Peter Jackson Shares Tribute to Dead 'Lord of the Rings' Movies Star Sir Christopher Lee

Many remember Sir Christopher Lee for his iconic role of Dracula in a number of Hammer horror films, but for five movies he portrayed Saruman the White for director Peter Jackson into the final years of his life. He passed away earlier this week, with countless reactions and tributes coming from fans, cast and crew members, and so on, but we'd like to share with you a touching message about Lee from the director of The Lord of the Rings  and The Hobbit movie trilogies. This week, Jackson posted a heartfelt message on Facebook about the dead star. Check it out below.

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Very late in his life, Lee signed on for the Lord of the Rings films, which would take up years of his life and end up becoming some of the modern classics. When Jackson decided to work on the prequel series, The Hobbit, Lee jumped on board, despite his character not even playing a large role in this story. As fans of the Tolkien adaptations found out, Lee loved portraying Saruman, one of the most powerful wizards of the fantasy genre.

Read our previous coverage of the announcement of Lee's passing right here.

Considering the amount of time they spent working together, Jackson and Lee struck up a friendship. In a recent Facebook post, the director informed his followers of just what kind of actor and person the world had lost this week in one of the most touching tributes we've seen (via Slash Film).

"I was lucky enough to work with Chris on five films all told and it never ceased to be a thrill to see him on set," Jackson wrote. " I remember him saying on my 40th Birthday (he was 80 at the time), 'You're half the man I am.' Being half the man Christopher Lee is, is more than I could ever hope for. He was a true gentleman, in an era that no longer values gentleman."

Check out the Facebook post right here: