Christopher Lee 1922-2015

Sir Christopher Lee, the British actor whose film appearances ranged from the blood-soaked horrors of Hammer Films to the James Bond, "Lord of the Rings" and "Star Wars" franchises, died June 8, 2015, at the age of 93.

Left: Lee as Count Dracula in "Dracula A.D. 1972."

Portrait

Left: An undated publicity photo of actor Christopher Lee.

Christopher Frank Carandini Lee was born on May 27, 1922, in London, the son of a British army officer and an Edwardian beauty of Italian descent, Contessa Estelle Marie Carandini di Sarzano. After his parents separated, Christopher's mother remarried an uncle of James Bond creator Ian Fleming.

After serving in the Royal Air Force during World War II, the 6-foot-5 Lee appeared in minor roles in British films, including Laurence Olivier's "Hamlet," before joining Hammer's stable of actors who brought fresh blood to the horror genre beginning in the late 1950s.

"The Curse of Frankenstein"

In 1957 Lee starred as the monster in Hammer's "The Curse of Frankenstein."

"Horror of Dracula"

Christopher Lee made his first of many appearances as Dracula in Hammer's colorful "Horror of Dracula" (1958).

"The Hound of the Baskervilles"

Christopher Lee as Sir Henry Baskerville and Marla Landi as Cecile in Hammer's Sherlock Holmes thriller, "The Hound of the Baskervilles" (1959).

"The Mummy"

Terence Fisher, who directed some of Hammer's best horror films, helmed the studio's 1959 remake of "The Mummy," starring Christopher Lee.

"The Mummy"

Christopher Lee with Peter Cushing in "The Mummy."

"Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace"

Christopher Lee portrayed Arthur Conan Doyle's famed detective in the 1962 mystery, "Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace."

"The Face of Fu Manchu"

Christopher Lee portrayed Sax Rohmer's evil Oriental mastermind in "The Face of Fu Manchu" (1965).

"The Devil Rides Out"

Christopher Lee investigates a cult of Satan worshippers in contemporary England in "The Devil Rides Out" (1968). With Leon Greene.

"Taste the Blood of Dracula"

Christopher Lee as the vampire and Isla Blair as a comely victim in the 1970 horror film, "Taste the Blood of Dracula."

"The Wicker Man"

Christopher Lee as the sinister Lord Summerisle in the 1973 horror classic, "The Wicker Man," written by Anthony Shaffer and directed by Robin Hardy.

"The Man With the Golden Gun"

Christopher Lee starred as the assassin Francisco Scaramanga opposite Roger Moore's James Bond in the 1974 thriller, "The Man With the Golden Gun."

"The Three Musketeers"

Christopher Lee, as the villainous Count De Rochefort, meets Milady de Winter (Faye Dunaway) in Richard Lester's 1973 romp, "The Three Musketeers." With Nicole Calfan.

"1941"

Christopher Lee with director Steve Spielberg and Toshiro Mifune on the set of the World War II comedy, "1941."

"Gremlins 2: The New Batch"

Christopher Lee was in full-blown evil scientist mode in Joe Dante's comedy, "Gremlins 2: The New Batch."

"The Lord of the Rings"

Christopher Lee starred as the wizard Saruman, who aligns with the evil Sauron, in Peter Jackson's monumental screen version of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" (2001-2003).

Lee later reprised his character in Jackson's followup Middle-Earth trilogy, "The Hobbit."

"The Lord of the Rings"

Christopher Lee as the wizard Saruman in the second film of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, "The Two Towers" (2002).

"The Lord of the Rings"

Saruman (Christopher Lee) orders his troops to war in Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" (2002). With Brad Dourif.

"Star Wars Episode II"

Christopher Lee became part of the "Star Wars" universe as Count Dooku, a Jedi master who turns to the Dark Side in "Attack of the Clones."

"Star Wars Episode III"

Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) in a lightsaber duel with Yoda in "Revenge of the Sith."

"Hugo"

Christopher Lee (left, with Asa Butterfield) played a kindly bookseller in Martin Scorsese's "Hugo" (2011).

"Night Train to Lisbon"

Jeremy Irons and Christopher Lee, as Father Bartolomeu, in Bille August's "Night Train to Lisbon" (2013), about a Swiss professor who abandons his career as he pursues a mysterious woman who vanishes after he saved her life.

Portrait

An undated publicity photo of actor Christopher Lee, who died June 8, 2015 at the age of 93. Lee was currently in pre-production on his 281st film/TV project, "The 11th."

By CBSNews.com senior producer David Morgan