Lee Van Cleef
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
Credits
- 2014 · Peter Baumgartner, Filmkameramann as (archive footage)
- 2003 · Octagon : le combat des maîtres as
- 2000 · Klaus Kinski: I'm not an actor as Col. Douglas Mortimer (archive footage)
- 1990 · Thieves of Fortune as Sergio Danielo Christophero
- 1990 · The Best of the Martial Arts Films as Self (archive footage)
- 1989 · Speed Zone as Grandfather
- 1988 · The Commander as Col. Mazzarini
- 1986 · Armed Response as Burt Roth
- 1985 · Jungle Raiders as Warren
- 1985 · The Master Ninja 5 as John Peter McAllister
- 1984 · Code Name: Wild Geese as Archie 'China' Travers
- 1984 · Killing Machine as Julot
- 1984 · Master Ninja as John Peter McAllister
- 1984 · The Master as John Peter McAllister
- 1984 · Master Ninja II as John Peter McAllister
- 1981 · Escape from New York as Police Commissioner Bob Hauk
- 1980 · The Octagon as McCarn
- 1980 · The Hard Way as McNeal
- 1979 · When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion as Self
- 1978 · The Squeeze as Chris Gretchko / Ray Sloan
- 1977 · The Perfect Killer as Harry Chapman
- 1977 · Nowhere to Hide as Ike Scanlon
- 1976 · Kid Vengeance as McClain
- 1976 · God's Gun as Father John / Lewis
- 1975 · Take a Hard Ride as Kiefer
- 1974 · The Stranger and the Gunfighter as Dakota
- 1973 · Mean Frank and Crazy Tony as Frankie
- 1972 · The Grand Duel as Sheriff Clayton
- 1972 · The Magnificent Seven Ride! as Marshal Chris Adams
- 1971 · Bad Man's River as Roy King
- 1971 · Captain Apache as Capt. Apache
- 1971 · Return of Sabata as Sabata / Major
- 1970 · Barquero as Travis
- 1970 · El Condor as Jaroo
- 1969 · Sabata as Sabata
- 1968 · Commandos as MSgt. Sullivan
- 1968 · Beyond the Law as Billy Joe Cudlip
- 1967 · Day of Anger as Frank Talby
- 1967 · Death Rides a Horse as Ryan
- 1967 · The Big Gundown as Jonathan Corbett
- 1966 · The Good, the Bad and the Ugly as Sentenza / Angel Eyes
- 1965 · For a Few Dollars More as Col. Douglas Mortimer
- 1965 · Laredo as
- 1965 · My Mother the Car as
- 1965 · Branded as
- 1963 · The Dakotas as
- 1962 · How the West Was Won as River Pirate (uncredited)
- 1962 · The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance as Reese
- 1961 · Posse from Hell as Leo
- 1960 · Stagecoach West as Lin Hyatt
- 1960 · The Andy Griffith Show as Skip
- 1960 · The Slowest Gun in the West as Sam Bass
- 1959 · Mr. Lucky as
- 1959 · The Untouchables as Frank Diamond
- 1959 · Hawaiian Eye as
- 1959 · The Alaskans as
- 1959 · The Twilight Zone as
- 1959 · Law of the Plainsman as Tracey
- 1959 · The DuPont Show with June Allyson as Peak
- 1959 · Riverboat as Luke Cragg
- 1959 · Bonanza as Appling
- 1959 · The Deputy as Cherokee Kid
- 1959 · Ride Lonesome as Frank
- 1959 · Black Saddle as Frank Sandoe
- 1959 · Rawhide as Fred Grant
- 1959 · Rawhide as Deck Sommers
- 1959 · Guns, Girls and Gangsters as Mike Bennett
- 1958 · Machete as Miguel
- 1958 · 77 Sunset Strip as
- 1958 · 77 Sunset Strip as Majeski
- 1958 · Lawman as
- 1958 · Lawman as Deputy Clyde Wilson
- 1958 · Yancy Derringer as Ike Milton
- 1958 · The Rifleman as
- 1958 · Bronco as
- 1958 · Wanted: Dead or Alive as Jumbo Kane
- 1958 · The Bravados as Alfonso Parral
- 1958 · The Young Lions as 1st Sgt. Rickett
- 1958 · Day of the Badman as Jake Hayes
- 1957 · Raiders of Old California as Damon Pardee
