Editing Christopher Lee (section)

=== 2000–2009: Resurgence in franchise films ===
[[File:ChristopherLeeSaruman2.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Lee at [[Forbidden Planet (bookstore)|Forbidden Planet]], New Oxford Street, London, signing ''The Two Towers'']]

Lee had many television roles. These included the role Flay in the [[BBC]] television miniseries ''[[Gormenghast (TV serial)|Gormenghast]]'' (2000) based on [[Mervyn Peake]]'s novels. He also appeared as Lucas de Beaumanoir, the Grand Master of the [[Knights Templar]], in the BBC/[[A&E Network|A&E]] co-production of Sir [[Walter Scott]]'s ''[[Ivanhoe]]'' (1997).<ref name="BBC Notts 2001">{{cite web |title=Stuck on you. Horror star flies into Notts |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/nottingham/spotlight/2001/christopher_lee.shtml |publisher=[[BBC]] |access-date=10 January 2022 |date=31 July 2001}}</ref><!-- He played a role in the made-for-TV series ''[[La Révolution française (film)|La Révolution française]]'' (1989) in part 2, "Les Années Terribles," as the executioner, [[Charles-Henri Sanson]], who beheaded [[Louis XVI of France|King Louis XVI]], [[Maximilien de Robespierre]], [[Stefan Wyszyński]] in the [[CBS]] film ''John Paul the Second'' (2005) and others.-->

Lee portrayed [[Saruman]] in [[Peter Jackson]]'s fantasy action epic [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy]]. In the commentary, he stated that for decades he had dreamt of playing [[Gandalf]]. He conceded that he was now too old, and that his physical limitations prevented him from being considered; [[Ian McKellen]], who was in his early 60s, was cast in the role alongside Lee, in his mid-70s. The role of Saruman, unlike that of Gandalf, required no horse-riding and far less fighting. Lee had met [[J. R. R. Tolkien]] once, which made him the only person involved in Peter Jackson's films to have done so.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Paul |first1=Leggett |title=Good Versus Evil in the Films of Christopher Lee |date=2018 |publisher=McFarland |pages=1}}</ref> He made a habit of reading [[The Lord of the Rings|the novels]] at least once a year.{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=274}}{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=337}}<ref>{{cite video |people=[[Peter Jackson]] |title=Cameras in Middle-earth (''The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' Special Extended Edition documentary) |medium=DVD |publisher=[[New Line Cinema]] |year=2002}}</ref> In addition, he performed for [[The Tolkien Ensemble]]'s album ''[[At Dawn in Rivendell]]'' in 2003.<ref>{{cite AV media |author=[[The Tolkien Ensemble]] |title=[[At Dawn in Rivendell]] |publisher=[[Decca Records|Decca]] |type=CD |year=2003}}</ref> Lee's appearance in the final film in the trilogy, ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King]]'', was cut from the theatrical release, but the scene was reinstated in the extended edition.<ref>{{cite web |last1=McCarrick |first1=Michael |title=Lord of the Rings: Why Saruman Doesn't Appear in Return of the King's Theatrical Cut |url=https://www.cbr.com/lord-of-the-rings-return-of-the-king-saruman-fate-explained/ |publisher=CBR |access-date=27 July 2021 |date=25 February 2021}}</ref> ''The Lord of the Rings'' marked the beginning of a major career revival that continued with the role of the villainous Count Dooku in the [[George Lucas]]-directed ''[[Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones]]'' (2002) and ''[[Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith]]'' (2005). Lee acted opposite [[Hayden Christensen]], [[Ewan McGregor]], and [[Natalie Portman]], and did most of the swordplay himself, though a stunt double was required for the long shots with more vigorous footwork.<ref name=TFInterview />

[[File:Christopher Lee as Saruman LOTR.jpg|thumb|Lee played the corrupted wizard [[Saruman]] in [[Peter Jackson]]'s [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'']] and [[The Hobbit (film series)|''The Hobbit'']] film trilogies. The role has been described as "one of the most powerful villains in cinema history", relying on Lee's "physical appearance", in contrast to the Dark Lord Sauron.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Tilakaratne |first1=Wishka |title=Christopher Lee's Best Performances, Ranked |url=https://movieweb.com/christopher-lee-best-performances-ranked/ |website=MovieWeb |access-date=27 December 2022 |date=28 June 2022}}</ref>]]

