Christopher Lee's childhood love of fairy tales influenced his portrayal of Dracula
Lee's appreciation for fantasy ran deep.
Plenty of children grow up reading outlandish stories, but few grow up to become the very characters they feared when they were young.
As an actor, Christopher Lee had the rare privilege to play a character that countless children (and adults) spent their childhood afraid of: Count Dracula.
Lee portrayed the antagonist in a series of films from Hammer Film Productions, beginning with the 1958 film Horror of Dracula.
During an interview with NPR, Lee revealed that his interest in fantasy developed when he was still a young child.
"[As] a boy, I'd always been fascinated by fairy stories, which in a sense is what these stories are, and what these films are too, of that particular type and of that particular period, the '50s and '60s," said the actor. "I was always fascinated by, as I said, fairy stories, fantasy, you know, demons, necromancers, gods and goddesses, everything that is out of our kin and out of our everyday world. I was always interested in enchantment and magicians and still am."
Lee's approach to Dracula wasn't one based on terror; rather, he paved an entirely new path for the character.
"I had read the book and I had perhaps discovered something in the character which other people hadn't or hadn't noticed or hadn't decided to present, and that is that the character is heroic, erotic, and romantic," said Lee. "I tried to put all those things over."
Lee's superb portrayal of the character earned him critical praise from audiences everywhere.
