Christopher Lee Gets Knighthood

In what seems as a long overdue gesture of appreciation for one of the most seminal horror actors in the history of the genre, Count Dracula himself, Christopher Lee, can now have the ever-impressive "Sir" appended to the front of his name.

Joining a number of others, including musician Joe Brown and cyclist Nicole Cook, BBC News reports that the veteran actor, who also starred as Count Dooku in the Star Wars prequel trilogy and Lord Saruman in the Lord of the Rings, has been knighted by the Prince of Wales for "services to drama and to charity."

Through it all, Sir Christopher Lee remained as humble as ever, jokingly citing not Hammer but his success in The Lord of the Rings or Star Wars as his big break: "I've done a lot of films that have become iconic, not necessarily because of me...a whole new career opened up for me when I was in Lords Of The Rings and Star Wars.

This isn't the first honor to bestowed upon Dracula. In 2001 Queen Elizabeth appointed him Commander of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II, and in 2005 named the 'Most Marketable Star' for his performances in three of the top films in 2005 - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride and Star Wars, Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith, which garnered $640 million combined.