The son (and Commander of the Order of the British Empire since 15 June 2001) of an Italian Contessa and a colonel in the King's Royal Rifle Corps is definitely the world's most famous Dracula actor and has defined the macabre for generations of horror film enthusiasts. The gaunt, handsome, deep-voiced actor and classically trained singer served in the Royal Air Force and in British Intelligence during WWII. He studied at Summerfield Preparatory School and went on to attend Wellington College. Worked in a department store in London while pursuing his acting career. Though he will always be remembered best for his classic role as the blood-thirsty Count (often opposites Peter Cushing), he played a large variety of other characters, p.e. Sherlock Holmes, Fu Manchu or Saruman The White ("The Lord Of The Rings"). As a distant cousin of "James Bond" creator Ian Fleming, he was Fleming's original choice for the part of Dr. No in the first of the James Bond films. Although he didn't land the role, he got the title role in "The Man With The Golden Gun". But it was Hammer Studios' "The Curse Of Frankenstein" and his portrayal of the creature that made his name a household item overnight. The 1958 follow-up "Dracula" - again with Peter Cushing and under the direction of Terence Fisher - was the beginning of an immense line of Dracula movies for him, whom he portrayed more times on the screen than any other actor in history. He is quoted: "Peter Cushing and I have made so many horror films, that the people think we live in a cave together".