British actor Christopher Lee dies at age 93

Christopher Lee, the prolific, aristocratic British actor who brought dramatic gravitas to screen villains from Count Dracula to James Bond enemy Scaramanga, has died at age 93

May 27, 1922: Born into affluent family in Westminster, London

Education: Attended Eton Collegeand Wellington College, where he studied Greek and Latin

World War II: Served in Royal Air Force, mentioned in dispatches

1947: Joins Rank Organisation,trains as actor in their so-called “Charm School”

1957: First film for Hammer,The Curse of Frankenstein, playing Frankenstein’s monster,with frequent co-star Peter Cushing as the Baron

1958: First of many filmsstarring as Dracula

1960s: Plays Fu Manchuin series of films

1970s: Notable films include The Wicker Man andBond movie The Man with the Golden Gun, in which he plays arch-villain Scaramanga

1999: First of five collaborations with director Tim Burton

2000s: Plays wizard Saruman in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy and evil Count Dooku in two Star Wars prequels

2011: Awarded BAFTA fellowship

2012-14: Plays Saruman in two films of The Hobbit trilogy

June 7, 2015 Dies aged 93

Source: Wire agencies

Pictures: Associated Press, Getty Images

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