Biography

Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee CBE CStJ (born May 27, 1922), addressed as Christopher Lee, was an iconic English actor, singer, and author. He often portrayed the roles of villains and was primarily known for his role as Count Dracula. 

He also appeared in many other films, including The Wicker Man, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Star Wars Episodes II and III. In addition to his film roles, he also had a successful career as a heavy metal musician and author. 

Christopher Lee released several songs and wrote several books, including an autobiography titled Tall, Dark, and Gruesome. He was knighted in 2009 for his services to drama and charity. He passed away in 2015 at the age of 93.

Christopher Lee
Christopher Lee: History ‧ Bio ‧ Photo
Wiki Facts & About Data
Full Name:	Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee
Stage Name:	Christopher Lee
Born:	27 May 1922 (age 93 years old)
Place of Birth:	Belgravia, London, United Kingdom
Nationality:	English
Height:	1.96 m
Parents:	Geoffrey Trollope Lee, Estelle Marie Carandini di Sarzano
Siblings:	Xandra Lee
Wife • Spouse:	Birgit Kroencke (m. 1961–2015)
Girlfriend • Partner:	Henriette von Rosen (ex.)
Children:	Christina Erika Lee
Occupation:	Actor • TV Personality
Net Worth:	US$25 million

Early Life & Education

Christopher Lee was born in Belgravia, London, on the 27th of May 1992. He was born to Geoffrey Trollope Lee, a diplomatic officer father, and his mother, Estelle Marie Carandini di Sarzano. He has a sister named Xandra Lee and nieces Harriet Walter and Charlotte Walter.

His great-grandfather was an Italian political refugee, while his maternal grandfather, Cesare Carandini, was an Italian diplomat and an amateur genealogist. At first, because of his parents’ connections to the British nobility and his father’s job with a British Bank, Christopher Lee was sent to elite private schools. 

Later on, he developed an interest in acting. He graduated from Wellington College, where he got praised for his performances in a Shakespeare‘s drama. 

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His mother moved to Hollywood to escape the Nazis of Germany. She became an American citizen, while his father remained living in London until just before World War II. Christopher Lee joined his mother in America after being told by a clairvoyant that it would be dangerous to stay behind during the impending invasion.

In 1939, Christopher Lee served in the Royal Air Force and was the Special Operations Executive during the Second World War. He was posted to Finland in 1944 with the Special Operations Executive, where he blew up a railway bridge. After the war, he worked for British Intelligence, interrogating Nazi spies.

Personal Life

Christopher Lee became engaged to Henriette von Rosen in the late 1950s after meeting her in a Stockholm nightclub. Her father, Count Fritz von Rosen, demanded and convinced them to postpone the wedding for a year.

Henriette von Rosen‘s father also asked his London-based friends to interview Christopher Lee and hired private investigators to spy on him. He also requested references, which Christopher Lee obtained from Joe Jackson, John Boulting, and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Later on, Christopher Lee called off the engagement just before the ceremony.

In 1960, a Danish colleague introduced Christopher Lee to Birgit Kroencke, a Danish painter, and former model. Soon after, they became engaged, and on March 17, 1961, they got married. Christina Erika Lee, their daughter, was born in 1963.

Career

When Christopher Lee returned to London in 1946, Beecham gave him a job offer with sizable pay, but he declined because he couldn’t bring himself back into the office frame of mind. He hated the curfews and thought his Latin was already too rusty, but the military was sending veterans with degrees in Classics to teach at colleges. 

Why don’t you become an actor, Christopher Lee? Carandini said while Christopher Lee was discussing his battle wounds with his cousin Nicol Carandini, who was an Italian ambassador to the United Kingdom.

Christopher Lee met Nicol Carandini‘s friend Filippo Del Giudice, a lawyer-turned-film producer and the head of Two Cities Films, a division of the Rank Organization, and they made arrangements for acting roles.

In The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), he debuted, playing the role of a monster created by Victor Frankenstein alongside Peter Cushing.

 It was the first movie that Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing made together; they later did so in over twenty films and grew close. “They asked me if I wanted the part, I said yes, and that was that,” he remarked after being asked at a casting session for the movie. 

Later, Christopher Lee co-starred in the movie Corridors of Blood alongside Boris Karloff (1958). The British television series Colonel March of Scotland Yard included him and Boris Karloff in the episode At Night, All Cats are Grey in 1955.

Worried about being stereotyped in horror movies, as had happened to his close friends Peter Cushing and Vincent Price, Christopher Lee departed the UK for the US in 1977. 

While this happened, Christopher Lee appeared alongside Bette Davis in the Disney movie Return from Witch Mountain (1978). He declined the role of Dr. Barry Rumack in the 1980 catastrophe parody titled Airplane! The role was later given to Leslie Nielsen. According to Christopher Lee, he regretted turning down the offer. 

Cause Of Death

On June 7, 2015, Christopher Lee passed away at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London after being admitted for respiratory problems and heart failure.

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Net Worth

Christopher Lee‘s net worth was estimated to be US$25 million at the time of his death. He made his fortune primarily through acting roles, investments, and real estate.

Social Media

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Filmography

• Lord of the Rings
• The Hobbit
• Dark Shadow
• The Golden Compass
• Hamlet
• Hugo
• Glorious 39
• Airplane 77
• Corpse Bride
• The Skull
• The Wicker Man
• 1941
• The Hound
• Treasure Island