I know the very cool monster mag "Scarlet Street" recently touched on his performance in "The Brides of Dracula" in a Van Helsing retrospective in their last issue. The magazine is a very gay-friendly publication that doesn't shy away from recognizing homoerotic subtext in classic horror films and the editor is apparently a fan of David Peel's. Lee was probably not included in the film because he either hated the original draft (as Cushing did) or because there were rumblings at Hammer about how he was just a tall, easily replaceable performer at that time. Peel was brought in Lee's stead. The article credits Peel for essaying the blond, sexually ambigious vamp that would later become prevalent years later in movies. He was 40 at the time of shooting and appeared years younger through the combination of a youthful appearance and a good makeup job. He was an openly gay actor, and a good deal of kinky subtext has been read into the film in retrospect, what with its "Suddenly, Last Summer" vibe and the fact that Peel gets to sink his teeth into Cushing's Van Helsing. Peel-- a deeply religious man-- reportedly abandoned acting after "Brides..." and became involved in the church and real estate ventures. I wouldn't be surprised if "Scarlet Street" has dealt with him at greater length in previous issues as well.
www.scarletstreet.com
"Breaking away with the beast of both worlds, a smile that you can't disguise..."