I don’t think any of us are this cool except Harlan.
Happy Birthday Christopher Lee
13 reasons why you may be cool, but will never be Christopher Lee cool....
1. He played Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster and the Mummy.
2. He not only played a Bond Villain, but his cousin was Bond-creator Ian Fleming.
3. He was a direct descendent of Charlemagne, the first Holy Roman Emperor, and even recorded a rock album entitled: “Charlemagne: The Omens of Death”.
4. Played both Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes
5. He recorded several Heavy Metal records. He nearly duetted with David Bowie, but the two couldn’t decide which song to use.
6. He was a spy during World War II; prior to his acting career, Lee served in the Royal Air Force, where he was attached to the No. 260 Squadron RAF as an intelligence officer where he was a liaison officer for the Special Operations Executive. Following his World War II service he retired from the RAF in 1946 with the rank of flight lieutenant.
7. He succeeded his friend Peter Cushing in appearing in the Star Wars franchise as former Jedi Master Count Dooku.
8. Played Saruman the White, and remains the only actor in the Lord of the Rings movies to have actually met J.R.R. Tolkien
9. During the filming of Saruman’s death scene in “The Return of the King”, Lee’s character was meant to scream after being stabbed, but he refused to do it that way, asking director Peter Jackson, “Have you any idea what kind of noise happens when somebody is being stabbed in the back? Because I do.” He was recounting his spy days in World War Two. Jackson did not need any more convincing, and the shot was filmed according to Lee.
10. Spoke several languages, including French, German, Swedish, Russian, Greek and “conversational” Mandarin.
11. He was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as one of the world's tallest leading actors (6'5"). Lee is said to have had more recorded sword fights than any other actor in history.
12. Nearly married into the Swedish Royal Family, even being given the King’s permission to marry Henriette von Rosen, daughter of Count Fritz von Rosen. Unfortunately, Lee called the wedding off, concerned that his financial insecurity in his chosen profession meant that she "deserved better" than being "pitched into the dishevelled world of an actor."
13. Was Knighted the day before Halloween in 2009; due to his age he was given special permission not to kneel.
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