Lord of Misrule

by Christopher Lee, Peter Jackson (Introduction)

From the cult classic The Wicker Man to the blood–thirsty Count Dracula, Christopher Lee has been the face of cinema villainy for decades. In Lord of Misrule, Lee tells the story of his exceptional career, in films like The Curse of Frankenstein, the James Bond classic The Man with the Golden Gun, and more recently, in Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow. After appearing in more than 300 films, and a legend in his own right, Lee undertook one of the most demanding roles of his career as Saruman in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings. Shortly after, as one of the most powerful adversaries in the Star Wars canon, Lee proved that at 80, he is still a commanding screen presence. Written with self–deprecating wit and laced with hilarious anecdotes, Lord of Misrule is a marvelous career history of the man The Guardian called “the coolest actor on the planet.”

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Autobiography, Film, Memoir, Biography Memoir, Horror

448 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2003

About the author

Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, CBE, CStJ was an English actor and musician who first became famous for his roles in Hammer Horror films and, latterly, for his roles as Saruman in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movie trilogies, and Count Dooku in the Star Wars film franchise.

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

The overriding thought that coursed through my mind as I read this book was that Christopher Lee would have been an absolute crackerjack of a guy to chum around with. With his unmatched vocabulary and impressive achievements, he would have been able to keep you entertained for months.

No doubt most people are familiar with Lee's credits as an actor. He played every ghoul in the book: Frankenstein's creature, The Mummy, Dr Fu Manchu, Scaramanga, Saruman, and he played Dracula so many times that people would make the sign of the cross when they saw him in the street. Apparently, he has had more celluloid sword fights than any other actor, and he did not escape without feeling the kiss of steel. What many don't know is that he led an interesting life before he ever stood in front of a movie camera.

During WWII, for instance, it could be argued that Lee fought on both sides. He originally joined the Finnish army as a volunteer to fight against our allies the Russians, but he was in uniform for only a short while before returning to England and enlisting in the RAF, where he spent the remainder of the war. The chapters he writes about his wartime experiences are most interesting and I think he could have dedicated an entire book to these exploits.

Postwar he struggled a bit, trying to find his niche in film, stage, or opera...apparently he had some pretty good pipes. He finally hit his stride with recurring Dracula roles, and eventually made the move to Hollywood...more for the golf than anything else....he was very much accomplished in that sport. Eventually he returned to England, seemingly because Hollywood was becoming a bit too "woke". He comments on actors having too much influence on pictures and decries the current reasoning that suggests that a person of any race should be portrayed only by a person of that race. Acting, after all, consists entirely of seeming to be someone you're not. Lee was quite accomplished in the role of the Chinese Fu Manchu and, I believe, played an Indian chap in The Far Pavilions. The world didn't come to an end.

Lee includes a bit of family history regarding his ancestors and current family situation, and this is thoroughly backed up with nice glossy photos. Properly educated in England, he has a vast vocabulary which he uses very well, sending me for the dictionary on a number of occasions. As with any autobiography, I think he painted himself with as kind a brush as possible and I'm therefore wanting to eventually find a Lee biography written by a third party.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dos Equis got it wrong. Christopher Lee is The Most Interesting Man in the World.

[RB · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looking forward to read the autobiography of the coolest actor on the planet! :-)

Feb. 14th, 2012:

Imagine sitting on your grandfathers lap when you are 6 years old and you listen to him while he tells you the tales of his youth. That pretty much sums up a bit what I felt while reading this living cinema legends autobiography.

It was fun to read about his youth, Italian background, times during WWII (which I'm sure has been heavily self-censored), his modest beginning in the field of acting and how his tall & dark look worked against him at first, about how he felt about living in LA/Hollywood and Switzerland, his passion about golf, and the other legends that the knew and befriended. But as with any other grandfather it can become a bit repetivive hearing yet another anecdote about golf (something that bores me, but that he's passionate about).

