Horror Icon Christopher Lee Dies at 93

Sir Christopher Lee, the legendary horror and movie villain icon, has died at 93, The Guardian reports. Lee passed away in London Sunday after being admitted for respiratory problems and heart failure.

The 6-foot-5 British actor got his start in 1947 with a role in Corridor of Mirrors, but it was his turn in the 1957 film The Curse of Frankenstein that launched his career. Lee went on to appear in several films for Hammer Pictures, his most famous being his multiple turns as Dracula in a series of films from the '50s until the '70s. He was also in 20 films with his best friend and fellow actor Peter Cushing.

See other celebrities we've lost this year

His other famous celluloid villains include Lord Summerisle in 1973's The Wicker Man and Bond baddie Francisco Scaramanga in 1974's The Man with the Golden Gun. More recently, Lee played Saruman in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies, and Count Dooku in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.

Lee, who considered his best work to be as Pakistan founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah in 1998's Jinnah, also frequently collaborated with Tim Burton, appearing in his films Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Alice in Wonderland and Dark Shadows.

Lee also released a heavy metal album, Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross, in 2010. His 2013 single "Jingle Hell" made him the oldest living artist to enter the Billboard Hot 100 charts.

Lee is survived by his wife Birgit Kroencke and their daughter Christina.