Tributes have been paid to veteran actor Sir Christopher Lee who has reportedly died aged 93.
The star, who appeared in a string of horror films and played a Bond villain in The Man With The Golden Gun, enjoyed a career renaissance playing Saruman in the Lord Of The Rings films.
His agent declined to confirm the news, saying only that his family wished to make no comment.
He never stopped working and only last year marked his 92nd birthday byreleasing a heavy metal version of the Frank Sinatra classic My Way.
It was one of seven tracks on an album called Metal Knight he recorded with an Italian band called Rhapsody Of Fire.
Two years ago he was honoured with a fellowship from the British Film Institute presented by his friend Johnny Depp.
Depp, who has worked with Sir Christopher on several Tim Burton projects including Sleepy Hollow, sneaked into the awards ceremony to surprise his friend.
Sir Christopher has amassed more than 250 screen credits, including his vampire appearances, his role as sinister Lord Summerisle in The Wicker Man and his collaborations with Burton.
He has often said that his title role in Jinnah, about the founder of Pakistan, is one of his favourite portrayals.