has performed at various times over the years in the music industry, not only releasing singles and albums (One of which went ‘Platinum’ in the UK; recently) and singing opera, but also; narrations to Stravinsky’s ‘A Soldiers Tale’ (Where he did ALL of the different characters!), narrations to The Tolkien Ensembles ‘Dawn at Rivendell’, and narrations to the Italian Group Rhapsody of Fire ‘The Dark Secret’.
I am not a 'Heavy Metal' Fan, but because of Mr. Lee's collaboration with the group Rhapsody of Fire, I got the albums and absolutely love them! Mr. Lee has performed songs with Rhapsody of Fire and recorded one album in 4 different languages (One of the songs/video off the album (English Version), and my favorite is embedded at the bottom of the page). On that note, Mr. Lee speaks seven languages and has traveled the world, bridging cultural and generational gaps with his wonderful personality and talent.

I hadn't thought about Christopher Lee in years; I remember seeing him in various films (1984; Police Academy; etc), but who he was never 'clicked' with me until Dave and I went to see the 'Lord of the Rings'. There was this actor; the perfect 'Saruman'; the Saruman I had always mentally pictured when I read the books. Then the credits, and who should it be.......none other than the 'Christopher Lee'; whom I hadn't thought about in years. I have now been a member of his website since 2004; and have not only learned a lot about him, but have also met (virtually in most cases; except one close friend that I did have the chance to meet on one of our trips to London) other people who consider Mr. Lee the iconic personality he is........

There are many of the members who have personally met Mr. Lee and they are great about sharing their experiences meeting him. Through other channels (of which I will not elaborate on; because of 'TRUST' ), I have learned many funny and wonderful (true) stories about Mr. Lee, which have given me a glimpse into his personality.

Mr. Lee will be 87 on Wednesday, 27 May 2009, but he still stays busy! He has a number of completed films that will be out this year, and he also has a number of films that he is currently working on. One special project due out this year is a CD/DVD called Emperor Charlemagne. It is touted as "the epic story of Emperor Charlemagne narrated and sung by the legendary actor Christopher Lee, who will be joined by guest stars from the movie world....". So patiently we wait for its release!

Also, word in cyberspace is that Mr. Lee will portray the 'Jabberwock' in Tim Burton's New 'Alice in Wonderland'. I will be interested to see what Tim Burton has in mind for Lewis Carroll's stories. Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass are two books that I have read over and over again throughout the years, never tire of, and still Love to read!

Well, I promised not to go on and on, so I will end this blog post wishing Christopher Lee a Very Happy Birthday, with many more to come!

Cheers.