Sometimes an actor comes along and owns a role so memorable that no one really has a chance playing the same character after that. To me, British actor Christopher Lee, who has sadly passed away at the age of 93, did that with Count Dracula.

Growing up on Hammer Horror films as a kid, Lee didn't even have to say anything (in fact, he had no lines in Dracula: Prince of Darkness) to achieve that scary iconic image above. This is the Dracula that most film fans recall in their minds.

Lee also appeared in a wealth of other productions -- including The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Star Wars prequels -- but, in my mind, he will always be remembered for the Dracula cinematic brand.

Sometimes, in rare cases, something just works so perfectly well that it doesn't need any enhancements or tweaking. Lee's Dracula is one of those as we say, "Rest in peace, sweet Prince of Darkness."

John.