93-Year-Old Legendary Actor Watches “Lord of the Rings” on His Final Night After 200 Films

A decade after his passing, Christopher Lee remains synonymous with The Lord of the Rings, and it appears he chose to relive the saga until the very end. According to the documentary The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee, the actor spent his last evening alive watching Peter Jackson’s trilogy.

Famous for portraying the wizard Saruman, Christopher Lee was in fact a devoted fan of the universe created by J.R.R. Tolkien. He had even auditioned for the role of Gandalf (which ultimately went to Ian McKellen), and in his younger days, he had the opportunity to meet the author himself. A loyal reader of the books, he would reread the saga annually, which had greatly impacted him.

At the hospital, on the eve of his death on June 7, 2015, at the age of 93, Christopher Lee decided to immerse himself in his passion one last time.

“That evening, he said: ‘The Lord of the Rings is on TV, so we are going to watch it with the nurses, and I will explain how the movie was made,’ because he loved that movie,” his son-in-law Juan Aneiros reported in the documentary (via Yahoo Movies). The legendary actor thus shared his passion up to his final moments.

That evening marked a personal tribute to a work he cherished deeply. Christopher Lee passed away after giving the medical staff one last commentary on the film, likely including unforgettable anecdotes, thus concluding his life in the company of the saga he adored so much.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy by Peter Jackson is available for streaming on HBO Max.