Known For
Acting
Born
Jan 09, 1925
Died
Dec 16, 1989
Place of Birth
Somerville, New Jersey, USA
Credits
145 titles
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
Filmography
The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout
Self (archive footage)
Peter Baumgartner, Filmkameramann
(archive footage)
Klaus Kinski: I'm not an actor
Col. Douglas Mortimer (archive footage)
Thieves of Fortune
Sergio Danielo Christophero
Speed Zone
Grandfather
The Commander
Col. Mazzarini
Armed Response
Burt Roth
Jungle Raiders
Warren
The Master Ninja 5
John Peter McAllister
Code Name: Wild Geese
Archie 'China' Travers
Killing Machine
Julot
The Master
John Peter McAllister
Master Ninja
John Peter McAllister
Master Ninja II
John Peter McAllister
Escape from New York
Police Commissioner Bob Hauk
The Octagon
McCarn
The Hard Way
McNeal
When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion
Self
The Squeeze
Chris Gretchko / Ray Sloan
The Perfect Killer
Harry Chapman
Nowhere to Hide
Ike Scanlon
Kid Vengeance
McClain
God's Gun
Father John / Lewis
Take a Hard Ride
Kiefer
The Stranger and the Gunfighter
Dakota
Mean Frank and Crazy Tony
Frankie
The Grand Duel
Sheriff Clayton
The Magnificent Seven Ride!
Marshal Chris Adams
Captain Apache
Capt. Apache
Bad Man's River
Roy King
Return of Sabata
Sabata / Major
Barquero
Travis
El Condor
Jaroo
Sabata
Sabata
Commandos
MSgt. Sullivan
Beyond the Law
Billy Joe Cudlip
Day of Anger
Frank Talby
Death Rides a Horse
Ryan
The Big Gundown
Jonathan Corbett
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Sentenza / Angel Eyes
For a Few Dollars More
Col. Douglas Mortimer
Laredo
My Mother the Car
Branded
The Dakotas
How the West Was Won
River Pirate
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Reese
Posse from Hell
Leo
Stagecoach West
Lin Hyatt
The Andy Griffith Show
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