He has appeared in over 250 films. He has played villains in blockbuster film franchises such as Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and James Bond. He holds the world record for number of filmed sword fights. He has appeared with Laurence Olivier, and is an Italian aristocrat. He also got famous for doing horror films for the Hammer studios in London. Who is he? He is none other than Christopher Lee.
Christopher Lee has become one of the most successful and prolific actors of our time. The people at Oracle of Bacon counted, and they decided Kevin Bacon isn't the center of Hollywood. Christopher Lee is. Or at least he's number 2, just .00541 points behind Rod Steiger.
Christopher Lee is not only a great actor, he is also probably one of the reasons the Hammer Films in London became as successful as they were. Lee's talent and personal interest in the occult helped to drive the genre, aiding in the creation of some of the great horror films, including The Wicker Man and The Devil Rides Out.
Lee was a bit actor until he got a part in Hammer's first color film, The Curse of Frankenstein, in which he played the monster. Frankenstein was a success, and Lee landed a lead role in another Hammer film, Dracula. This film broke UK box office records, was considered to be the best Hammer film ever, and made Christopher Lee a star. Lee was considered to be one of the finest actors to ever play the role.
Lee was such a big draw for Hammer, that the studio ended up blackmailing the actor to appear in their subsequent Dracula films. According to Lee, the studio would tell him "Think of the people you'll put out of work if you don't do it!" Lee appeared in many films for Hammer in the following years.
Lee himself had a personal interest in the occult, and much of his private library is devoted to occult books. At his insistence, Hammer made two films based on the occult novels of Denis Wheately, including The Devil Rides Out and To The Devil a Daughter. Wheately was so impressed with Devil Rides Out that he gave Lee the rights to all his black magic books.
After To The Devil a Daughter, Lee veered away from the horror genre. Coincidentally, Hammer Films went bankrupt shortly after Lee left horror. It was also around this time that the British horror film itself began to die.
In the end, horror films, particularly British ones, probably owe a debt to Christopher Lee. He is clearly a talented actor. How else does one become the center of the Hollywood universe? It may not be coincidence that the horror film had its heyday while he was around. But it is also clear that Lee owes a debt to the horror film. Without it, he may never have been exposed to the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment