While better known as an acclaimed actor, Sir Christopher Lee – born in Belgravia, London, England on May 27, 1922 – had a surprisingly successful heavy metal music career late in his life. Best known for portraying Count Dracula in a series of Hammer Horror films in the 1960s and early 1970s, he is also remembered for many other roles including Saruman in the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. Outside of his acting roles, Sir Christopher Lee was a classically trained vocalist and lent his baritone voice to various soundtracks including cult classic The Wicker Man (1973). He developed a love of heavy metal music in the early 1970s, becoming friends with Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi in the process. He released his debut album, Christopher Lee Sings Devils, Rogues & Other Villains, in 1998, which featured his theatrical takes on operatic pieces. However, Sir Christopher Lee did not attempt to record heavy metal until 2004 when he appeared on the single “The Magic of the Wizard’s Dream” by Italian symphonic metal band Rhapsody of Fire. Sir Christopher Lee released his album Revelation (2006), which mixed heavy metal with dramatic opera influences. He also added a spoken word performance on Manowar’s re-recording of their Battle Hymns album in 2010. That same year, he issued the album Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross, which was a symphonic metal concept album. He followed that with 2013’s Charlemagne: The Omens of Death, which was released on his 91st birthday. He also got into the holiday spirit and released the A Heavy Metal Christmas EP in 2012 and A Heavy Metal Christmas Too the following year. His single “Jingle Hell” made the Billboard Top 100, which made him the second oldest artist to chart on the list. In 2014, he released the Metal Knight EP, which included his renditions of “My Way” and “The Impossible Dream.” Sir Christopher Lee died on June 7, 2015, at the age of 93.