In 2005, Lee played [[List of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory characters#Dr. Wilbur Wonka|Dr. Wonka]], father of [[Willy Wonka]], in [[Tim Burton]]'s [[Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (film)|film adaptation]] of the [[Roald Dahl]] children's classic ''[[Charlie and the Chocolate Factory]].''<ref>{{cite news |title=Sir Christopher Lee: Vampire, wizard, jedi and heavy metal musician |url=https://www.itv.com/news/2015-06-11/sir-christopher-lee-vampire-wizard-jedi-and-heavy-metal-musician |access-date=5 September 2022 |publisher=ITV}}</ref> He also voiced Pastor Galswells in the animated film ''[[Corpse Bride]]''. In 2007, Lee collaborated with Burton again on ''[[Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007 film)|Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street]]'', playing the spirit of Sweeney Todd's victims, called the Gentleman Ghost, alongside [[Anthony Head]], with both singing "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd," its reprises and the Epilogue. These songs were recorded, but eventually cut since Burton felt that the songs were too theatrical for the film. Lee's appearance was completely cut from the film, but Head still had an uncredited one-line cameo.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kcrw.com/etc/programs/tt/tt031210tim_burton |title=Tim Burton |publisher=[[KCRW]] |access-date=4 October 2010 |date=29 July 2006}}</ref> Also in 2007 he played the First High Councillor in ''[[The Golden Compass (film)|The Golden Compass]]''. In late November 2009, Lee narrated the Science Fiction Festival in [[Trieste]], Italy.<ref>{{cite web |title=2009 Trieste Science+Fiction |url=https://www.sciencefictionfestival.org/en/archivio/tsff-2009/ |publisher=Science Fiction Festival |access-date=25 September 2022}}</ref> Also in 2009, Lee starred in [[Stephen Poliakoff]]'s British period drama ''[[Glorious 39]]'', [[Academy Award]]-nominated director [[Danis Tanović]]'s war film ''[[Triage (film)|Triage]]'', and Duncan Ward's comedy ''[[Boogie Woogie (film)|Boogie Woogie]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2008/10_october/31/1939.shtml |title=Stephen Poliakoff's feature film 1939, featuring stellar line-up of UK's finest acting talent, starts shooting |publisher=[[BBC]] |access-date=30 September 2017}}</ref>

During this time Lee provided voices for numerous films and video games.<ref name="Behind the Voice Actors">{{cite web |title=Christopher Lee |url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Christopher-Lee/ |website=Behind the Voice Actors |access-date=25 September 2022 |archive-date=24 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624195734/https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Christopher-Lee/ |url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|Pohle|Hart|Baldwin|2017|pp=325–328}} He spoke fluent English, Italian, French, Spanish, and German, and was moderately proficient in Swedish, Russian, and Greek.<ref name="tiscali">{{cite web |url=http://www.tiscali.co.uk/entertainment/film/biographies/christopher_lee_biog.html |title=Extensive biography at Tiscali UK |publisher=[[Tiscali]] |access-date=4 October 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326052506/http://www.tiscali.co.uk/entertainment/film/biographies/christopher_lee_biog.html |archive-date=26 March 2009}}</ref> He was the original voice of [[Thor]] in the German dubs of the Danish 1986 animated film ''[[Valhalla (1986 film)|Valhalla]]'', and of King Haggard in both the English and German dubs of the 1982 animated adaptation of ''[[The Last Unicorn (film)|The Last Unicorn]]''.<ref name="Behind the Voice Actors" /> He provided all the voices for the English dub of ''[[Monsieur Hulot's Holiday]]'' (1953).<ref>{{cite news |title=Monsieur Hulot's Holiday (1953) |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6b999bde |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160519070656/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6b999bde |url-status=dead |archive-date=19 May 2016 |access-date=15 November 2020 |publisher=British Film Institute}}</ref> He voiced [[Death (Discworld)|Death]] in the animated versions of [[Terry Pratchett]]'s ''[[Soul Music (novel)|Soul Music]]''<ref name="Behind the Voice Actors" /> and ''[[Wyrd Sisters]]'',<ref name="Behind the Voice Actors" /> and reprised the role in the [[Sky1]] live action adaptation ''[[The Colour of Magic (TV film)|The Colour of Magic]]'', taking over from the late [[Ian Richardson]].<ref name="Behind the Voice Actors" /> He provided the voice for the role of [[Ansem the Wise]]/[[DiZ]] in video games including ''[[Kingdom Hearts II]]''.<ref name="Behind the Voice Actors" />

