During his nearly seven-decade career, Sir Christopher Lee ventured into acting, singing, and writing. He rose to prominence with his villainous roles in a sequence of Hammer Horror films, including 1958’s Dracula, in which he played the titular character.
He’d go on to play several iconic roles, most notably Saruman in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies and Count Dooku in two of the three Star Wars prequels. And with a filmography including over 200 titles, many of his films slipped through the cracks. Lee’s legacy is all but assured, but it’s always great to revisit some of his lesser-known projects.
A Tale Of Two Cities (1958)
Lee considered this, along with The Curse of Frankenstein and Dracula, as the films that moved his career forward. It is the sixth adaptation of Charles Dickens’s classic novel and focuses on Sydney Carton and his attempts to help Charles Darnay escape the guillotine.
The veteran actor played the Marquis St. Evremonde, one of his first villainous performances. This version of A Tale of Two Cities wasn’t as successful as the 1935 Hollywood version, but it still received enough attention and generally positive reception.
Sherlock Holmes And The Deathly Necklace (1962)
Sherlock Holmes is among the most celebrated and enduring literary characters. Adaptations of his stories are staples of cinema, with the earliest one produced in 1900. Lee played the legendary detective in this 1962 German-French-Italian co-production centered on Holmes’s attempt to find a necklace formerly worn by Cleopatra.
Years later, Lee would express his unhappiness with the film in David Stuart Davies’ book Holmes of the Movies: The Screen Career of Sherlock Holmes (page 130). He regretted not having more English men and women involved in the production, although he did express satisfaction at his portrayal of the iconic character.
I, Monster (1971)
Like Holmes, the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a favorite of screenwriters. It isn’t always faithfully adapted, though, and that’s the case for 1971’s I, Monster. It stars Lee as Dr. Charles Marlowe and Mr. Edward Blake, and Lee’s frequent collaborator and close friend, Peter Cushing, as Frederick Utterson.
The film performed poorly at the box office at the time of release. However, and like many of Lee’s early films, it received better reviews as the years went by.
Jaguar Lives! (1979)
Jaguar Lives! featured stars like Lee, Donald Pleasence, and Barbara Balch in minimal roles, despite receiving top billing. The plot follows a secret agent, played by Joe Lewis, who battles an international drugs ring.
Lee plays Adam Caine, a small role that barely features in the narrative. The movie received mixed reviews, although some praise did go to Donald Pleasence’s over-the-top villain.
The Return Of Captain Invincible (1983)
Lee acted in several international productions during his prolific career, never limiting himself to Hollywood or British films. Case in point, The Return of Captain Invincible, an Australian comedy directed by Philippe Mora and co-starring Alan Arkin.
The plot centers on Captain Invincible, a retired superhero who must return to duty after his former archenemy, Mr. Midnight, steals a secret government superweapon. Lee, of course, plays Mr. Midnight in this nutty pastiche, in which he also sings.
The Return Of The Musketeers (1989)
Another enduring story is Alexandre Dumas’ tale of the Three Musketeers. Lee had already portrayed the Comte de Rochefort in two previous movies, 1973’s The Three Musketeers and 1974’s The Four Musketeers. The Return of the Musketeers adapts Dumas’ novel Twenty Years After.
Michael York, Oliver Reed, Frank Finlay, and Richard Chamberlain play the four titular musketeers, while Geraldine Chaplin has a small role as Anne of Austria. Additionally, Kim Cattrall plays Milady de Winter’s daughter, Justine de Winter.
The Rainbow Thief (1990)
The Rainbow Thief is notorious for reuniting Peter O’Toole and Omar Sharif, twenty-eight years after working together in the now-iconic Lawrence of Arabia. The story follows Meleagre, played by O’Toole, and Dima, played by Sharif, two unlikely friends who await an eccentric millionaire’s demise to claim his large inheritance.
The bizarre film, directed by Chilean-French avant-garde auteur Alejandro Jodorowsky, is a fable about friendship. Lee plays the small role of Rudolf Von Tannen, the eccentric millionaire whose death kickstarts the entire plot.
Jinnah (1998)
Jinnah, a Pakistani-British co-production, tells the story of Pakistan’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Lee spoke highly of the film and stated numerous times that it was the best performance of his career.
In Pakistan, the film also received critical acclaim, although Lee’s casting was controversial because he previously played the character of Dracula and appeared in several horror films. Despite receiving critical acclaim in numerous film festivals, Jinnah never received a traditional release in cinemas.
Glorious 39 (2009)
Starring a who’s who of British actors, Glorious 39 follows Anne Keyes, the adopted daughter of a British politician who uncovers a family secret on the eve of World War II.
Lee plays Walter Page, who retells Anne’s story from present-day London. Romola Garai stars as Anne alongside a cast that includes Bill Nighy, David Tennant, Jeremy Northam, Charlie Cox, and Eddie Redmayne. The film received mixed reviews from critics.
The Resident (2011)
The Resident marked Lee’s first collaboration with Hammer Films since 1976’s To the Devil…a Daughter. The film stars Hilary Swank and Jeffrey Dean Morgan and follows a recently single woman who, after moving to an NYC apartment, begins to suspect someone’s stalking her.
The film had a limited debut in 2011 before releasing straight to DVD. It received mainly negative reviews from critics, who considered it generic. Lee’s role is a cameo and would be his last collaboration with Hammer before his death in 2015.