Christopher Lee strikes me as an honest, sweet, modest and humours old man I respect, and I have to be honest, who I also feel affection towards. He embodies the concept of a granddaddy for me (probably because I grew up without one). I dread the day when he will no longer be with us, and will mourn him almost as if he really was my grandfather.

[Rosemarie Short · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think it is important that I precursor this review with a disclaimer. Christopher Lee was a hero of mine - inspiration, role model...the whole shebang. So please be prepared for a completely nonobjective view on this, his autobiography.

Christopher Lee lived an incredible life. The commonly know details are startling enough - the star of not only the Hammer Horror Universe during its heyday (Dracula, Fu Manchu and The Mummy being perhaps his most well known roles) but also a key character in some of the most well regarded and beloved science fiction and fantasy series of all time; The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Star Wars prequels (I will overlook that he was in the prequels as opposed to the original trilogy - we are none of us perfect). If you look on IMDB you will find 278 acting credits to Lee's name.

He was, on all account, a legend of the screen.

What this autobiography does beautifully is tell the story of the man behind the SFX makeup - the son of a Countess and an army man. Lee spent a large part of his younger years in the armed forces himself - including a time in which he was charged with hunting down Nazi war criminals - before returning to his childhood love of acting. Lee proceeded to star in a number of infamous roles, despite the fact that many people at the start of his career insisted he was too tall to be an actor.

In his later years, Lee continued acting but also turned his hand to creating and releasing his own heavy metal album - at the tender age of eighty eight.

Christopher Lee is a legend who is much missed - and this book is a must read; filled with life, love and laughter, and a vibrant self-portrait of an incredible man.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was very refreshing to read a great autobiography by a respected actor who has appeared in over 250 movies albeit not all box office successes. Mr. Lee keeps his chapters short, but packs a lot of information into each one which he doesn't number, but gives a few important words to such as "short sharp shock", "Swiss time", and "Spellbinder" to name a few.
He talks about his upbringing and I wasn't aware that he was half Italian like myself. I enjoyed his stories about working and meeting such fellow actors as Boris Karloff, Vincent Price, and Peter Cushing.
Mr. Lee is an avid golfer and though I am not a golf fan I didn't mind a lot of his golf stories which he interspersed throughtout the book.
I really enjoyed this autobiography by a giant of the cinema.

[Mrs. Musrum's Mum Keleher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not quite done, but I got it through inter library loan and it's due back. Christopher Lee is dryly funny and very intelligent.

[Milo Dring · Rating 4 out of 5]

“When are we getting your monthly review”

“Have you forgotten how to read”

“Just leave us out in the cold why don’t you”

May have taken me a bit longer than usual to read this book, so what?

Still not over enthusiastic about autobiographies but at least he had quite an interesting life. Much better than James Corden’s attempt.

[Michael Cawley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating and enjoyable autobiography of noted actor Christopher Lee.

[Josh Liller · Rating 2 out of 5]

Christopher Lee's autobiography was an early entry on my To Read list. Not because I'm a fan per se - I've seen some of the major movies he's been in like Lord of the Rings and seen YouTube reviews of his classic horror film roles, but that's about it. I though Lee seemed like a rather interesting person and I'd read a very positive review of this book, probably more than a decade ago. Lee writings at great length about his childhood, World War II service in the RAF, his personal life, and his enormous filmography.

I found this is a difficult read. As an old British gent he makes countless references that flew over my head. His writing style I would best be described as Shakespearean-influenced 19th Century Oxford professor, interspersed with fabulous dry wit. I suspect some people will adore the writing style (especially readers of classic English literature), but it just doesn't work for me. I ultimately skimmed through much of it, looking for highlights and familiar films. Surprisingly, the story of Lee admonishing Peter Jackson on the set of Lord of the Rings (discussed by both men in one of the DVD extras) about the proper way to die when stabbed in the back, because he'd seen men fatally stabbed in the back, isn't to be found here. Lee's WW2 service is I think also self-edited; it's interesting yet seems to possibly omit some adventures implied by other sources.

