Lee Van Cleef
Personal Info
Known for
Acting
Gender
Male
Birthday
1925-01-09
Day of Death
1989-12-16 (64 years old)
Place of Birth
Somerville, New Jersey, USA
Lee Van Cleef
Biography
Clarence LeRoy "Lee" Van Cleef Jr. (January 9, 1925 – December 16, 1989) 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
(2024)
The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout
as Self (archive footage)
(2014)
Peter Baumgartner, Filmkameramann
as (archive footage)
(2003)
(2000)
Klaus Kinski: I'm not an actor
as Col. Douglas Mortimer (archive footage)
(1990)
Thieves of Fortune
as Sergio Danielo Christophero
(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)
Master Ninja
as John Peter McAllister
(1984)
Master Ninja II
as John Peter McAllister
(1984)
Code Name: Wild Geese
as Archie 'China' Travers
(1984)
Killing Machine
as Julot
(1981)
Escape from New York
as Police Commissioner Bob Hauk
(1980)
The Octagon
as McCarn
(1980)
The Hard Way
as McNeal
(1979)
(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 Magnificent Seven Ride!
as Marshal Chris Adams
(1972)
The Grand Duel
as Sheriff Clayton
(1971)
Captain Apache
as Capt. Apache
(1971)
Return of Sabata
as Sabata / Major
(1971)
Bad Man's River
as Roy King
(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)
The Big Gundown
as Jonathan Corbett
(1967)
Death Rides a Horse
as Ryan
(1966)
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
as Sentenza / Angel Eyes
(1965)
For a Few Dollars More
as Col. Douglas Mortimer
(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)
The Slowest Gun in the West
as Sam Bass
(1959)
Guns, Girls and Gangsters
as Mike Bennett
(1959)
Ride Lonesome
as Frank
(1958)
The Bravados
as Alfonso Parral
(1958)
The Young Lions
as 1st Sgt. Rickett
(1958)
Day of the Badman
as Jake Hayes
(1958)
Machete
as Miguel
(1957)
Gun Battle at Monterey
as Kirby
(1957)
Raiders of Old California
as Damon Pardee
(1957)
The Tin Star
as Ed McGaffey
(1957)
Last Stagecoach West
as Steve Margolies
(1957)
The Quiet Gun
as Doug Sadler
(1957)
The Lonely Man
as Faro
(1957)
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
as Ed Bailey
(1957)
Joe Dakota
as Adam Grant
(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)
Tribute to a Bad Man
as Fat Jones
(1956)
The Conqueror
as Chepei
(1956)
It Conquered the World
as Dr. Tom Anderson
(1956)
Pardners
as Gus
(1955)
Treasure of Ruby Hills
as Frank Emmett
(1955)
The Big Combo
as Fante
(1955)
The Road to Denver
as Pecos Larry
(1955)
The Vanishing American
as Jay Lord
(1955)
Ten Wanted Men
as Al Drucker
(1955)
A Man Alone
as Clanton
(1955)
The Naked Street
as Harry Goldish (uncredited)
(1955)
I Cover the Underworld
as Flash Logan
(1954)
Arrow In The Dust
as Tillotson Henchman
(1954)
Dawn at Socorro
as Earl Ferris
(1954)
The Yellow Tomahawk
as Fire Knife
(1954)
The Desperado
as Paul Clayton/Buck Clayton
(1954)
Gypsy Colt
as Hank
(1954)
Rails Into Laramie
as Ace Winton
(1954)
Princess of the Nile
as Hakar (uncredited)
(1953)
The Bandits of Corsica
as Nerva
(1953)
Tumbleweed
as Marv
(1953)
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
as Corp. Stone
(1953)
Arena
as Smitty
(1953)
Vice Squad
as Pete Monty
(1953)
White Lightning
as Brutus Allen
(1953)
The Nebraskan
as Pvt. Reno Benton
(1953)
Jack Slade
as Bolt Mackay
(1952)
High Noon
as Jack Colby
(1952)
Untamed Frontier
as Dave Chittun
(1952)
Kansas City Confidential
as Tony Romano
(1952)
The Lawless Breed
as Dirk Hanley