- 1957 · Gun Battle at Monterey as Kirby
- 1957 · Joe Dakota as Adam Grant
- 1957 · The Tin Star as Ed McGaffey
- 1957 · Tombstone Territory as Sam Carver
- 1957 · Zorro as
- 1957 · Casey Jones as Mort Clio
- 1957 · Trackdown as Ben Fraser
- 1957 · Maverick as
- 1957 · Perry Mason as Edward Doyle
- 1957 · Wagon Train as Rufe Beal
- 1957 · Have Gun, Will Travel as
- 1957 · Have Gun, Will Travel as Corbin
- 1957 · The Quiet Gun as Doug Sadler
- 1957 · Last Stagecoach West as Steve Margolies
- 1957 · Richard Diamond, Private Detective as Ed Murdock
- 1957 · The Lonely Man as Faro
- 1957 · Gunfight at the O.K. Corral as Ed Bailey
- 1957 · China Gate as Maj. Cham
- 1957 · The Badge of Marshal Brennan as Shad Donaphin
- 1956 · Accused of Murder as Police Sgt. Emmett Lackey
- 1956 · Wire Service as Al Sanders
- 1956 · State Trooper as Frank Parnessa
- 1956 · Pardners as Gus
- 1956 · It Conquered the World as Dr. Tom Anderson
- 1956 · Tribute to a Bad Man as Fat Jones
- 1956 · The Conqueror as Chepei
- 1955 · The Vanishing American as Jay Lord
- 1955 · A Man Alone as Clanton
- 1955 · The Adventures of Champion as Frank
- 1955 · Cheyenne as Braden
- 1955 · Cheyenne as Harry Bittercreek Bartender
- 1955 · Gunsmoke as Rad
- 1955 · Gunsmoke as John Hooker
- 1955 · Gunsmoke as Ike Jeffords
- 1955 · The Naked Street as Harry Goldish (uncredited)
- 1955 · The Road to Denver as Pecos Larry
- 1955 · I Cover the Underworld as Flash Logan
- 1955 · Buffalo Bill Jr. as
- 1955 · The Big Combo as Fante
- 1955 · Ten Wanted Men as Al Drucker
- 1955 · Treasure of Ruby Hills as Frank Emmett
- 1954 · Studio 57 as
- 1954 · Studio 57 as Tommy
- 1954 · Dawn at Socorro as Earl Ferris
- 1954 · Princess of the Nile as Hakar (uncredited)
- 1954 · The Desperado as Paul Clayton/Buck Clayton
- 1954 · The Yellow Tomahawk as Fire Knife
- 1954 · Arrow In The Dust as Tillotson Henchman
- 1954 · Rails Into Laramie as Ace Winton
- 1954 · Gypsy Colt as Hank
- 1954 · Stories of the Century as Jesse James
- 1954 · Annie Oakley as Amos Belcher
- 1954 · Annie Oakley as Tim Brennan
- 1953 · The Nebraskan as Pvt. Reno Benton
- 1953 · Tumbleweed as Marv
- 1953 · Jack Slade as Bolt Mackay
- 1953 · City Detective as
- 1953 · Vice Squad as Pete Monty
- 1953 · Arena as Smitty
- 1953 · The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms as Corp. Stone
- 1953 · White Lightning as Brutus Allen
- 1953 · The Bandits of Corsica as Nerva
- 1953 · General Electric Theater as Dave Rudabaugh
- 1952 · The Lawless Breed as Dirk Hanley
- 1952 · Kansas City Confidential as Tony Romano
- 1952 · The Ford Television Theatre as
- 1952 · The Ford Television Theatre as Stanley Perrin
- 1952 · Cavalcade of America as
- 1952 · Cavalcade of America as 1st Mate Hawl Finch
- 1952 · Four Star Playhouse as Bob Wheeler aka Sonora Kid
- 1952 · Untamed Frontier as Dave Chittun
- 1952 · High Noon as Jack Colby
- 1951 · Schlitz Playhouse of Stars as Dallas Clancy
- 1951 · Schlitz Playhouse of Stars as Sheriff
- 1951 · Schlitz Playhouse of Stars as Larkin
- 1951 · Schlitz Playhouse of Stars as Wink
- 1951 · Schlitz Playhouse of Stars as Cowboy
- 1951 · The Adventures of Boston Blackie as
- 1951 · The Adventures of Kit Carson as
- 1950 · The Gene Autry Show as Hod - Henchman
- 1950 · The Gene Autry Show as Henchman Ray
- 1949 · The Lone Ranger as Bull Harper
- 1949 · The Lone Ranger as Jango