Ultimately, I think this book is really just for Christopher Lee's existing fans and wont really appeal to a wider readership.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book helped me realize that, generally speaking, I like biographies more than auto-biographies. When a person writes about their own life, they naturally re-live their memories. That's cool for them, but not necessarily for us. Perhaps these memories and references may have more meaning to my friends that grew up in England. I didn't know about Christopher Lee until he played the wizard Saruman in the "Lord of the Rings" movies. I did learn a few things that interested me, because I had some commonality.....that Lee was an avid golfer, and that he had a long friendship with the boxer Muhammad Ali.

I read this book in many short spurts over several months. It was a greater effort than I typically am willing to invest, but having vowed to finish a book once started, I did.

Back to my opening statement: bios are written by an outside observer, so they can cut thru the emotional crap of childhood ( or adult ) memories. They can edit out the sentimentalities. I think an auto-biography is better suited to the truly top echelon famous, but then who makes those decisions? I've thought about writing my own auto-biography, but then I thought: "who the phuck cares." If you like the person, you might like the auto-biography. So buy it and see.......mgc

[Matty Gallo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Certainly worth it if you are a fan of the vast and dense history of Christopher Lee, the best 91 year about in this, the year 2013. It gets a b it wordy at times, and is certainly very dense with detail, but nevertheless fascinating, and it is just amazing how much this guy has done in his long, full life.
I only wish there was something to fill the time between this last revision and now.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full disclosure, I came here for the Hammer films, The Wicker Man, and The Man with the Golden Gun.
Lee clearly loved golf, as he talks about a lot throughout this book. I, unfortunately, found myself skipping a couple of chapters when it was clear it was a story about a round of golf he played with various famous/ blue-blooded people.
The man's voice comes through very strongly, though. From the first page, it has such a strong style and personality, and you can't help but smile at some of his anecdotes, even if you don't fully understand what the hell he's talking about. There is a lot about his childhood spent in public school, his time during WW2, and many, many, games of golf.
I found the story of how he (very slowly) got into acting interesting, as well as how things went during his years with Hammer. He's pretty honest about what he thought of some of the films he was in, especially some of the Dracula sequels, but he embraces his time as the iconic Count.
I was hoping for more behind the scenes stories about his films, but I suppose it was HIS autobiography, so he can include whatever he wants! Some interesting snippets for sure, though.

[F.R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you've ever seen Lee interviewed, you'll have seen the man had a certain pomposity to him. It's a tone which is captured in this book. This autobiography captures the author's voice, but it's a voice which intends to be serious.

There are interesting chapters on his family and his wartime record. And less interesting chapters on golf. (The Ronnie Corbett autobiography I read had the same. Did they share the same golf mad editor? A man who didn't simply cross these discourses out.) But what most people will be here for is his career. It's mainly anecdotes you get, but if you've ever stared a little baffled at the hundreds of entries on Lee's IMDB and wondered how to make sense of it, then this book does give them something of a shape.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here follows a biased review. I have been addicted to horror and science fiction motion pictures since boyhood. On Saturday afternoons, we paid a quarter to see the scary-movie double feature at the Roxy Theatre in downtown Tacoma. We watched Creature Feature on Channel 13, the local independent television station, on Friday nights. I organized a weekend-long horror and science fiction movie marathon at Washington State University (the Little Harvard of the West) as a member of the Student Films Committee. And I love the work of Christopher Lee. Lee named his autobiography after his role in his favourite motion picture: "The Wicker Man" (1973). Based on a 1967 novel by David Pinner, it is the story of a Hebridean island which has gone back to its Celtic religious roots, eschewing Christianity and practicing human sacrifice. Lee plays Lord Summerisle, the leader of the island community, who is described as "the Lord of Misrule." This is an old English term used to describe a common person allowed to reign for a day as a king or a bishop as president of a sort of Feast of Fools. From this role to the 300 others in his filmography Lee has portrayed some of the worse, lowest, most evil, horrid villains ever: Count Dracula, the mummy, Frankenstein's monster, Francisco Scaramanga in "The Man with the Golden Gun," Doctor Fu Manchu, Saruman in "The Lord of the Rings," the Burgomaster in Tim Burton’s "Sleepy Hollow," and Count Dooku in the "Star Wars" film franchise. Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, CBE, CStJ, was the son of a British army officer and an Italian countess. The military claimed his attention during and immediately following World War II, first as an intelligence officer for an air force unit and then in a unit tasked with hunting down Nazi war criminals. His skills as an opera singer could have led him to a different path through life. Best of all is the style in which his autobiography is written. The edition in my hands was not at all dumbed down for American audiences (as so many books are) so it speaks with his unfiltered voice. What a delight. I wish I had met him. Reading this book, I sort of have.

