2. Saruman - The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy (2001-03) & The Hobbit Trilogy (2012-14)
Considering the timing of this article, it was perhaps inevitable that Saruman would turn up somewhere on this list. Not only does Lee read The Lord of the Rings at least once a year, he is the only cast member in either trilogy who actually met J. R. R. Tolkien. Having long expressed a desire to play Gandalf, he was cast as Saruman since his relative age would prevent him from doing all the sword-fighting and horseback scenes. Fortunately, this turned out to a brilliant move. The stories of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit are so well-known and embedded in our pop culture that it scarcely seems relevant to recap them not to mention the dozen of articles on either subject available on this site. Having seen Saruman become the puppet of the dark lord Sauron in Peter Jackson's original trilogy, The Hobbit trilogy focusses on a time when Saruman the White lived up to his name, as the sarcastic but ultimately wise and noble head of the wizards. Tolkien never specified what it was that turned Saruman from good to evil; it's an event that happens between the events of the two books. Lee's performance thus far in The Hobbit has not given any great indication, but what it has done is begin to broaden out and develop the more long-standing aspects of his character, particularly his feeling of superiority over Gandalf. Whether you rush out to the cinemas this weekend or opt for the original trilogy, you'll reach the exact same conclusion: he was simply born to play this part.