Lee Van Cleef

Lee Van Cleef

1925-01-09 Somerville, New Jersey, USA Male 147 Known Credits

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. 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".

Personal Info

Gender

Male

Birthday

1925-01-09

Place of Birth

Somerville, New Jersey, USA

Known Credits

147

Known For

Acting

Also Known As

Clarence Leroy Van Cleef Jr., 李·范克里夫, 리 밴 클리프

Photos

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Tagged Images

No tagged images available.

Known For Movies

Known For TV Shows

Movie Credits

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

1966

Sentenza / Angel Eyes

For a Few Dollars More

1965

Col. Douglas Mortimer

Escape from New York

1981

Police Commissioner Bob Hauk

Klaus Kinski: I'm not an actor

2000

Col. Douglas Mortimer (archive footage)

Nowhere to Hide

1977

Ike Scanlon

High Noon

1952

Jack Colby

Arrow In The Dust

1954

Tillotson Henchman

The Bravados

1958

Alfonso Parral

Treasure of Ruby Hills

1955

Frank Emmett

Raiders of Old California

1957

Damon Pardee

How the West Was Won

1962

River Pirate (uncredited)

Commandos

1968

MSgt. Sullivan

Tumbleweed

1953

Marv

The Magnificent Seven Ride!

1972

Marshal Chris Adams

Barquero

1970

Travis

Tribute to a Bad Man

1956

Fat Jones

Day of the Badman

1958

Jake Hayes

Sabata

1969

Sabata

Master Ninja

1984

John Peter McAllister

Joe Dakota

1957

Adam Grant

Bad Man's River

1971

Roy King

Day of Anger

1967

Frank Talby

The Conqueror

1956

Chepei

The Tin Star

1957

Ed McGaffey

Dawn at Socorro

1954

Earl Ferris

Return of Sabata

1971

Sabata / Major

Ride Lonesome

1959

Frank

The Big Combo

1955

Fante

The Octagon

1980

McCarn

Accused of Murder

1956

Police Sgt. Emmett Lackey

Armed Response

1986

Burt Roth

Captain Apache

1971

Capt. Apache

A Man Alone

1955

Clanton

Vice Squad

1953

Pete Monty

The Young Lions

1958

1st Sgt. Rickett

Pardners

1956

Gus

The Desperado

1954

Paul Clayton/Buck Clayton

The Big Gundown

1967

Jonathan Corbett

The Commander

1988

Col. Mazzarini

The Quiet Gun

1957

Doug Sadler

Speed Zone

1989

Grandfather

Untamed Frontier

1952

Dave Chittun

Beyond the Law

1968

Billy Joe Cudlip

El Condor

1970

Jaroo

The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout

2024

Self (archive footage)

Master Ninja II

1984

John Peter McAllister

Jack Slade

1953

Bolt Mackay

Guns, Girls and Gangsters

1959

Mike Bennett

God's Gun

1976

Father John / Lewis

The Grand Duel

1972

Sheriff Clayton

Gypsy Colt

1954

Hank

Princess of the Nile

1954

Hakar (uncredited)

The Master Ninja 5

1985

John Peter McAllister

Rails Into Laramie

1954

Ace Winton

White Lightning

1953

Brutus Allen

The Best of the Martial Arts Films

1990

Self (archive footage)

Arena

1953

Smitty

China Gate

1957

Maj. Cham

The Squeeze

1978

Chris Gretchko / Ray Sloan

The Road to Denver

1955

Pecos Larry

Code Name: Wild Geese

1984

Archie 'China' Travers

Take a Hard Ride

1975

Kiefer

I Cover the Underworld

1955

Flash Logan

Ten Wanted Men

1955

Al Drucker

The Yellow Tomahawk

1954

Fire Knife

Kid Vengeance

1976

McClain

It Conquered the World

1956

Dr. Tom Anderson

Last Stagecoach West

1957

Steve Margolies

The Nebraskan

1953

Pvt. Reno Benton

Jungle Raiders

1985

Warren

The Lawless Breed

1952

Dirk Hanley

The Perfect Killer

1977

Harry Chapman

The Hard Way

1980

McNeal

Machete

1958

Miguel

The Naked Street

1955

Harry Goldish (uncredited)

Thieves of Fortune

1990

Sergio Danielo Christophero

TV Credits

Perry Mason

1957

Edward Doyle (1 episodes)

Bonanza

1959

Appling (1 episodes)

Maverick

1957

(1 episodes)

The Rifleman

1958

(4 episodes)

The Andy Griffith Show

1960

Skip (1 episodes)

Have Gun, Will Travel

1957

Golias (1 episodes)

Wagon Train

1957

Rufe Beal (1 episodes)

Cheyenne

1955

Braden (1 episodes)

The Twilight Zone

1959

Steinhart (1 episodes)

Rawhide

1959

Fred Grant (1 episodes)

Four Star Playhouse

1952

Bob Wheeler aka Sonora Kid (1 episodes)

The Lone Ranger

1949

Bull Harper (1 episodes)

Lawman

1958

(2 episodes)

Wanted: Dead or Alive

1958

Jumbo Kane (1 episodes)

Gunsmoke

1955

Rad (1 episodes)

The Untouchables

1959

Frank Diamond (2 episodes)

Zorro

1957

(1 episodes)

77 Sunset Strip

1958

(1 episodes)

Hawaiian Eye

1959

(1 episodes)

Bronco

1958

(2 episodes)

Richard Diamond, Private Detective

1957

Ed Murdock (1 episodes)

The Deputy

1959

Cherokee Kid (1 episodes)

Black Saddle

1959

Frank Sandoe (1 episodes)

Branded

1965

(4 episodes)

Trackdown

1957

Ben Fraser (1 episodes)

Riverboat

1959

Luke Cragg (1 episodes)

Laredo

1965

(1 episodes)

Studio 57

1954

(1 episodes)

State Trooper

1956

Frank Parnessa (1 episodes)

The Gene Autry Show

1950

Hod - Henchman (1 episodes)

Tombstone Territory

1957

Sam Carver (1 episodes)

The Alaskans

1959

(1 episodes)

Mr. Lucky

1959

(1 episodes)

Law of the Plainsman

1959

Tracey (1 episodes)

The Dakotas

1963

(1 episodes)

Yancy Derringer

1958

Ike Milton (1 episodes)

Cavalcade of America

1952

(2 episodes)

Boston Blackie

1951

Captain Jansen (1 episodes)

Annie Oakley

1954

Amos Belcher (1 episodes)

City Detective

1953

(1 episodes)

The Master

1984

John Peter McAllister (13 episodes)

Stagecoach West

1960

Lin Hyatt (1 episodes)

Casey Jones

1957

Mort Clio (1 episodes)

My Mother the Car

1965

(1 episodes)

Wire Service

1956

Al Sanders (1 episodes)

Stories of the Century

1954

Jesse James (1 episodes)

Buffalo Bill Jr.

1955

(2 episodes)

The Adventures of Champion

1955

Frank (1 episodes)

General Electric Theater

1953

Dave Rudabaugh (1 episodes)

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

1951

Dallas Clancy (1 episodes)

Movie Production Credits

No movie production credits available.

TV Production Credits

No TV production credits available.