Memorable Count Draculas: One, Two, Three

"I bid you velcome."

So says Count Dracula in the 1931 movie of the same name. I don't know about you, but if somebody says the word Dracula, the first image that comes into my mind is that of Bela Lugosi in his long flowing cape, his eyes wide and hypnotic, his mouth curving into a sinister smile.

So many other actors have portrayed the Count since Tod Browning's 1931 classic, but few stand out. You only need to watch a couple of the truly awful vampire movies made over the years, like Billy the Kid vs. Dracula or Zoltan, Hound of Dracula, to know that Bram Stoker is likely rolling over in his grave.

But over the last century of cinema, Lugosi was not the only actor to create a memorable Dracula. If you've ever watched The Horror of Dracula, or any of the other Hammer Films that came out of England in the 60s and 70s, you undoubtedly remember Christopher Lee as a different, but unforgettable version of that most famous vampire.

What Lugosi had going for him was his elegant presentation. Lugosi's Dracula was a bloodsucker, yes, but he was also a gentleman. Lee's Count, on the other hand, was less suave and more bestial. And due to the changes in the film industry since the 30s, this vampire's attacks on his victims were now more animalistic and decidedly bloody.

With the 1990's version of Dracula by Francis Ford Coppola came a third memorable vampire. Gary Oldman was magnetic and creepy, playing Dracula in young and old bodies, and also portraying Vlad the Impaler. Quite a task for one actor in one movie, and I think he carried it off quite well. Oldman's young Dracula was quite seductive, bringing a more sensual form of sexuality to the vampire, as opposed to the Hammer films' in-your-face cleavage. And of course, the sexual aspect of Oldman's vampire can't be remotely compared to Lugosi's Count, since there wasn't even any fang-to-neck contact in the 1931 movie.

Everyone will have their favourites, I suppose. And it's unlikely that these three actors will ultimately be the only ones remembered for their portrayal of Dracula. With the release of Dracula 2000 this winter, and more movies created and slated into the new millennium, there will be a host of new and memorable Draculas to come.

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