'Count Dracula' Christopher Lee dies at 93

British actor Christopher Lee poses during a photocall at the 8th edition of Marrakesh international film festival. Christopher Lee, famous for playing Dracula, and villains in The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. - AFP

However, he criticised the gratuitous violence of many modern films, arguing the power of suggestion was more terrifying -- something he mastered early on, scaring the wits out of viewers with his piercing gaze.

A lifelong devotee of heavy metal -- a genre partly inspired by the sort of horror films he starred in -- Lee made several albums featuring his booming, classically-trained bass voice.

His last album was “Metal Knight”, released on his 92nd birthday, followed by a metal Christmas carol in December 2014.

Lee married former Danish model Gitte Kroencke in 1961 and had one daughter, Christina. - AFP