[Karen-Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the cult classic The Wicker Man to the blood–thirsty Count Dracula, Christopher Lee has been the face of cinema villainy for decades. In Lord of Misrule, Lee tells the story of his exceptional career, in films like The Curse of Frankenstein, the James Bond classic The Man with the Golden Gun, and more recently, in Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow. After appearing in more than 300 films, and a legend in his own right, Lee undertook one of the most demanding roles of his career as Saruman in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings. Shortly after, as one of the most powerful adversaries in the Star Wars canon, Lee proved that at 80, he is still a commanding screen presence. Written with self–deprecating wit and laced with hilarious anecdotes, Lord of Misrule is a marvelous career history of the man The Guardian called “the coolest actor on the planet.”

Fantastic. I always appreciated Christopher Lee as an actor but never followed his life or career. His biography is a masterpiece. His life was fascinating and his use of language to describe his adventures the scope of is achievements is breathtakingly enjoyable. I wish I could memorize so much of this one. I might just go back to reread it just to underline all the wonderful descriptions.

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very sad that the great Christopher Lee died just as I was half way through this. He clearly had an amazing life but, although this is an interesting enough collection of anecdotes, there isn't much in the way of depth or soul-searching or insight. Not a problem if you want to recreate a fairly superficial conversation with a great actor (which would still be amazing!) but, as someone else said below, a biography is probably more what I was hoping for. This becomes a bit of a slog after a while.

[Colin Skinner · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really looked forward to this book as I had been a long-time fan of Christopher Lee. I was sorely disappointed by the book which, for me, was like wading through treacle so slow was the narrative. One day, when I have a lot more time on my hands, I may give it another try but it's not something that, at the moment, I relish.

[Keith Browne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating man he was

[Eric Copeland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some time ago, I saw a meme that purportedly represented an exchange that took place between George Lucas and Christopher Lee on the set of one of the Star Wars movies; comments on this meme indicated that the conversation was actually between Lee and Peter Jackson on the set of a Lord of the Rings movie. The contents of the conversation -- in which Lee disputed direction given to an actor whose character was being stabbed, as he had actually seen what happens when people are stabbed -- led me to track down this book.

I was not disappointed. This book was apparently first written in the 1970s, expanded in the 1990s, and republished in this form in the early 2000s with an introduction by Jackson. At the time, Christopher Lee had more than 250 roles in his career, and he lived for another more than 10 years, adding more roles even as he got into his 90s.

Older audiences probably know him from his many roles as the villains in countless films from the 1940s through the 1970s. His imposing 6'5" height and arresting expression meant that casting directors put him in dozens of these spots. He was maybe best known for playing Dracula numerous times in Hammer horror films. Younger audiences are more likely to recognize him from his iconic turns as Saruman in the Lord of the Rings movies, or as Count Dooku/Darth Tyrannus in Star Wars.

