Whichever way you look at it, Sir Christopher Lee is one of cinema's most iconic figures. In a career spanning 80 years from his debut in 1948, he has captivated audiences in a wide variety of roles. He has played vampires, judges, Frankenstein's monster, priests, Bond villains, Nazi sea captains and wizards. This weekend he returns in this latter capacity, reprising his role as Saruman the White in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Obviously in a career so long and so wide-ranging, it is impossible to include all his most famous roles in any list summarising his career. Even narrowing down the films included in his BAFTA tribute video is really rather difficult. With great regret and some pain, I've had to leave out his many collaborations with Tim Burton, his supporting role in Richard Lester's Musketeers films, and much of his finest work with Hammer, including The Hound of the Baskervilles. I even had to omit Jinnah, the film which he considers his finest work - though this is more down to fact that it is very hard to find. My only hope is that the five great performances I have selected are at least somewhat representative of the man's talent - and by exchange that the five bad ones I highlight do not overly diminish it. Nevertheless, let us begin our regular Friday countdown with the five biggest peaks in Lee's mountainous career...
Freelance copywriter, film buff, community radio presenter. Former host of The Movie Hour podcast (http://www.lionheartradio.com/ and click 'Interviews'), currently presenting on Phonic FM in Exeter (http://www.phonic.fm/). Other loves include theatre, music and test cricket.
