Christopher Lee, one of the world’s best-known horror actors, has died aged 93 after a career that spanned seven decades and nearly 300 films.

In his early career from the 1950s to the 1970s, Lee was best-known for playing Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster and similar roles in Britain's televised Hammer House of Horror series.

His success brought Hollywood roles as James Bond villain Scaramanga, Saruman in Lord of the Rings and Count Dooku in two Star Wars films.

Bond actor Roger Moore was among those who paid tribute to Lee yesterday.

“It’s terribly (sad) when you lose an old friend, and Christopher Lee was one of my oldest. We first met in 1948,” Moore said on Twitter.

“Our thoughts are for Lady Lee, Christina and Juan,” Moore said, referring to Lee’s wife, daughter and son-in-law.

Prime Minister David Cameron said he was “saddened” by the death of Lee, who had “starred in films that were treasured by millions”.

“Really sad to hear about the death of Christopher Lee, one of the greatest British actors and a master of the macabre,” said Conservative politician Boris Johnson, who is also London’s mayor.

Born in London to a British army officer father and a mother who was an Italian aristocrat, Lee is one of the world’s most prolific film actors.

Credited with appearances in 281 productions, he was awarded a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth in 2009, for service to charity.

In his early adult life, he worked in office jobs in London before serving in several military roles during World War II.

Lee began acting in his mid-20s after leaving military service, but he said his career was slow to take off because he was considered too tall at 1.96 metres.

He was multi-lingual and, in his later career, found time between films to sing and play guitar on several heavy metal albums.

“What a sad day for the world to lose this incredible actor and human being,” rock singer Bryan Adams said on Instagram, accompanied by his 2010 photograph of Lee.

In a 2011 interview with the Telegraph , Lee said his five years of military experience, including a spell attached to special forces, had inured him to real-life horror.

“When the Second World War finished I was 23 and already I had seen enough horror to last me a lifetime,” he told the newspaper.

“I’d seen dreadful, dreadful things, without saying a word,” Lee said. “So seeing horror depicted on film doesn’t affect me much.”

- dpa