Which actor played Saruman in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy?

Christopher Lee played Saruman in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.\n\nLee portrayed Saruman the White, the chief of the Istari and head of the White Council, who falls under Sauron’s influence. In Jackson’s films, Saruman rules from the tower of Orthanc in Isengard and commands an industrial war machine, including the Uruk-hai army that attacks Rohan.\n\nLee appeared prominently in The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers. His scenes filmed for The Return of the King were omitted from the theatrical version, but Saruman’s fate was restored in the extended edition. That difference sometimes causes confusion about whether Lee appeared in all three theatrical releases. He later reprised the role in Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy, even though Saruman does not appear in Tolkien’s The Hobbit novel.\n\nThe wrong options are also major Lord of the Rings actors: Hugo Weaving played Elrond, John Rhys-Davies played Gimli and Treebeard, and Ian McKellen played Gandalf. Lee’s long career also included Count Dooku in the Star Wars prequel films and numerous Hammer Horror productions.