But his story is much richer than that. Born into a fairly well-to-do family in England, as a child he encountered many in the upper class, especially through his stepfather's connections. In fact, his stepfather's nephews were Peter and Ian Fleming, before Ian became the creator of James Bond.

But Lee, who tells his story with a blend of matter-of-factness and self-effacement, didn't go to the very best schools because he didn't make the cut. He was athletic in some ways, but not a star athlete. He was occasionally the target of discrimination because his mother's Italian heritage made him something of an outsider.

He was in World War II, and tells a number of enthralling stories about his experiences in northern Africa. After the war, his tales remain interesting as he gets into acting (which to many at the time was a career choice of rogues and vagabonds) and as he meets his wife, Gitte, and literally trots the globe due to his career. He counted among his friends such people as Boris Karloff, Peter Cushing, and many others too numerous to mention.

One nice thing about "Lord of Misrule" is that Lee tells his stories in bite-sized nuggets. Very rarely does a chapter stretch much beyond four pages; he lays out his basic theme for an anecdote, tells said anecdote, and moves on. These brief chapters made for an easier read, as one could devour several in a sitting over several hours, or just one or two at a time if only a few minutes were available to read.

I will admit that the reading was a little slow at the beginning because Christopher Lee's actual voice comes through loud and strong in the book. If you're familiar with the man, it's VERY easy to picture him telling the story, as the word choices, rhythm of the sentences, and turns of phrase are very distinctive. For this reason, when I first started I couldn't help but hear Lee "reading" in my head. However, he was not an excitable type, and I always felt that he chose his words carefully and said them with much deliberation, which meant that in the early chapters my reading was necessarily slow and stately. I realized this was going to slow me down, though, so I eventually settled into a better tempo for my reading.

Whether you're interested in the man himself, or you just want to hear some fascinating behind-the-scenes stories from a man who doesn't mind telling tales, this is a great one to check out.

[Nadya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Who is this book for: readers who LOVE Christopher Lee, British readers who will get all the references, readers who love amateur golfers waxing poetic about people and places they played golf at, and their handicaps throughout their life (he seems to have ended with an 8, sorry for the spoiler).

After hearing from everyone and their grandma about how interesting Christopher Lee was (one of the inspirations for James Bond, allegedly), I sought out and purchased for not an insignificant amount of money this book.

Sadly, I slogged through the whole thing (golf chapters and all), learned that the author was very much the old guard kind of guy (paternalistic attitude towards women and disabled people, big fan of the empire part of British history, and seemingly the monarchy itself, pretty snobbish about aristocracy of which he is a part), and not a great writer. He was definitely competent (or his editor was) in forming reasonably well-flowing sentences, but the overall pacing was abysmal. Instead of picking more interesting episodes from his career, he appears to cover everything but in a very shallow manner (unless it's golf, in which case -- too much detail).

A lot of the references went over my head as Lee did not explain almost any of them, but curiously added weird explanations like noting that Vilnius was the capital of Lithuania, for seemingly his audience would not know that but would know all the golfers, aristocrats, and film-business somewhat-adjacent people.

[Julie Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christopher Lee is probably best known for his role as Count Dracula in old Hammer films, alongside his good friend Peter Cushing. In more recent years, you might remember him as Saruman, the wizard who goes wrong in The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings films, and Count Dooku in Star Wars. But did you know he is related to Italian nobility? And he was the model his step-cousin Ian Fleming based James Bond on?

There is so much more to this man than meets the eye. I have been a longtime fan since I first discovered Hammer films. I loved him as Saruman, and as Scaramonga in The Man With the Golden Gun, Count Rochefort in the Three Musketeers. I recently watched him in the original Wicker Man (much better than the Nic Cage version) But did you know he sang opera? And he was crazy about playing golf?

