Of course, he was the definitive Dracula for Britain's Hammer horror studio -- elegant with an undercurrent of carnivorous rage -- in 1958's "The Horror of Dracula," and eight subsequent, increasingly mediocre films. His work with his dear friend Peter Cushing (25 films together) will last forever.
Beyond his work for Hammer, which included playing Frankenstein's monster ("The Curse of Frankenstein"),
the Mummy, Fu Manchu, Rasputin, and the like. He created many more indelible characterizations, primarily villainous.
In the 1970s, he briefly returned to popular consciousness as the evil assassin Scaramagna in the James Bond film "The Man with the Golden Gun" in 1974.
However, it took another 25 years before his work in the "Star Wars" franchise (Count Dooku),
"Lord of the Rings""Hobbit" films (Saruman),
and five films with Tim Burton, gave him the affection and regard that he deserved.
His expert fencing stood him well in many period films, another specialty of his. There was something of another century about him -- his gravitas and focus weighted him and made simply his silent presence substantial. He also was a fine baritone, and recorded many albums of classical selections -- and many, many heavy metal albums, a genre he also loved.
He worked for directors as diverse as Burton, Peter Jackson, Robert Siodmak ("The Crimson Pirate"), John Huston ("Moulin Rouge"), Billy Wilder ("The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes"), Spielberg ("1941" -- he was an adept at comedy as well!), and Scorsese (the gentle bookseller in "Hugo").
Here is a selection of my favorite roles of his, besides those referenced above:
Resurrection Joe in "Corridors of Blood," 1958 -- as a body snatcher, he gives Karloff a run for his money
Kurt Menliff in "The Whip and the Body," 1963 -- an extremely disturbing sex-and-violence Gothic tale from Mario Bava
Franklyn Marsh, the victim of "The Disembodied Hand" segment of "Dr. Terror's House of Horrors," 1965
The Duc de Richleau in "The Devil Rides Out," 1968 -- one of Lee's few heroic roles, and one he carries off splendidly
Lord Summerisle in "The Wicker Man," 1973 -- perhaps his most terrifying characterization, as the performance is delivered in such a low-key, matter-of-fact manner
Rochefort in Richard Lester's "Three Musketeers" and "Four Musketeers" -- Droll and deadly, his duel to the death with Michael York in the latter film is one of the great swordfights ever filmed
Jinnah in "Jinnah" -- his favorite role, in a biopic that is very hard to find
A class act, a sweet guy, and a great actor.