[[File:Christopher Lee 2.jpg|thumb|left|Lee filming Marcus Warren's ''[[The Heavy (film)|The Heavy]]'' in [[Westminster]], London in 2007]]
Lee reprised his role as Saruman in the video game ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth]]''.<ref name="Behind the Voice Actors" /> He narrated and sang for the Danish musical group The Tolkien Ensemble's 2003 studio album ''At Dawn in Rivendell'', taking the role of [[Treebeard]], [[King Théoden]] and others in the readings or singing of their respective poems or songs.<ref>A selection of independent international reviews is given at {{cite web |last1=Weichmann |first1=Christian |title=The Lord of the Rings: Complete Songs and Poems (4-CD Box) |url=http://www.tolkien-ensemble.net/rezensionen/rezensionen.html |publisher=[[The Tolkien Ensemble]] |access-date=13 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161027034047/http://www.tolkien-ensemble.net/rezensionen/rezensionen.html |archive-date=27 October 2016 |language=English}}</ref> In 2007, he voiced the transcript of ''[[The Children of Húrin]]'' by J. R. R. Tolkien for the audiobook version of the novel.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Tolkien |first1=J. R. R. |last2=Lee |first2=Christopher |title=The Children of Hurin (Audiobook) |date=2006 |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] |url=https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/The-Children-of-Hurin-Audiobook/B004EW5K28}}</ref> In 2005, Lee provided the voice of Pastor Galswells in ''[[The Corpse Bride]]'', co-directed by Tim Burton and [[Mike Johnson (animator)|Mike Johnson]].<ref name="Behind the Voice Actors" /> He served as the narrator on ''[[The Nightmare Before Christmas]]'' poem, also written by Tim Burton as well. Lee reprised his role as Count Dooku in the animated film ''[[Star Wars: The Clone Wars (film)|Star Wars: The Clone Wars]]'' (2008).<ref name="Behind the Voice Actors" />

Some thirty years after playing Francisco Scaramanga in ''The Man with the Golden Gun'', Lee provided the voice of Scaramanga in the video game ''[[GoldenEye: Rogue Agent]]''.<ref name="Behind the Voice Actors" /><ref>[http://eagames.co.uk/products.view.asp?id=387 The EA Games website]. Retrieved 2 May 2006. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060314212024/http://eagames.co.uk/products.view.asp?id=387 |date=14 March 2006}}</ref> In 2013, Lee voiced The Earl of Earl's Court in the [[BBC Radio 4]] radio play ''[[Neverwhere (radio play)|Neverwhere]]'' by [[Neil Gaiman]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=BBC Radio 4 Extra – Neil Gaiman – Neverwhere – The Earl of Earl's Court |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/2QjvbpK5pLH4vJl9jgtQ77D/the-earl-of-earl-s-court|access-date=11 June 2023 |publisher=BBC |language=en-GB}}</ref> Lee recorded special dialogue, in addition to serving as the Narrator, for the ''[[Lego The Hobbit (video game)|Lego The Hobbit]]'' video game released in April 2014; at 91 years and 316 days old he appears in the ''[[Guinness Book of Records]]'' as the oldest video game narrator.<ref>{{cite news |title=Oldest videogame voice actor |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/94943-oldest-videogame-voice-actor |access-date=14 September 2020 |agency=Guinness World Records}}</ref>