October is always a month we look forward to here at TCM-- what better month to feature a variety of our favorite horror films, from cult hits to truly terrifying fare? And who better to highlight as our Star of the Month than Christopher Lee, whose work with Hammer Horror came to define the cinematic vision of Dracula as much as Bela Lugosi's 1931 take (itself airing on Oct. 28)? In fact, by the numbers Lee has a leg up on Lugosi-- in films, he played the Count ten times compared to Lugosi's two! And his version of the popular vampire, not to mention his performances as The Mummy and Frankenstein's Monster, are truly unique and distinctive. While it would have been easy to simply mimic the work of Lugosi or Boris Karloff, Lee took these iconic movie monsters and made them his own. (A not so easy feat when you think about it--how many of us associate those creatures with their 1930s portrayals?) Throughout the month, you'll have plenty of opportunity to see Lee's work in the horror genre--both for Hammer as well as other studios--including the TCM premieres of The Oblong Box (1969), Scream and Scream Again (1970) and Nothing but the Night (1973), as well as an entire evening of his Dracula films on Oct. 24. And, fittingly enough, you'll get a chance to spend Halloween night with this legendary actor with primetime devoted to six of the films he made for Hammer.

Born in London, England, Lee received a degree in Classics from Wellington College and, following the outbreak of World War II, he joined the Royal Air Force. After the war, Lee decided to pursue acting, making his debut not long after. With his commanding height, not to mention his striking presence, it is, perhaps, no surprise that he became a go-to choice to play villains. And, these villains were not confined to low-budget horror either. While Lee certainly was able to amass a large fan base with his work at Hammer, he also maintained a high-level career with more important studio films (which was a great compliment to him and his talents). In fact, Lee achieved an usual career feat: appearing as villains in three major Hollywood franchises--Star Wars (as Count Dooku), James Bond (as Francisco Scaramanga) and The Lord of the Rings (as Saruman). (An interesting side-note, Lee was the only member of the Lord of the Rings cast to have met J.R.R. Tolkien, having been a fan of the books.)

Of course, his double-gated career owed as much to his incredible work ethic as to his talent, with Lee appearing almost non-stop in films from the start of his career in 1948 (making his debut in Corridor of Mirrors) until his death at the age of 93 in 2015. He remains one of the most recognizable actors to generations of filmgoers and each Monday night in October, you'll get a sampling of just how versatile his career truly was. And if horror and fantasy are not your cup of tea, there are plenty of examples of Lee's work outside these genres. You'll get a chance to see him in The Three Musketeers (1973), The Crimson Pirate (1952, opposite Burt Lancaster) and A Tale of Two Cities (1958) as well as in the popular Fu Manchu films.

If there is one film I would recommend among the many great titles we're airing each Monday, it would be Jinnah (1998), which is making its North American premiere right here on TCM. A Pakistani production, Lee stars as the country's founder, a casting decision that was initially met with criticism in Pakistan (due mainly to his previous work as Dracula). But when it premiered, the film, and his role, became the most critically acclaimed of his career. Lee himself would go on to say that the role was the most important he'd ever done. But sadly for Lee, and for us, the film never premiered in the U.S., until now. We do hope you'll join us for this premiere as well as for all the wonderful films playing during our tribute. There certainly is something for everyone this month on TCM as we celebrate the remarkable career of Christopher Lee.

by Robert Osborne