Heartwarming way Lord of the Rings icon spent final moments

Imposing movie star will be forever linked to his portrayal of . But as a young journalist found to her peril when she interviewed him as in 2009, the vampire role he played in numerous Hammer Horror films of the 60s and 70s was not how he wanted to be remembered.

At the end of her interview, included in new documentary The Life And Deaths Of Christopher Lee, the journalist sums up his career. As his 6ft 4in frame looms behind her she says, “A knight of the realm, but still the king of horror.” “The king of what?” Christopher says, sounding more than a little peeved. “Don’t say that dear, I’m not! I haven’t done a horror film for 34 years. Please don’t refer to me as the king of horror.”

READ MORE:

The new documentary reveals there was indeed so much more to Christopher Lee than his horror movie roles. The feature-length biography uses a black and white puppet to depict Christopher, , and an uncanny impersonation from Peter Serafinowicz who narrates in his voice. It covers his huge film career but also his friendships with everyone from fellow horror actors Peter Cushing and Vincent Price to the author JRR Tolkien (The Lord Of The Rings was Christopher’s favourite book) and James Bond novelist Ian Fleming, who was the actor’s step-cousin.

Directors including Joe Dante and John Landis, as well as Christopher’s niece, actress Harriet Walter, talk about his career that spanned more than 200 movies including cult classic , Bond movie The Man With The Golden Gun and three prequel movies. But the most interesting snippets are from those who knew another side to the actor. Before his movie career, he worked as an intelligence officer in the RAF during and after the Second World War, and while Christopher hinted that it involved spying – and even 007-style activities – he never revealed the true nature of his occupation.

The loveliest story in the documentary, however, involves his adoration of The Lord Of The Rings. The director of the 2000s trilogy based on the books, Peter Jackson, talks about casting Christopher as Saruman, realising a lifelong dream for the actor. Christopher’s son-in-law Juan Francisco Aneiros Rodriguez, reveals that on the night the actor passed away he had been watching the movies in hospital with his nurses, reliving the iconic role he did want to be remembered for, and always will be.

READ MORE: