Something of the knight about Christopher Lee

Fri Oct 30 2009 17:27:53

Movie legend Sir Christopher Lee has been knighted by the Prince of Wales.

The prolific actor, famed for his spine-chilling roles as Count Dracula and other macabre characters, paid tribute to Hammer Horroes, the studio where he made his name in the 1950s and 1960s.

Lee, who was knighted at a Buckingham Palace investiture ceremony, has appeared in more than 250 films and television productions and was honoured for services to drama and to charity.

The 87-year-old movie star was dressed in a morning suit for the event and walked with the aid of a stick after receiving treatment for a back injury he sustained during a fall.

After the ceremony, Lee said the Prince had been "extremely complimentary", adding: "He couldn't have been nicer and was very easy to talk to."

Talking about his days with the Hammer Horror studios in the 1950s and 1960s, he said: "I've always been grateful for the opportunity to play characters. It happened to be for that company which made me not always a face but a name all over the world."

Lee became known for his blood-curdling performances opposite Peter Cushing in the Hammer movies but had become typecast by the end of the 1960s.

In the 1970s his appeal widened with roles in mainstream films. He played Scaramanga in the James Bond movie The Man with the Golden Gun, Rochefort in The Three Musketeers and Lord Summerisle in The Wicker Man.

Other memorable parts included The Lord of the Rings' Saruman and Count Dooku from the Star Wars universe.

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