His autobiography is a must-read for anyone who is a fan. He is a wonderful storyteller, and he has a delightful sense of humor. I’m amazed at the things he remembered throughout his life – I cannot remember most of my childhood, much less in such detail. He met a lot of people and did a lot of extraordinary things. He had a very interesting life and I highly recommend reading his autobiography.

[Julie Reiter · Rating 3 out of 5]

My son William, with his unique interests, gave me this book for Christmas and recommended it to my 2024 read list. William considers Christopher Lee a very interesting individual and I can’t disagree after reading this book. Lee is definitely an old school actor and his journey into stardom is a lot more refreshing than the modern day instant stardom that many actors have today. Lee’s life experiences and integrity were also admirable. I’m not a fan of the majority of Hollywood. Lee’s acting career and attributes are miles above the typical modern day actor’s lifestyle. After finishing the book I watched some utube interviews that Lee gave and it solidified how dignified he was. I related well to what he said about life in general. After a very fulfilling life in acting, Christopher Lee died in 2015. Sadly,we don’t find many Christopher Lees out there anymore. The book is not the easiest to read. Lee’s writing style tends to be a bit wordy and complicated. It’s definitely not a page turner but overall not a bad read especially if you enjoy this actor.

[Thijs · Rating 4 out of 5]

How do you write a review on what is essentially someone's life?

Rather simple, on the way he writes it. Which is marvelous, but a bit too much self-depricating at times. The man had a wonderful carreer and deserves to be proud of it.

As it is, the beginning is the most emotional. The childhood and war time experiences get you the closest image of him and are the most dramatic. The rest feels more like a highlight through his carreer and, barring some exceptions, not about his personal life. Except golf. Oh boy there is golf in there. But those segments are easily skipped if you're not into it.

What Christopher might have done is gone in more detail on some especially memorable projects/events for him. Rather then standard 3-5 pages on 1 movie before moving on.

All in all it reads like a slice of cake when I was hungry for the whole thing

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice memoir by Christopher Lee, though his flowery language make it a little tough to read this book quickly. Also, since he loves golf, there are plenty of related anecdotes and references. I started this 2003 edition, but due to having to return it to the library, finished by reading this one Tall, Dark, and Gruesome. Thankfully there was an online version of the one I started so I was able to read the extra chapters at the end. Despite the terrible cover art, I liked the composition of the earlier version since the photos were in line with what was being written about, as opposed to having chunks of photos in a few spots.

[Andrew Alvis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never have I looked at Wikipedia, Youtube, IMDB and Google as much as I have in the reading of this book.
It's funny to imagine one man having such a long list of credits who crossed paths with so many other well-known names and to be honest, being incredibly humble about it and sharing stories with us like the storytellers of old around campfires.

My only gripe is that Christopher didn't mention his time working on the animated version of the well-loved book The Last Unicorn, which to my knowledge he also did both the English and German voiceovers for the character King Haggard.

[Robin Bailes · Rating 4 out of 5]

As interesting as you would expect but also far wittier than you might guess. Lee has an engaging writing style that makes this very readable. Inevitably it's low on detail about specific films because he made so many, and VERY vague about dates, but this isn't meant to be a filmography. Gives a real insight into the man himself.

[Tills · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every time I think I know all there is to know about this man I’m proved wrong, this book was wonderful to read getting more details of things I already knew and learning even more about the incredible life he lead. I’d recommend this to anybody, regardless of whether they’re a fan of any of his work or not

[Dorothy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a slow start on this book. I knew nothing about this mans life although I thought I did. As a result I took my time. Reading his early life, his military service, his family history, his acting career. What an amazing man. I’m glad I stuck it out.

[louise horne · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unusually interesting and well written autobiography, with the best bits being before he made acting his career. His childhood up through his time in the military are the best portions of the book. He has a rather droll, clever style. The photo section was good as well.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading Mr. Lee’s commentaries on his life leading up to his acting career and all his various films was a delight! His writing style is very amusing to read, combining the facts with a deadpan, sometimes deprecating humour.