14 Fascinating Details About Christopher Lee

He is the only actor to appear in Star Wars, the Hammer horror series, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and the James Bond franchise. Christopher Lee, who celebrated his centenary on May 27, 1922, certainly lived a remarkable life. And his career? Equally extraordinary—he was even a heavy metal musician! Keep reading for more intriguing and sometimes chilling facts about one of the greatest horror icons of all time.

1. Christopher Lee participated in covert (and perilous) government operations during WWII.

Lee served in the Royal Air Force (RAF) during World War II, later becoming a member of the British Army’s elite Special Air Service (SAS). While he remained tight-lipped about his SAS missions for many years, rumors swirled that he quelled a mutiny among disgruntled soldiers and ventured behind enemy lines to sabotage Luftwaffe aircraft. As the war neared its end, he joined the Special Operations Executive, tracking down Nazi war criminals, according to The Independent.

"I was occasionally assigned to the SAS, but we are strictly prohibited—whether past, present, or future—from discussing any specific operations," Lee shared in 2011. "Let’s just say I was part of Special Forces, and leave it at that. People can interpret it as they wish."

2. He was a cousin of the creator of James Bond.

Lee was actually cousins with Ian Fleming, the mastermind behind James Bond, and Fleming had hoped Lee would portray the original Bond villain, Dr. No, in the 1962 movie of the same name. "By the time he got around to telling the producers, they had already cast Joseph Wiseman," Lee remembered. He would later take on the role of the villainous Scaramanga in The Man with the Golden Gun, a Bond film made after Fleming’s passing.

3. He had a memorable meeting with J.R.R. Tolkien.

Among all the actors involved in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, Christopher Lee was the only one who had the privilege of meeting J.R.R. Tolkien. One evening in the '50s, while enjoying drinks with friends at Oxford’s Eagle and Child pub, Tolkien walked in. Lee, a long-time fan who frequently re-read the trilogy, was so starstruck that he "nearly fell out of [his] chair." Lee recalled the moment in 2001:

"I didn’t even know he was still alive. He was a kindly-looking man, smoking a pipe, strolling in... an English countryman, with the earth beneath his feet. And he was a genius, a man with incredible intellectual knowledge. He knew someone in our group, and when that person greeted him, ‘Oh Professor, Professor,’ he came over. Each of us—well, I knelt, of course—each of us said, ‘How do you do?’ And I just stammered, ‘Ho... How... How...’ I couldn’t believe it. But I’ll never forget it.”

4. He made sure to model his portrayal of Dracula on Bram Stoker's original character.

Christopher Lee’s career became synonymous with his portrayal of Dracula, a role he first took on in 1958's Horror of Dracula and returned to six more times through 1973's The Satanic Rites of Dracula. While he openly acknowledged that he didn’t exactly match the physical description of the character created by author Bram Stoker, Lee remained dedicated to capturing the essence of the count’s personality.

"I’ve always strived to portray the character as Stoker envisioned him in his writing," Lee stated during a 1974 interview. "The character of cold majesty, fierce dignity, and somber mystery—or that irresistible charm that women find fascinating and men find unstoppable."

5. Lee owes a great deal to Saturday Night Live.

Lee’s career evolved through various phases, from small roles and historical dramas to a long-standing collaboration with Hammer Films for the Dracula series. But it was his hosting stint on Saturday Night Live in 1978 that he later referred to as "the single most important thing I ever did in my career"—because it showed audiences he had a comedic side. Among the SNL audience that night was Steven Spielberg, who subsequently cast Lee in his 1979 comedy war film 1941.

6. He turned down a major role in Airplane!...

Around the same time that Lee was showcasing his comedic talents on Saturday Night Live, he was offered the role of Dr. Rumack in Airplane!. However, he declined the offer, explaining that "[people] said, ‘Don’t do it, you’re already part of the greatest comedy of all time [1941].’" The part eventually went to Leslie Nielsen, a role that helped revive Nielsen’s career.

