Today is the birth date of the great Christopher Lee.  The man had an acting career spanning 70 years, where he bedeviled Van Helsing, burned people in a Wicker Man, and distracted James Bond with his superfluous third nipple.  He approached every role with dignity and gravitas.

Even that one where he was making a mogwai dance.

He endeared himself to the burgeoning nerd culture of the 2000’s though.  Those who never knew of him as Dracula were now introduced to him as the duplicitous wizard Saruman.

Meanwhile Lee joined the elusive pantheon of Sith Lords when he was cast in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones as the colorfully named … Count Dooku.  (He’s also alternately known by the far more baller name as Darth Tyranus, but no one really calls him that in the movie.  It’s line after line of serious dialogue being undercut by the word “Dooku.”). He starred in the most purely fanservice-y scene in Star Wars (before Force Awakens): when he engaged in a light saber duel with the spry little Yoda.

Yo Da Man!  Both of you!

Sadly , poor Count Dooku got decapitated, which means no future appearance for Christopher Lee.  Or at least you’d think so… if bifurcated Sith Lords didn’t have a nasty habit of showing up in future installments despite being dead.  Will a CGI Christopher Lee eventually pal up with his old pal CGI Peter Cushing in some future installment?

Finally, Christopher Lee lent his voice to a symphonic metal band that did a whole album on King Charlemagne.  It was, in the vernacular of the aughts, “so random.”