He died in a London hospital on the 94-year life. Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, the most aristocratic (a descendant of the Borgias), high (196 cm) and a tireless (more than 280 roles) villain of world cinema: a tenfold Dracula, five Dr. Fu Manchu, Frankenstein’s monster, “mad monk” Rasputin, Count Dooku ” Star Wars “(2002, 2005), and finally, Saruman in” The Lord of the Rings “(2001-2003) and” The Hobbit “(2012).
On the set “The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes” (1970) directed by Billy Wilder spellbound watched as Lee, who played Mycroft, strolls at dusk along the edge of the dark waters of Loch Ness, and then could not resist, asked: “You probably feel right at home here ? »
In general, he always felt at home, for example, without dubbing was shot in France and Italy, Spain and Germany. Another explained Swedish, Greek and in Russian, which helped him play a knight Kato turns children into birds in the film Vladimir Grammatikova “Mio, my Mio” (1987). Superbly sung, but gave vent to his gift only exchanged eighties, immediately becoming his world “metal.” It is also perfectly fenced, although one appeared helpless in the face of the enemy does not play by the rules: on the set of “The Dark Avenger” (1955) Henry Levin wounded him drunk Errol Flynn.
Aristocratic upbringing, you know. His father was a colonel in the Royal Fusiliers – chest with medals – whose passion for the game has ruined a marriage with her mother Lee, awnings and renowned beauty. In 1939, Lee rushed to Finland – to fight against the Bolsheviks – but the British volunteers marinated only two weeks in the rear. But during the war, he was promoted to lieutenant of the Air Force contracted with life fear of flying, he worked in intelligence, as well as his cousin Ian Fleming. Until his death kept a military secret, without giving details of their missions: it is known that he was involved in the investigation of Nazi war crimes.
After demobilization he lay a straight path to the diplomatic service, but another cousin – Italian marquis, who headed the company Alitalia, persuaded to go into the movie business. Fleming, however, also suffered in his career Lee and saw him on the role of Dr. No in the first film “James Bond”. Then it does not grow together, but Lee still played one of the most sinister enemies mock-Bond – Scaramanga in “The Man with the Golden Gun” (1974) Guy Hamilton. But until 1957, he eked out a humble life of an actor Tenth Plan as it is not laid eyes legendary studio “Hammer”, the adventure and triumph to resurrect long-buried “line” of the great myths of horror cinema: Lee played in 16 movies studios.
However, the “golden boy” almost no childhood was one oddity, predisposing it to the genre: his hobby was the death penalty. At 17, he was present at the last public execution in France serial killer Veydemana. He knew by heart the names of British hangmen, and the last of them invited to his home and led him long conversations. Invitation to Hollywood, he, despite aerophobia, received with enthusiasm: he could now see firsthand electrocution.
His first became a monster monster in “The Curse of Frankenstein” (1957) Terence Fisher, but the role he did not return: a worthless handsome Gothic long face to hide his ugly makeup. But a deadly pallor, fangs and tacky gift, a sinister presence in the scene he had to face: the first of his vampire he played in “Dracula” (1958) the same Fischer. In addition to Dracula, and Li Fu Manchu still many who played in the film studio “Hammer”, foreign masters of the genre – Italian Mario Bava, the German Harald Raynlya. But his biggest success Sammeraylya Lord thought, adept bloodthirsty Celtic cult in “The Wicker Man” (1973) Robin Hardy.
Good luck, you need to mention it in the territory of fear. By and large the bill – a major role in the “genie” (1998) Pakistani Jamil Dehlavi. Living and working on the set, he had under the clock armed guards: Pakistani public was outraged that the father of independence plays Dracula. Escape from the ghetto horror Lee, however, I have consistently made in the 1970s, and very witty. He played on lowering their image in a number of parodies: Mycroft in Wilder, Earl of Rochefort in “The Three Musketeers” (1973) and “Four Musketeers” (1974) Richard Lester. Finally, the last he played Dracula in the hilarious film Edoardo Molinari “Dracula father and son” (1976): the Communists expelled from Romania vampires tried to do a film career and eat cats.
Although Hollywood experiment turned fiasco began with his conversion Lee in the new live mascot – one by one – directing generations. In “1941″ (1979) by Steven Spielberg, he was captain of the Nazi submarine Wolfgang von Kleinschmidt in “Gremlins 2″ (1990), Joe Dante – Dr. catheter in the “Odyssey” (1997) Andrei Konchalovsky – Teiresias in “Crimson rekah- 2 “(2004), Olivier Daan – Dr. Hermann von Garter. Tim Burton invited him to five of his films, from “Sleepy Hollow” (1999) to “Dark Shadows” (2012), George Lucas – in two episodes of “Star Wars”, Peter Jackson – five episodes of the epic Tolkien, with whom Lee By the way, I was quite familiar. He played as a rule, even parodies older chthonic evil, but at the same time – a mystical messenger of the other, long time, when his eyes were big fear.
It would seem that Lie It had nothing to regret in life, but one thing he is still saddened actor movingly mourned that he had not had the good fortune to work with Clint Eastwood.
No comments:
Post a Comment