Sir Christopher is still working at the age of 87
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Dracula actor Christopher Lee has been knighted by the Prince of Wales in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace.
Best known for his performances opposite Peter Cushing in the Hammer Horror movies, Sir Christopher has featured in 250 productions.
He was honoured for services to drama and to charity.
Also honoured were veteran rock guitarist Joe Brown, cyclist Nicole Cooke and Marina Dalglish, the wife of Liverpool footballer Kenny Dalglish.
Sir Christopher joked: "I've done a lot of films that have become iconic, not necessarily because of me."
He added: added: "A whole new career opened up for me when I was in Lords Of The Rings and Star Wars.
"What's really important for me is, as an old man, I'm known by my own generation and the next generation know me too."
Brown, whose career has spanned more than half a century was awarded an MBE for services to music.
'A gift'
He said: "I'm in my 51st year as a performer, I just love playing my music.
"I've done films and plays and pantomimes and musicals and directed some of them but it always comes back to the audience and a great band behind me - I love it."
Cooke, 26, who was born in Swansea, south Wales, and now lives in Switzerland, collected an MBE for services to sport.
She is one of British cycling's most decorated athletes, winning the gold in the Olympic road race started at the Beijing Games last year and she ended 2008 winning the world title, in the same event.
Cooke is one of British cycling's most decorated athletes
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Receiving the honour was a new experience after winning medals, she said: "It's totally different, the others were hard fought it took a lot of effort to win those.
"Whereas this is more of a gift, so very nice and very, very special for myself and family who have really helped me achieve my success."
Mrs Dalglish was presented with an MBE for services to breast cancer patients in Merseyside.
She launched the Marina Dalglish Appeal after fighting breast cancer in 2003. It raised £1.5m to build a chemotherapy centre at Aintree University Hospitals NHS foundation Trust.
The 54 year old said: "I had breast cancer six years and I wanted to do something as way of a thank you.
"Receiving the MBE has been embarrassing really, the charity is in my name but there are a lot of people who have worked to make this possible not just me."
Her husband Kenny said: "We're very proud, it's been fantastic what she's done, obviously with a great deal of help.
"There's an awful lot of people got an awful lot of benefit from the work she's done."
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