The Only ‘Lord of the Rings’ Actor Who Met J.R.R. Tolkien Was Also the Most Dedicated Star
The Lord of the Rings still holds up as a cinematic legend nearly 20 years after its final film was released. While fresh attention has been on the trilogy lately due to the hit spinoff — The Rings of Power, it’s tough to imagine a world in which any new storytelling in Middle-Earth can possibly live up to how culturally impactful the original movies were.
As an adaptation of one of the most beloved book series of the 20th century, Peter Jackson’s iconic trilogy was never a guaranteed success. Many actors were unsure of the project’s future and accepted their parts reluctantly. There was one die-hard Tolkien fan in the cast though that had dreamed for decades of performing in the inevitable movie adaptation to the book. The legendary Sir Christopher Lee was a lifelong fan since first reading the books when they were originally published in the 1950s, and had even met Tolkien once at a chance meeting in a pub.
Christopher Lee was a ‘Lord of the Rings’ superfan
As one of the oldest members of the cast across the entire trilogy, Christopher Lee certainly had the most background with Tolkien’s books. According to BuzzFeed, the actor was such a huge fan that he reread the books every year and went out of his way to take acting roles that showcased how perfect a choice he was to play a wizard.
The lauded actor was determined throughout his later years to play the role of Gandalf, but was passed up in favor of the (slightly) younger Sir Ian McKellen. Lee did, however, end up in the iconic role of Saruman the White. While it would’ve been interesting to see Lee as Gandalf, most fans can’t imagine the role of the corrupted white wizard in the hands of someone other than Lee.
He once met Tolkien in Oxford
Lee was considerably older than most of the cast of The Lord of the Rings. In fact, J.R.R. Tolkien had passed in 1973 before many of the actors in the trilogy were even born. As a massive fan of the writer’s world, Lee had more bragging rights than just reading first prints of the books.
According to US Weekly, Lee once ran into Tolkien by chance at a pub in Oxford that the writer used to frequent. Already a serious fan of his work, Lee managed a bashful greeting to the iconic Tolkien.
“I still think The Lord of the Rings is the greatest literary achievement in my lifetime,” Lee once said in an interview. With that high of praise, it’s no surprise how badly he wanted in the film adaptation.
The magical life of a wizard
Fans of the trilogy aren’t going to forget Lee’s performance anytime soon, and even for those that read the books years before the movies, it’s tough to imagine Saruman without Lee’s iconic delivery. He was perfect for the role — even educating Peter Jackson on the sound someone makes when stabbed!
Lee’s life and career were full of accomplishments. He starred in countless legendary film roles, was knighted by the queen, was decorated for bravery in WWII and even released a few (pretty awesome) heavy metal albums. It’s tough to imagine that playing an overambitious wizard would be a treasured achievement for such a lauded star, but to Lee it was. His work in The Lord of the Rings was the dream of a lifetime, and is now immortalized forever in pop culture.
Sir Christopher Lee sailed off for the Undying Lands in 2015, but his work as Saruman will live on forever.
