14 DAY TRIAL // The world of cinema is in mourning today, as news broke that legendary actor Sir Christopher Lee, best known for the role of Dracula in “Hammer Horror” and of Saruman in “The Lord of the Rings,” has died.
He was 93 years old and had been experiencing health issues for weeks, The Telegraph reports. He was admitted to London’s Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for “respiratory problems and heart failure,” and had been kept there under observation.
He celebrated his 93rd birthday there too.
The actor died last Sunday in the morning, but his wife chose to keep the news out of the newspapers until everyone else in the family had been informed.
With a career spanning many decades and legions of fans, Lee was still keeping busy with work when his health took a turn for the worse. He had signed on for a movie with Uma Thurman that was supposed to go into production in November.
Sir Lee shot to international fame as Dracula in 1968 and went on to appear in several other iconic films, including “The Wicker Man,” the James Bond “Man with the Golden Gun,” “Star Wars” and “Lord of the Rings.”
He was a funny, educated, incredibly talented and very humble gentleman, and an overall artist. He celebrated his 92nd birthday by releasing a heavy metal album of Frank Sinatra covers.
“I think acting is a mixture of instinct, imagination and inventiveness,” he once said. “All you can learn as an actor is basic technique.”
His legacy will live for ever.
