Lee Van Cleef
Biography
Clarence LeRoy "Lee" Van Cleef Jr. was an American actor best known for his roles in Spaghetti Westerns such as For A Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Hatchet-faced with piercing eyes, he had declined to have his nose altered to play a sympathetic character in his film debut, High Noon, and was relegated to a non-speaking outlaw as a result. For a decade he was typecast as a minor villain, his sinister features overshadowing his acting skills. After suffering serious injuries in a car crash, Van Cleef began to lose interest in his apparently waning career by the time Sergio Leone gave him a major role in For a Few Dollars More. The film made him a box-office draw, especially in Europe. Military service: After basic training and further training at the Naval Fleet Sound School, Van Cleef was assigned to a submarine chaser and then to a minesweeper, USS Incredible, on which he worked as a sonarman. After leaving the Navy, Van Cleef read for a part in Our Town at the Little Theater Group in Clinton, New Jersey and received his first stage role. From there, he continued to meet with the group and audition for parts. The next biggest part was that of the boxer, Joe Pendleton, in the play Heaven Can Wait. During this time, he was observed by visiting talent scouts, who were impressed by Van Cleef's stage presence and delivery. One of these scouts later took him to New York City talent agent Maynard Morris of the MCA agency, who then sent him to the Alvin Theater for an audition. Van Cleef's screen debut came in High Noon. During a performance of Mister Roberts in Los Angeles, he was noticed by film director Stanley Kramer, who offered Van Cleef a role in his upcoming film. Kramer originally wanted Van Cleef for the role of the deputy Harvey Pell, but as he wanted Van Cleef to have his "distinctive nose" fixed, Van Cleef declined the role in favor of the part of the silent gunslinger Jack Colby. He was then cast mostly in villainous roles, due to his sharp cheeks and chin, piercing eyes, and hawk-like nose, from the part of Tony Romano in Kansas City Confidential (1952), culminating 14 years later in Sergio Leone's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) Despite suffering from heart disease from the late 1970s and having a pacemaker installed in the early 1980s, Van Cleef continued to work in films until his death on December 16, 1989, at age 64. He was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, Hollywood Hills, California, with an inscription on his grave marker referring to his many acting performances as a villain: "BEST OF THE BAD". Description above from the Wikipedia article Lee Van Cleef, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Jack Colby
High Noon
Col. Douglas Mortimer
Per qualche dollaro in più
Police Commissioner Bob Hauk
Escape from New York
Ed McGaffey
The Tin Star
Tony Romano
Kansas City Confidential
Ed Bailey
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
Fante
The Big Combo
Gus
Pardners
McCarn
The Octagon
Travis
Barquero
Grandfather
Speed Zone
Dr. Tom Anderson
It Conquered the World
Frank
Ride Lonesome
Billy Joe Cudlip
Al di là della legge
1st Sgt. Rickett
The Young Lions
Corp. Stone
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
Dakota
El Kárate, el Colt y el Impostor
(archive footage)
Peter Baumgartner, Filmkameramann
Faro
The Lonely Man
Police Sgt. Emmett Lackey
Accused of Murder
Marshal Chris Adams
The Magnificent Seven Ride!
Alfonso Parral
The Bravados
Sheriff Clayton
Il grande duello
Kiefer
Take a Hard Ride
Al Drucker
Ten Wanted Men
Jonathan Corbett
La resa dei conti
Burt Roth
Armed Response
Sergio Danielo Christophero
Thieves of Fortune
Ryan
Da uomo a uomo
Sabata
Ehi amico... c'è Sabata. Hai chiuso!
Sabata / Major
È tornato Sabata... hai chiuso un'altra volta!
Frankie
Dio, sei proprio un padreterno!
Self
When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion
Fat Jones
Tribute to a Bad Man
Miguel
Machete
Frank Talby
I giorni dell'ira
Pete Monty
Vice Squad
Jaroo
El Condor
Maj. Cham
China Gate
McClain
Kid Vengeance
Julot
Goma-2
Father John / Lewis
Diamante Lobo
Warren
La leggenda del rubino malese
Roy King
Bad Man's River
MSgt. Sullivan
Commandos
Dirk Hanley
The Lawless Breed
Capt. Apache
Captain Apache
Nerva
The Bandits of Corsica
Smitty
Arena
Hank
Gypsy Colt
McNeal
The Hard Way
Damon Pardee
Raiders of Old California
Col. Mazzarini
Der Commander
Tillotson Henchman
Arrow In The Dust
Archie 'China' Travers
Code Name: Wild Geese
Earl Ferris
Dawn at Socorro
Hakar (uncredited)
Princess of the Nile
Harry Chapman
Quel pomeriggio maledetto
Dave Chittun
Untamed Frontier
Fire Knife
The Yellow Tomahawk
Adam Grant
Joe Dakota
Frank Emmett
Treasure of Ruby Hills
Jay Lord
The Vanishing American
Shad Donaphin
The Badge of Marshal Brennan
Doug Sadler
The Quiet Gun
Pvt. Reno Benton
The Nebraskan
Kirby
Gun Battle at Monterey
Ace Winton
Rails Into Laramie
Bolt Mackay
Jack Slade
Steve Margolies
Last Stagecoach West
Chris Gretchko / Ray Sloan
The Squeeze
Sam Bass
The Slowest Gun in the West
Reese
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Octagon : le combat des maîtres
Marv
Tumbleweed
Leo
Posse from Hell
Sentenza / Angel Eyes
Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo
Clanton
A Man Alone
Col. Douglas Mortimer (archive footage)
Klaus Kinski - Ich bin kein Schauspieler
River Pirate (uncredited)
How the West Was Won
Chepei
The Conqueror
John Peter McAllister
The Master Ninja 5
Flash Logan
I Cover the Underworld
Self (archive footage)
The Best of the Martial Arts Films
Paul Clayton/Buck Clayton
The Desperado
Pecos Larry
The Road to Denver
John Peter McAllister
Master Ninja
Ike Scanlon
Nowhere to Hide
John Peter McAllister
Master Ninja II
Jake Hayes
Day of the Badman
Brutus Allen
White Lightning
Mike Bennett
Guns Girls and Gangsters
Harry Goldish (uncredited)
The Naked Street
Self (archive footage)
The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
94
Gender
Male
Birthday
1925-01-09
Place of Birth
Somerville, New Jersey, USA
Also Known As
Clarence Leroy Van Cleef Jr.