1922 27th May
Birth of Christopher Lee
Birth of Christopher Lee
Cinema history · permanent subject timeline
Christopher Lee
British actor whose film career ranged from Gothic horror to international franchises. This page combines historical context with 21 matching records drawn directly from the World History Database cinema archive.
Historical context
Christopher Lee: overview and significance
What happened?
Christopher Lee became strongly associated with British horror before extending his career across adventure, fantasy and international studio production.
Why was it important?
Lee's exceptionally long career connects Hammer-era Gothic cinema with much later global franchise filmmaking.
World History Database records
Christopher Lee timeline
The records below are selected from the 2,036-record Cinema History archive and rendered as static HTML in chronological order.
1922
1956
1956
The Battle of the River Plate
Appears in The Battle of the River Plate. Appears in Privates Progress
1957
1957
The Curse of Frankenstein
First film for Hammer inThe Curse of Frankenstein, plays Frankensteins monster. Appears in The Curse of Frankenstein
1958
1958
A Tale of Two Cities
Stars as Dracula in the film Dracula. Appears in A Tale of Two Cities
1959
1959
The Mummy
Appears in The Mummy
1960
1960
The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll
Stars in The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll
1965
1965
Dracula: Prince of Darkness
Stars as Dracula in Hammers Dracula: Prince of Darkness
1966
1966
Rasputin
Stars in Rasputin, the Mad Monk
1970
1970
The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes
Stars in The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes. Stars in Taste the Blood of Dracula
1973
1973
The Wicker Man
Stars in The Wicker Man
1974
1974
The Man with the Golden Gun
Plays Scaramanga in the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun
1976
1976
To the Devil, A Daughter
Stars in To the Devil, A Daughter
1998
1998
Jinnah, Pakistans
Plays Muhammad Ali Jinnah in the biopic Jinnah, Pakistans founder
1999
1999
Sleepy Hollow
Stars in Sleepy Hollow
2001
2001
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Plays Saruman in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. Appears in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
2002
2002
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Appears in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Appears in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
2003
2003
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Appears in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2005
2005
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Appears in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
2009
2009
Knighthood
Knighted for services to drama and charity
2011
2011
BAFTA
Awarded a BAFTA Fellowship
2011
BAFTA Fellowship
Awarded a BAFTA Fellowship
Editorial provenance
Sources and editorial review
Compiled and edited by World History Database.
Historical context is editorial material; the chronology is generated from World History Database cinema records.
Last reviewed: September 2026.
British Film Institute · Library of Congress · Academy Awards
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