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    Christopher Lee Is The Ultimate Badass

    92 years ago today, a legend was born.

    This is Sir Christopher Lee.

    You might know him best from his work in The Lord of the Rings films...

    Star Wars...

    early Hammer Horror...

    ...or from one of literally hundreds of roles.

    Which means the combined grosses of his films total more than any other actor in history.

    But it's his offscreen life that's even more incredible...

    He is a direct descendent of Charlemagne, a.k.a. Charles the Great.

    During WWII, Lee was a member of Special Operations Executive - a.k.a. "Churchill's Secret Army"

    Lee's step-cousin Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond, also worked with S.O.E.

    Fleming drew on his experiences in espionage during the war for his novels...which means that Christopher Lee is likely part of the inspiration for James Bond.

    His experience as a Nazi-exterminator even influenced his work with the LOTR crew.

    And speaking of The Lord of the Rings, Lee is the only member of the cast to have met Professor Tolkien.

    Like Tolkien, Lee is something of a linguist. He speaks English, French, Italian, Spanish and German.

    Before there was Sir Ian and Sir Patrick, there was Sir Christopher and Peter Cushing.

    Music is in his blood, and his discography ranges from the traditional...

    ...to the more non-traditional.

    Yup. Sir Christopher Lee is a headbanger.

    In addition to his collaborations with old-school metal heavyweights like Manowar...

    View this video on YouTube

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    and symphonic power metal acts Rhapsody of Fire...

    View this video on YouTube

    youtube.com

    View this video on YouTube

    youtube.com

    ...he's also recorded and released some symphonic metal of his own.

    So join me in a toast!

    To the actor, musician, Nazi-hunter, metalhead, knight and gentleman.

    To 92 years of epic living.