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person_profile-Lee Van Cleef

Lee Van Cleef Died at age: 64

Actor | Producer

Fullname:

Lee Van Cleef

Date of Birth:

Jan 09, 1925

Country of birth:

USA

Died:

Dec 16, 1989

Biography of

Lee Van Cleef

    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[peacock term] overshadowing his acting skills. After suffering serious injuries in a car crash, Van Cleef began to lose interest in his apparently waning[peacock term] 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.

    fter 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.[7] 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. The play was Mister Roberts.[citation needed]

    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,[citation needed][peacock term] 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,[14] Van Cleef continued to work in films until his death on December 16, 1989, at age 64.[15] He collapsed in his home in Oxnard, California, from a heart attack.[16] Throat cancer was listed as a secondary cause of death.[17] 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". CLR

    Description above from the Wikipedia article Lee Van Cleef, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Photos of

Lee Van Cleef

Photos ( 7 Photos

Filmography of

Lee Van Cleef

Found 91 Movies in total

Klaus Kinski: I'm not an actor

Col. Douglas Mortimer (archive footage) ( Actor )

... 2000

Thieves of Fortune

Sergio Danielo Christophero ( Actor )

... 1990

... 1990

Speed Zone

Grandfather ( Actor )

... 1989

The Commander

Col. Mazzarini ( Actor )

... 1988

Armed Response

Burt Roth ( Actor )

... 1986

Jungle Raiders

Warren ( Actor )

... 1985

The Master Ninja 5

John Peter McAllister ( Actor )

... 1985

Code Name: Wild Geese

Archie 'China' Travers ( Actor )

... 1984

Killing Machine

Julot ( Actor )

... 1984

Master Ninja

John Peter McAllister ( Actor )

... 1984

Master Ninja II

John Peter McAllister ( Actor )

... 1984

Escape from New York

Police Commissioner Bob Hauk ( Actor )

... 1981

The Octagon

McCarn ( Actor )

... 1980

The Hard Way

McNeal ( Actor )

... 1980

The Squeeze

Chris Gretchko / Ray Sloan ( Actor )

... 1978

The Perfect Killer

Harry Chapman ( Actor )

... 1977

Nowhere to Hide

Ike Scanlon ( Actor )

... 1977

Kid Vengeance

McClain ( Actor )

... 1976

God's Gun

Father John / Lewis ( Actor )

... 1976

Take a Hard Ride

Kiefer ( Actor )

... 1975

... 1974

Mean Frank and Crazy Tony

Frankie ( Actor )

... 1973

The Grand Duel

Sheriff Clayton ( Actor )

... 1972

The Magnificent Seven Ride!

Marshal Chris Adams ( Actor )

... 1972

Bad Man's River

Roy King ( Actor )

... 1971

Captain Apache

Capt. Apache ( Actor )

... 1971

Return of Sabata

Sabata / Major ( Actor )

... 1971

Barquero

Travis ( Actor )

... 1970

El Condor

Jaroo ( Actor )

... 1970

Sabata

Sabata ( Actor )

... 1969

Commandos

MSgt. Sullivan ( Actor )

... 1968

Beyond the Law

Billy Joe Cudlip ( Actor )

... 1968

Day of Anger

Frank Talby ( Actor )

... 1967

Death Rides a Horse

Ryan ( Actor )

... 1967

The Big Gundown

Jonathan Corbett ( Actor )

... 1967

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Sentenza / Angel Eyes ( Actor )

... 1966

For a Few Dollars More

Col. Douglas Mortimer ( Actor )

... 1965

How the West Was Won

River Pirate (uncredited) ( Actor )

... 1962

... 1962

Posse from Hell

Leo ( Actor )

... 1961

... 1960

Ride Lonesome

Frank ( Actor )

... 1959

Guns, Girls and Gangsters

Mike Bennett ( Actor )

... 1959

Machete

Miguel ( Actor )

... 1958

The Bravados

Alfonso Parral ( Actor )

... 1958

The Young Lions

1st Sgt. Rickett ( Actor )

... 1958

Day of the Badman

Jake Hayes ( Actor )

... 1958

Raiders of Old California

Damon Pardee ( Actor )

... 1957

Gun Battle at Monterey

Kirby ( Actor )

... 1957

Joe Dakota

Adam Grant ( Actor )

... 1957

The Tin Star

Ed McGaffey ( Actor )

... 1957

The Quiet Gun

Doug Sadler ( Actor )

... 1957

Last Stagecoach West

Steve Margolies ( Actor )

... 1957

The Lonely Man

Faro ( Actor )

... 1957

Gunfight at the O.K. Corral

Ed Bailey ( Actor )

... 1957

China Gate

Maj. Cham ( Actor )

... 1957

The Badge of Marshal Brennan

Shad Donaphin ( Actor )

... 1957

Accused of Murder

Police Sgt. Emmett Lackey ( Actor )

... 1956

Pardners

Gus ( Actor )

... 1956

It Conquered the World

Dr. Tom Anderson ( Actor )

... 1956

Tribute to a Bad Man

Fat Jones ( Actor )

... 1956

The Conqueror

Chepei ( Actor )

... 1956

The Vanishing American

Jay Lord ( Actor )

... 1955

A Man Alone

Clanton ( Actor )

... 1955

The Naked Street

Harry Goldish (uncredited) ( Actor )

... 1955

The Road to Denver

Pecos Larry ( Actor )

... 1955

I Cover the Underworld

Flash Logan ( Actor )

... 1955

The Big Combo

Fante ( Actor )

... 1955

Ten Wanted Men

Al Drucker ( Actor )

... 1955

Treasure of Ruby Hills

Frank Emmett ( Actor )

... 1955

Dawn at Socorro

Earl Ferris ( Actor )

... 1954

Princess of the Nile

Hakar (uncredited) ( Actor )

... 1954

The Desperado

Paul Clayton/Buck Clayton ( Actor )

... 1954

The Yellow Tomahawk

Fire Knife ( Actor )

... 1954

Arrow In The Dust

Tillotson Henchman ( Actor )

... 1954

Rails Into Laramie

Ace Winton ( Actor )

... 1954

Gypsy Colt

Hank ( Actor )

... 1954

The Nebraskan

Pvt. Reno Benton ( Actor )

... 1953

Tumbleweed

Marv ( Actor )

... 1953

Jack Slade

Bolt Mackay ( Actor )

... 1953

Vice Squad

Pete Monty ( Actor )

... 1953

Arena

Smitty ( Actor )

... 1953

The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms

Corp. Stone ( Actor )

... 1953

White Lightning

Brutus Allen ( Actor )

... 1953

The Bandits of Corsica

Nerva ( Actor )

... 1953

The Lawless Breed

Dirk Hanley ( Actor )

... 1952

Kansas City Confidential

Tony Romano ( Actor )

... 1952

Untamed Frontier

Dave Chittun ( Actor )

... 1952

High Noon

Jack Colby ( Actor )

... 1952