Christopher Lee

(CNN) Christopher Lee, the actor, was often the villain.

He played Dracula, the bad guy in the James Bond thriller "The Man with the Golden Gun," the deliciously evil wizard Saruman in the "Lord of the Ring" films, and the dude who fought Yoda with a lightsaber in "Star Wars: Attack of the Clones."

But Sir Christopher Lee, the man, who died this week at the age of 93? Not an ounce of villain to be found, fans and fellow actors alike said Thursday.

"You were an icon, and a towering human being with stories for days," "Lord of the Rings" co-star Elijah Wood tweeted Thursday. "We'll miss you."

Lee died Sunday, a spokesman for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea said.

He had more than 150 film credits to his name, beginning in 1948 and stretching into this decade.

Lee initially made his name in horror films. His first major horror role was as Frankenstein's creature and then the infamous vampire Dracula in a series films for Britain's Hammer Films studios from the 1950s until the 1970s.

Later, he took on the role of James Bond's nemesis Francisco Scaramanga in 1974's "The Man with the Golden Gun," and was introduced to a new generation of film-goers in 2001 with "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring."

In it, he played the evil wizard Saruman, former mentor to Gandalf -- the good-guy wizard's role Lee said he once coveted but had grown too old to play.

The next year, he entered the "Star Wars" universe as the fallen Jedi knight, Count Dooku, in the "Star Wars: The Clone Wars."

Both series brought him renewed fame and acclaim, but for Lee, two roles always stood out: His 1973 turn as Lord Summerisle in the cult classic "The Wicker Man," and his portrayal of the founder of Pakistan, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, in the 1998 film, "Jinnah."

"The most important thing I've ever done," he said in a 2011 forum at the University College Dublin.

Lee was knighted in 2009 -- fittingly on the day before Halloween -- for his accomplishments in the arts. Two years later, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts awarded Lee its highest honor, the Academy Fellowship.