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Lord of Misrule: The Autobiography of Christopher Lee

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Few actors have done as much as well as Christopher Lee has. Acting in hundreds of movies, this impressive British thespian has had a life even more interesting than his career. In "Lord of Misrule," Lee describes his long life with humor and solemn clarity, and with almost too many stories for the book to hold.

Christopher Carandini Lee was born in 1922, to an Italian countess (who was descended from Italian royalty) and a soon-gone British soldier. His was an unusual childhood masked by a conventional British schoolboy's life. At the age of seventeen his world (along with his stepfather's finances) suddenly began to come apart. He fought in World War II, in the Royal Air Force, only to dip back into acting.

Lee rapidly became known as one of the best villains of the movie business, playing Dracula alone a staggering ten times. Here he recounts how he acted with legendary actors like Errol Flynn (who mangled his finger) or his good pal, monster great Boris Karloff (complete with lisping jokes); his marriage; the good, bad and ugly of his varied career; and finally two of his most prominent roles: the evil wizard Saruman of J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings," and Count Dooku of the "Star Wars" prequel trilogy."

Technically, "Lord of Misrule" isn't an entirely new book -- it was once published as "Tall Dark and Gruesome." But here it's updated with new information and photographs from the past few years. Not to mention a friendly foreword by "Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson, which serves as a good warm-up.

Lee himself has a very formal, erudite way of writing, sprinkled with literary references to P.G. Wodehouse and G.K. Chesterton. (And Tolkien, of course) But don't think this book is stuffy. If anything, the eighty-plus years of Lee's life zip by too fast. He clearly has a wealth of stories to tell, and the book is barely big enough to contain them.

Lee also strikes a good balance between humor and darkness. In one taut anecdote, he describes how his daughter was born with deformed feet. In another, he wryly describes how he used to scurry across the Italian border dressed as a girl. It's also augmented by plenty of photos. Some are professional photos, but many are personal photos -- Lee with his wife and daughter, or his friends, at his investiture, or as a bright-eyed baby.

Very few actors have lived a life even half as interesting as the roles they have played, but Christopher Lee is one of the few. And "Lord of Misrule" is a fascinating, captivating read about a unique person.

This is a truly fascinating read and account by the actor who has made the biggest contribution to the film industry-ever! He is my favourite actor and I have a signed photograph of his proudly hanging on my bedroom wall. I am 15 years old and have never found another person my age who has the same respect for him that I have-he is a magnificent actor!
On the book itself, it is very well written and has a whole collection of photographs that are very interesting. Christopher Lee has a very clever and effective way of telling his countless stories and I am sure everybody will find it very enjoyable!
And just for the record he needs to be knighted and also win an honorary academy award right away!

One of my all time favorite actors, the legendary thespian Christopher Lee's autobiography is a fascinating tome filled with countless stories of working with everyone from Errol Flynn to Toshiro Mifune, all the while adopting a self-depreciating tone that permeates the book, Lee's fascinating life encompasses many world events, and he talks in detail about his family life, and the numerous films he's starred in. However noticeably absent are his thoughts on his career making turn as Dracula. But considering the hundreds of fantastic films he has acting in, it is of diminutive consequence. Like Sean Connery with 007, he was given fame by a role that he now wishes to distance himself from. Fair enough, considering films like The Wicker Man (One of Lee's favourites) and Sleepy Hollow altering people's perceptions of the actor. Regaling readers with his thorough tales of on-set antics while filming the James Bond film Man with the Golden Gun, working with Steven Spielberg on 1941, and working with directors like Tim Burton, Guy Hamilton, Terence Fisher, George Lucas and Peter Jackson. Lee warms to memories of his long time on-screen acting partner Peter Cushing and their work together. You realize just how important a role Lee has played in cinema history. And despite his numerous Dracula and monster roles (Which aren't that many despite critics waffling) he has displayed in recent years just how much range he can provide, from serious drama in Jinnah, Science Fiction with the Star Wars prequels and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. What a treat to have the master of movies take time to pen his thoughts. Without this book, there would be a large gap in history. This is a very welcome history lesson in Hollywood movie making, and leave s a lasting impression on readers who discover just how prolific an actor he is. Fantastic stuff.

Christopher Lee has made many movies, but doesn't talk about many of them in this book. Instead, the first half of the book is endless family background and his war experiences. Finally, he talks about some of his films, only to repeatedly interrupt with golf stories. His look back at old friends (Cushing, Price, Karloff, even Robert Bloch) are warm and wonderful, but are much too short, barely covering one chapter. The book does have several good points, in addition to his remembering old friends. He never boasts about any of his performances, nor does he put down anyone he's ever worked with on film.

I still love the man and his movies but holy crap that was the most boring autobiography I have ever read. I was expecting to read about his Hammer days and how he got involved with the studio and how he became an actor in the first place. He barely talks about any of that and most of the book is filled with his stories about his time in the military and, the most boring part of all, his various golf exploits. Seriously. Golf.

Bought this as a gift for someone but actually read it before giving it to them. A funny, well-written book; Lee is a natural storyteller and this book will please both longtime and newfound fans.

Christopher Lee's background in film and his moving career in a host of cult and mainstream classics are detailed in his autobiography LORD OF MISRULE, reflecting on some of his most demanding film appearances, his life, and his movie memories. Fans of Lee will relish his candid assessment of his films in general and the movie industry in particular.

Christopher Lee is not only distinguished as an actor and screen presence, he is articulate and funny in this breathlessly paced memmoir. Also, oddly enough, he is an avid golfer