For generations of moviegoers, Christopher Lee (1922-2015) was the embodiment of cinematic evil. From his early days as Hammer Films' resident Count Dracula to more recent roles like the evil wizard Saruman from The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies – by way of the Star Wars prequels' Count Dooku, The Wicker Man's Lord Summerisle and James Bond's triple-nippled nemesis, Scaramanga, from The Man with the Golden Gun – Lee's imposing 6'5" frame, piercing eyes and mesmerising voice made him one of cinema's most enduring and iconic screen villains.

And, during a remarkable career that spanned 57 years and more than 200 movies, he even found time to accidentally position himself at centre of the Hollywood universe.

Lee was a high-performer in the Centre of the Hollywood Universe chart, a variation of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, the quirky parlour game that was all the rage amongst movie geeks in the 1990s. Inspired by the 'six degrees of separation' concept, the game's purpose was to connect via film roles any given actor or actress with Kevin Bacon in six moves or less.

For example, only two films separate Kevin Bacon from Laurel & Hardy:

  • Kevin Bacon appeared in JFK (1991) with Jack Lemon.
  • Jack Lemon appeared in No products found. with Cap Somers.
  • Cap Somers appeared in Way Out West (1937) with Stan and Ollie.

The Centre of the Hollywood Universe chart took this concept one step further by using a computer algorithm called The Oracle of Bacon to rank a movie star's connectivity at any given time. At one stage, Lee was the chart's highest ranking living actor. Given the fact his acting career spanned seven decades, over 200 films and three of the most popular movie franchises of all time – Lord of the Rings, Star Wars and Bond – it's hardly surprising.

Returning to the earlier example, only one film stood between Christopher Lee and Laurel & Hardy:

In fact, despite his reputation as one of history's greatest movie villains, Lee was rarely more than one film away from a slapstick comedy A-lister. Vaudeville legends The Marx Brothers are a case in point:

Or The Three Stooges:

In fact, let's go all the way back to Charlie Chaplin:

There are similar connections between Christopher Lee's filmography and many of the greats of British comedy. Take Morecambe and Wise, for instance:

Or Tommy Cooper:

Or even Benny Hill:

At the epicentre of this Christopher Lee comedy conundrum is a delightfully odd film called The Magic Christian (1969). It stars Peter Sellers as Guy Grand, an eccentric aristocrat who adopts a young, homeless Ringo Starr on a whim, then proceeds to educate him in the ways of the world through a series of increasingly outrageous pranks.

The comedy is broad and the satire far from subtle, but what makes it interesting in this context is that it featured appearances from Spike Milligan, John Cleese, Graham Chapman and Hattie Jacques. And there, in the midst of this weird collision between Goons, Beatles, Pythons and the Carry On team, we find Christopher Lee – on board a luxury cruise liner, terrorising the upper echelons of society in the somewhat typecast role of 'Ship's Vampire'.

Given his close proximity to so many comedy greats throughout his filmography, it seems apt that Lee was once offered the chance to play a truly iconic comedy role. He later admitted that turning down the part of Dr Rumack in the movie Airplane! was one of the biggest regrets of his career. That role went to Leslie Nielsen, of course, and the chief reason why he was so damn funny in that damn funny film was because – like the rest of the actors in Airplane! – he was cast against type. Up until then, Nielsen was best known for strait-laced dramas, but Airplane! transformed his career, turning him into a late-blooming comedy star.

Could the same thing have happened to an erstwhile Prince of Darkness?

It's a tantalising thought: if things had worked out differently, Christopher Lee – history's greatest screen villain – might now be remembered for another infamous character whose name begins with a 'D'.

Lieutenant Frank Drebin of Police Squad.

Work-Based Comedy at Amazon

Bestseller No. 1
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Bestseller No. 2
Funny Office Decor Wooden Box Sign, Home Office Desk Decoration for Work Women Men, Runs on Hard Work, Humor Quotes Office Gifts for Women Men Boss Coworker
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SaleBestseller No. 3
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  • Size: 4"x4", the size is very suitable for your favorite small space, simple and creative products bring joy to users.
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Bestseller No. 4
KANGYUSO Funny Spreadsheet Round Mouse Pad, When You Excel They Always Spreadsheet About You Mousepad for Desk, Small Mouse Mat with Non-Slip Rubber Base, Work Humor Gifts for Accountant Colleague
  • Spreadsheet Mouse Pad: "When You Excel They Always Spreadsheet About You", our mouse pad is printed with funny saying and colorful patterns. The cute and interesting mouse pad will add personality to your office desk and bring more positive emotions to you while working, studying or gaming
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  • Perfect Gift Idea: Our funny mouse pad is a great desk accessory for family, friends, coworkers, bosses, teachers, nurses, neighbors. It's also an excellent holiday gift for occasions such as Birthday, Graduation Season, Teacher Appreciation Week, Nurses Week, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Mother's Day and Father's Day
Bestseller No. 5
PHAWNGU Employee Appreciation Gift Bag, Staff Appreciation Gifts for Boss, Coworker, Employee, Work Friends, HR with Funny Cookie-Based Performance Review Pouch, 20 Pack
  • Hilarious Gift for Coworkers, Employees & Bosses – Perfect for work friends, office staff, team members, managers, or HR looking to celebrate with a funny and memorable gift.
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Bestseller No. 6
Funny Work Affirmation Jar - Shit I Want to Say at Work But Can't -Office Humor - Stress Relief - Coworker Gag Gift - 60 Hilarious Quotes- (Parchment, Original (CUSS WORDS))
  • Unfiltered Workplace Humor: Packed with 60 sarcastic, brutally honest quotes for anyone surviving meetings, micromanagers, and passive-aggressive emails. This is stress relief—jarred and ready.
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Bestseller No. 7
12PCS Novelty Sarcastic Sticky Notes Pads Funny Post It Notes for Work Fun Office Supplies Gifts for Coworkers Teacher Nurse Hilarious Humor Employee Appreciation Gifts Sleazy Greetings Memo Notepads
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Bestseller No. 8
Office Humor Manager Employee Job and Career Funny Work Meme T-Shirt
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Bestseller No. 9
Funny Work Signs, Some Days The Best Thing about My Job is That The Chair Spins Sign Decoration, Sarcastic Work Humor Sign for Workplace Decor, Gag Gift for Friends Colleagues
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SaleBestseller No. 10
Work Forecast Funny Mouse Pads for Work, Funny Sarcastic Mouse Pads for Wireless Mouse Computers Laptop Desk Accessories, Office Humor Gifts, Funny Office Gifts for Coworkers, 9.5x7.9 Inch
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Last update on 2025-09-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API