
About
Lee Van Cleef
Overview
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.
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".
Known for
Acting |
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2014 | Peter Baumgartner, Filmkameramann | Actor | (archive footage) | N/A N/A |
2003 | Octagon : le combat des maƮtres | Actor | N/A N/A |
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2000 | Klaus Kinski: I'm not an actor | Actor | Col. Douglas Mortimer (archive footage) | N/A N/A |
1990 | Thieves of Fortune | Actor | Sergio Danielo Christophero | 58 Average |
1990 | The Best of the Martial Arts Films | Actor | Self (archive footage) | 60 Fair |
1989 | Speed Zone | Actor | Grandfather | 56 Average |
1988 | The Commander | Actor | Col. Mazzarini | 58 Average |
1986 | Armed Response | Actor | Burt Roth | 58 Average |
1985 | Jungle Raiders | Actor | Warren | 58 Average |
1985 | The Master Ninja 5 | Actor | John Peter McAllister | 58 Average |
1984 | Code Name: Wild Geese | Actor | Archie 'China' Travers | 58 Average |
1984 | Killing Machine | Actor | Julot | 58 Average |
1984 | Master Ninja | Actor | John Peter McAllister | 58 Average |
1984 | Master Ninja II | Actor | John Peter McAllister | 59 Average |
1984 | The Master | Actor | John Peter McAllister | 64 Fair |
1981 | Escape from New York | Actor | Police Commissioner Bob Hauk | 69 Fair |
1980 | The Octagon | Actor | McCarn | 56 Average |
1980 | The Hard Way | Actor | McNeal | 58 Average |
1979 | When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion | Actor | Self | N/A N/A |
1978 | The Squeeze | Actor | Chris Gretchko / Ray Sloan | 58 Average |
1977 | The Perfect Killer | Actor | Harry Chapman | 58 Average |
1977 | Nowhere to Hide | Actor | Ike Scanlon | 58 Average |
1976 | Kid Vengeance | Actor | McClain | 58 Average |
1976 | God's Gun | Actor | Father John / Lewis | 58 Average |
1975 | Take a Hard Ride | Actor | Kiefer | 58 Average |
1974 | The Stranger and the Gunfighter | Actor | Dakota | 58 Average |
1973 | Mean Frank and Crazy Tony | Actor | Frankie | 58 Average |
1972 | The Grand Duel | Actor | Sheriff Clayton | 59 Average |
1972 | The Magnificent Seven Ride! | Actor | Marshal Chris Adams | 58 Average |
1971 | Bad Man's River | Actor | Roy King | 58 Average |
1971 | Captain Apache | Actor | Capt. Apache | 57 Average |
1971 | Return of Sabata | Actor | Sabata / Major | 58 Average |
1970 | Barquero | Actor | Travis | 59 Average |
1970 | El Condor | Actor | Jaroo | 58 Average |
1969 | Sabata | Actor | Sabata | 59 Average |
1968 | Commandos | Actor | MSgt. Sullivan | 58 Average |
1968 | Beyond the Law | Actor | Billy Joe Cudlip | 58 Average |
1967 | Day of Anger | Actor | Frank Talby | 61 Fair |
1967 | Death Rides a Horse | Actor | Ryan | 62 Fair |
1967 | The Big Gundown | Actor | Jonathan Corbett | 62 Fair |
1966 | The Good, the Bad and the Ugly | Actor | Sentenza / Angel Eyes | 83 Very good |
1965 | For a Few Dollars More | Actor | Col. Douglas Mortimer | 77 Good |
1962 | How the West Was Won | Actor | River Pirate (uncredited) | 63 Fair |
1962 | The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance | Actor | Reese | 72 Good |
1961 | Posse from Hell | Actor | Leo | 58 Average |
1960 | The Slowest Gun in the West | Actor | Sam Bass | 58 Average |
1959 | Ride Lonesome | Actor | Frank | 60 Fair |
1959 | Guns, Girls and Gangsters | Actor | Mike Bennett | 58 Average |
1958 | Machete | Actor | Miguel | 58 Average |
1958 | The Bravados | Actor | Alfonso Parral | 60 Fair |
1958 | The Young Lions | Actor | 1st Sgt. Rickett | 60 Fair |
1958 | Day of the Badman | Actor | Jake Hayes | 58 Average |
1957 | The Tin Star | Actor | Ed McGaffey | 61 Fair |
1957 | Raiders of Old California | Actor | Damon Pardee | 58 Average |
1957 | Gun Battle at Monterey | Actor | Kirby | 58 Average |
1957 | Joe Dakota | Actor | Adam Grant | 58 Average |
1957 | The Quiet Gun | Actor | Doug Sadler | 59 Average |
1957 | Last Stagecoach West | Actor | Steve Margolies | 58 Average |
1957 | The Lonely Man | Actor | Faro | 58 Average |
1957 | Gunfight at the O.K. Corral | Actor | Ed Bailey | 63 Fair |
1957 | China Gate | Actor | Maj. Cham | 58 Average |
1957 | The Badge of Marshal Brennan | Actor | Shad Donaphin | 58 Average |
1956 | Accused of Murder | Actor | Police Sgt. Emmett Lackey | 58 Average |
1956 | Pardners | Actor | Gus | 59 Average |
1956 | It Conquered the World | Actor | Dr. Tom Anderson | 57 Average |
1956 | Tribute to a Bad Man | Actor | Fat Jones | 59 Average |
1956 | The Conqueror | Actor | Chepei | 56 Average |
1955 | The Vanishing American | Actor | Jay Lord | 58 Average |
1955 | A Man Alone | Actor | Clanton | 58 Average |
1955 | The Naked Street | Actor | Harry Goldish (uncredited) | 58 Average |
1955 | The Road to Denver | Actor | Pecos Larry | 59 Average |
1955 | I Cover the Underworld | Actor | Flash Logan | 59 Average |
1955 | The Big Combo | Actor | Fante | 61 Fair |
1955 | Ten Wanted Men | Actor | Al Drucker | 58 Average |
1955 | Treasure of Ruby Hills | Actor | Frank Emmett | 59 Average |
1954 | Dawn at Socorro | Actor | Earl Ferris | 58 Average |
1954 | Princess of the Nile | Actor | Hakar (uncredited) | 59 Average |
1954 | The Desperado | Actor | Paul Clayton/Buck Clayton | 59 Average |
1954 | The Yellow Tomahawk | Actor | Fire Knife | 58 Average |
1954 | Arrow In The Dust | Actor | Tillotson Henchman | 58 Average |
1954 | Rails Into Laramie | Actor | Ace Winton | 58 Average |
1954 | Gypsy Colt | Actor | Hank | 58 Average |
1953 | The Nebraskan | Actor | Pvt. Reno Benton | 58 Average |
1953 | Tumbleweed | Actor | Marv | 58 Average |
1953 | Jack Slade | Actor | Bolt Mackay | 59 Average |
1953 | Vice Squad | Actor | Pete Monty | 58 Average |
1953 | Arena | Actor | Smitty | 58 Average |
1953 | The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms | Actor | Corp. Stone | 60 Fair |
1953 | White Lightning | Actor | Brutus Allen | 59 Average |
1953 | The Bandits of Corsica | Actor | Nerva | 58 Average |
1952 | The Lawless Breed | Actor | Dirk Hanley | 59 Average |
1952 | Kansas City Confidential | Actor | Tony Romano | 61 Fair |
1952 | Untamed Frontier | Actor | Dave Chittun | 58 Average |
1952 | High Noon | Actor | Jack Colby | 72 Good |