Christopher Lee

Born: 27 May 1922 Birthplace: London, England Best Known As: Saruman in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy Name at birth: Christopher Frank Caradini Lee After a long and distinguished career as one of the biggest movie stars of horror and fantasy, Christopher Lee is now known to film audiences as Saruman the White in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) and as Darth Tyranus in the Star Wars epics Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002) and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005). Lee has been making movies since 1947, and over the years he has played mostly villains and monsters, thanks in part to a long association with the United Kingdom's Hammer Films. His remarkable filmography includes more than 250 films, including: Dracula (1958); The Mummy (1959); The Hands of Orlac (1961); The Gorgon (1964); The Face of Fu Manchu (1962); The Devil Rides Out (1968); The Wicker Man (1973); The Three Musketeers (1973, co-starring Faye Dunaway); The Man With The Golden Gun (1974, with Roger Moore); Airport '77 (1977, starring Jack Lemmon); and Sleepy Hollow (1999, with Johnny Depp). Lee made nearly two dozen movies with his friend and fellow horror star Peter Cushing... In 1977 he published his autobiography, Tall, Dark and Gruesome.