I stopped appearing as Dracula in 1972 because in my opinion the presentation of the character had deteriorated to such an extent, particularly bringing him into the contemporary day and age, that it really no longer had any meaning.

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.

I thought that people should know about the dangers of Satanism, and diabolism does exist - there's no question about it.

I don't play long parts. They must be short parts, but they've got to be parts that mean something, that matter, where people will notice when I'm on the screen, and people will remember the character after they've seen the film.

The thing I have always tried to do is surprise people, to present them with something they didn't expect.

My favourite country is Finland because once you get to a certain point, you can drive for hours without seeing a single person. I love peace and quiet - something I don't get very often.

In Britain, any degree of success is met with envy and resentment.