The world sadly lost one of its greatest and longest-serving actors, this week, as we learned of the passing of Sir Christopher Lee.
Lee, aged 93, had starred in over 200 films and appeared in nearly as many TV shows; one of his most iconic roles, however, came towards the end of Lee’s career, during his portrayal of the legendary and god-like Saruman.
Co-star, friend and fellow Sir, Ian McKellen, posted a tribute to Christopher Lee – describing the experience of working with the actor on the ‘Lord of The Rings’ films. McKellen accounted what truly must be a rare experience for such a legendary Boss, describing how he felt “inadequate” in the presence of Christopher Lee.
McKellen begins:
“When I arrived in New Zealand to start filming as Gandalf, in the first week of the 21st Century, Peter Jackson held a dinner for some of the cast. I was happily next to Christopher Lee, who I had known of throughout me actor-admiring life. He’d been cast as the white wizard Saruman but his opening line to me was: “I’ve always thought I should play Gandalf. I read ‘Lord of the Rings’ every year – sometimes twice.”He then treated me to a snatch of the black speech of Mordor and I felt inadequate. Not that was Chris’s intention: he was 78 and well practised in the art of gentlemanly rectitude. The epitome of “tall, dark and handsome” kept any inner demons for his acting Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster and once, as Sherlock Holmes.”
You can read McKellen’s touching tribute and insight into Christopher Lee on set over here.
Vale Christopher Lee.
From The New Yorker, courtesy @Jack_Morrissey http://t.co/TaanPmk6Aj pic.twitter.com/f65MMfjLdv
— Ian McKellen (@IanMcKellen) June 13, 2015