7. … And another major role in Halloween.

As recounted in the documentary Halloween: A Cut Above the Rest, director John Carpenter offered Christopher Lee the role of Sam Loomis—later portrayed by Donald Pleasance—but Lee declined. Years later, Lee admitted to Carpenter that turning down the role was the greatest regret of his career.

8. Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing used to perform Looney Tunes impressions for each other.

Throughout their careers, Lee and his close friend, fellow horror legend Peter Cushing, worked together frequently at Hammer Films. In a 2002 interview, Lee shared that the two had a playful tradition of impersonating their favorite Looney Tunes characters, often causing Cushing to “completely collapse" in laughter. (By the way, Lee’s Sylvester impression is a gem.)

After introducing Cushing to the world of Looney Tunes, the two would go together to see animated films. Lee recalled that they were once asked to leave because "we were laughing so much… almost imitating the characters on the screen, under our breath." Before Cushing passed away in 1994, Lee visited his sick friend with some of his favorite cartoons, where Cushing "just fell apart" laughing, just as he always had.

9. Christopher Lee considered The Wicker Man his best overall film.

In a 2007 interview, Lee declared that the best film he had ever appeared in was 1973’s The Wicker Man, a cult classic folk horror directed by Robin Hardy. As for his favorite of his own performances, that honor went to his portrayal of Muhammad Ali Jinnah in the 1998 TV biopic Jinnah, which tells the story of the founder of Pakistan.

10. He once accidentally starred in a porno.

Lee’s extensive career was filled with unique stories, and one of the strangest was his involvement in Eugenie, a soft-core adult film from the early '70s. The twist? Lee didn’t realize it was a porno at the time. He later explained, "I was told it was about the Marquis de Sade." He flew to Spain for a day of work, playing the role of a narrator, wearing a crimson dinner jacket, surrounded by fully clothed actors. "There didn’t seem to be anything peculiar or strange," Lee remembered.

Lee had completely forgotten about his appearance in the film until a friend stumbled upon it and revealed the, well, rather explicit plot. "I sneaked over there, disguised in dark glasses and a scarf, found the cinema, and saw my name on the screen. I was furious," Lee recounted. "There was a massive argument. When I left Spain that day, everyone behind me had taken their clothes off!"

11. He had a side career as a metal musician.

Given his deep, commanding voice, it’s no surprise that Lee also ventured into heavy metal music, releasing several albums over the years. Among them were Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross—which dropped when Lee was 90—Charlemagne: The Omens of Death, and A Heavy Metal Christmas, which featured the track "Jingle Hell." This song earned Lee the distinction of being the oldest artist to ever make the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

12. Muhammad Ali once dedicated a fight to him.

In 1975, while promoting a film in Cleveland, Muhammad Ali was also in town preparing for his epic Thrilla in Manila bout with Joe Frazier. Ali, a huge fan of Lee’s, arranged for them to meet, and they spent quite some time chatting in Ali’s hotel room. After one of his later wins—perhaps from the Thrilla, but it’s unclear—Ali told a reporter, "I just want to say I won this fight for Christopher Lee, who’s out there watching me now." And indeed, Lee was watching—from the Playboy Mansion.

13. He initially wanted to portray Gandalf, not Saruman, in The Lord of the Rings.

Lee had always dreamed of being part of a film adaptation of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, seeing himself as the ideal Gandalf. However, when Peter Jackson's trilogy came to life in the 2000s, Lee was informed that he was too old for the role. Despite this, Jackson recognized that Lee was the perfect fit for the sinister Saruman.

14. He holds the world record as the oldest video game voice actor.

According to the Guinness World Records, Lee holds the title of the oldest video game voice actor ever, having reprised his iconic role as Saruman in LEGO The Hobbit in 2014 at the age of 91 years and 316 days. He set this record by surpassing his own previous achievement, which occurred when he voiced the character in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days at 87 years and 125 days old.