The unbelievable, untold life story of the lateSir Christopher Leeisbeing brought to the screen in a new documentary. Lee is one of the most prolific British actors of all-time, starring inmultiple Hammer Horror films(most notably as Count Dracula), theJames Bondfranchise, playing Saruman inThe Lord of the Rings, and Count Dooku inStar Wars.
Documentary filmmaker Jon Spira is telling Lee’s story in a new feature film documentary. Before starring in major Hollywood movies, Lee wasfamously a spy during World War II, and even helped capture Nazi war criminals. The documentary will feature footage from over a hundred interviews with Lee (via the BFI archive) as well as notes, writings, and memories from the actor’s own scrapbooks.
Speaking to theBBCabout the project, Spira described Lee’s life as an “incredible story” which surprisingly hasn’t been told yet. Spira then continued, talking about Lee’s military career. The filmmaker said:
“Because he could speak fluently a range of different languages he got pulled into the secret service doing missions of which the facts have never fully come out. His cousin was Ian Fleming and a lot of people think the character of James Bond was based on him. He certainly didn’t do anything to disavow people of that. You could almost do this as two films. That’s why we called itThe Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee, because his life is one story and his career is another.”
Christopher Lee Has Left Behind Quite the Cinematic Legacy…
Across his acting career, which began way back in 1946, Christopher Lee appeared in over 250 movies and shows. However, it was his starring role in the Hammer Horror production ofDracula(1958) which propelled Christopher Lee to stardom - although his first leading role in a Hammer movie was actually the year before inThe Curse of Frankenstein. Christopher Lee portrayed the iconic vampire ten times across his career, seven times for Hammer Productions, and three more for other studios.
10 Iconic Christopher Lee Villain Roles
In a career spanning seven decades and a hundred roles, few performances match the sheer notoriety of Christopher Lee’s iconic villainous characters.
Modern audiences will likely know Lee best for his major roles in bothStar Wars, andThe Lord of the Ringsfranchises.LotRfans will already know that Lee’s own experience of war informed his portrayal of Saruman, especially during his iconic death scene where the wizard is stabbed in the back. Lee was also the only person on theLord of the Ringsset to have actually met J.R.R. Tolkien.
Across his filmography, Lee also worked with some of the biggest directors of all-time, including Powell and Pressburger, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Orson Wells, Tim Burton, John Landis, Joe Dante, and Peter Jackson. Landis, Dante, and Jackson all make appearances in the documentary, sharing stories of their time working with Lee. During his interview, Spira recounted talking to Peter Jackson about the actor, revealing:
“Peter Jackson was very prepared to talk about the emotional side. About how amazed he was as a film fan, in awe of Christopher Lee, and couldn’t believe he got to work with him. He discovered his unique insecurities, like many actors have. He was a really complex person who was very emotional, and had this austere image. He had a lot of frustrations in his life - we explore that.”
Of all his 250+ films and shows, Lee has previously said thatThe Wicker ManandJinnahare among the bestin his filmography. Spira revealed that Christopher Lee’s performance inName Your Poisonwas his personal favorite.
No official release date has been announced for the project. However, Spira’s film was actually funded viaKickstarter, with the project’s rewards stating the premiere will be held in December, 2024.
