When I was young… maybe 
age twelve or thirteen… my Mom treated me to a movie for my birthday. It was a double feature; Curse of Frankenstein and Horror of Dracula. I loved horror films, particularly the films from Universal studios. Those films were a lot of fun, but they weren’t really scary. You can outrun those Universal monsters. I was totally unprepared for what I was about to see. From the opening theme of Horror of Dracula, I instinctively knew that this film was going to be vastly different from anything I’d ever seen before. Fifteen minutes into the film, I was stunned from what I was witnessing. By the end of the film, I felt as though I’d been hit by a hammer. And I had been… Hammer Films. Horror of Dracula was so frightening, I slept with my Mom for the next two weeks. She probably wondered if she’d done the right thing by taking me in the first place. In retrospect, it’s one of the most impactful birthday gifts I’ve ever received.
The star of both films in that double feature was Christopher Lee. Oops… Sir Christopher Lee. Curse of Frankenstein was pretty good, but Horror of Dracula changed me. Even now, I’m amazed by the influence that one film has had on my life. One interesting fact about that film is that Sir Chris is barely even in it. The film’s running time is 82 minutes. Sir Chris is only onscreen for nine of those minutes, and yet, his presence is felt throughout the entire film. He’s been a presence in my life too. When I was young and involved in art, the only image I ever drew was the face of Sir Chris. I don’t think I even consciously realized I was drawing him. Years later, as an adult, I owned a business selling movies, books, and posters. There were two framed pictures on the counter; an autographed picture of Clive Barker, and a picture of Sir Chris.
Sir Chris maintained a 
relatively high profile throughout a career spanning about 70 years. He first came to prominence by portraying monsters like Dracula and Frankenstein’s monster. He also played the Mummy, Fu Manchu, Rasputin, Sherlock Holmes, and even a James Bond villain in The Man with the Golden Gun. Most people today probably know him best as Sarumen in the Lord of the Rings and Count Dooku in Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones, and Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith.
Though best known for his acting career, Sir Chris was a man of many gifts with a rich personal history. During WW2, he worked in intelligence, serving in a British version of Special Forces that conducted espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance missions. This elite unit was nicknamed The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. After the war, he worked with another government agency hunting Nazi war criminals. His step cousin was author Ian Fleming and Lee is believed to have been an inspiration for the character of James Bond. He was fluent in English, Italian, French, German and Spanish. He was a world class fencer, golfer and opera singer. He was also a big fan of heavy metal music and released his own metal album… at age 88… making him the oldest metal performer and the oldest musician to ever hit the Billboard charts. He was knighted in 2009.
I watch Horror of Dracula 
from time to time, and I’m always struck by how radical it is, particularly to have been made in 1958. It was the first vampire film shot in color and the first to feature fangs. Rather than killing the vampires offscreen, they were staked in full view, complete with spurting blood. Of course, the most groundbreaking element was the sexualization of vampirism. I’m a big fan of Bela Lugosi and I certainly respect his unique portrayal of Dracula. But Sir Chris brought a totally different vibe to the Count. He turned Dracula into a goth stud. His female victims were willing. They wanted his embrace. They even removed their protective crosses and fluffed up their hair in anticipation of his arrival. Once they’d been bit, they were addicted to that D. Horror of Dracula was heavy stuff for its time and it still holds up. The film is classic gothic horror at its finest, yet flavored with modern sensibilities. Its influence can be felt some sixty years after its release.
Experiencing Sir Chris in my formative years was significant. But I never realized the significance until I became an adult. It took my whole life to realize that Sir Chris has been my lifelong hero. His portrayal of Dracula certainly made an impression, but there was more to Sir Chris than Count Dracula. He was always the epitome of cool. And there was something admirable about him. In interviews throughout his career, he always radiated genuine decency. A few years ago, I heard a first hand story that confirmed my suspicions.
One of coolest stores in Las 
Vegas is called Cash 4 Chaos. The store sells merchandise from t-shirts and jewelry to books, movies and toys. It’s got a vibe that won’t quit and it’s one of my favorite destinations in all of Las Vegas. One day, I was having a discussion with the owner, Mel. We’re both around the same age, and as it turns out, we’re both big fans of Hammer Films and Sir Chris in particular. Mel told me about an amazing personal experience he had with Sir Chris. Mel had introduced his teenage daughter to Hammer Films, and she too became a fan, particularly of Sir Chris. She wanted to write him a fan letter and even managed to find a contact address somewhere in England. She mailed the letter. A few months after mailing the letter, it was announced that Sir Chris had passed away. About a year or so after his death, Mel’s daughter received a letter from the estate of Sir Chris. The fan letter she had written him was still on his desk. He had been planning to answer her.
Sir Christopher Lee will always be my hero.