Personal Info
Known For:
Acting
Birthday:
January 9, 1925
Place of Birth:
Somerville, New Jersey, USA
Social Media
Lee Van Cleef
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".
Known For
Filmography
| Year | Movie | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout | Self (archive footage) |
| 2014 | Peter Baumgartner, Filmkameramann | (archive footage) |
| 2003 | Octagon : le combat des maîtres | |
| 2000 | Klaus Kinski: I'm not an actor | Col. Douglas Mortimer (archive footage) |
| 1990 | Thieves of Fortune | Sergio Danielo Christophero |
| 1990 | The Best of the Martial Arts Films | Self (archive footage) |
| 1989 | Speed Zone | Grandfather |
| 1988 | The Commander | Col. Mazzarini |
| 1986 | Armed Response | Burt Roth |
| 1985 | Jungle Raiders | Warren |
| 1985 | The Master Ninja 5 | John Peter McAllister |
| 1985 | Master Ninja | John Peter McAllister |
| 1984 | Killing Machine | Julot |
| 1984 | Code Name: Wild Geese | Archie 'China' Travers |
| 1984 | Master Ninja II | John Peter McAllister |
| 1981 | Escape from New York | Police Commissioner Bob Hauk |
| 1980 | The Octagon | McCarn |
| 1980 | The Hard Way | McNeal |
| 1979 | When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion | Self |
| 1978 | The Squeeze | Chris Gretchko / Ray Sloan |
| 1977 | The Perfect Killer | Harry Chapman |
| 1977 | Nowhere to Hide | Ike Scanlon |
| 1976 | Kid Vengeance | McClain |
| 1976 | God's Gun | Father John / Lewis |
| 1975 | Take a Hard Ride | Kiefer |
| 1974 | The Stranger and the Gunfighter | Dakota |
| 1973 | Mean Frank and Crazy Tony | Frankie |
| 1972 | The Magnificent Seven Ride! | Marshal Chris Adams |
| 1972 | The Grand Duel | Sheriff Clayton |
| 1971 | Return of Sabata | Sabata / Major |
| 1971 | Bad Man's River | Roy King |
| 1971 | Captain Apache | Capt. Apache |
| 1970 | Barquero | Travis |
| 1970 | El Condor | Jaroo |
| 1969 | Sabata | Sabata |
| 1968 | Beyond the Law | Billy Joe Cudlip |
| 1968 | Commandos | MSgt. Sullivan |
| 1967 | The Big Gundown | Jonathan Corbett |
| 1967 | Death Rides a Horse | Ryan |
| 1967 | Day of Anger | Frank Talby |
| 1966 | The Good, the Bad and the Ugly | Sentenza / Angel Eyes |
| 1965 | For a Few Dollars More | Col. Douglas Mortimer |
| 1962 | The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance | Reese |
| 1962 | How the West Was Won | River Pirate (uncredited) |
| 1961 | Posse from Hell | Leo |
| 1960 | The Slowest Gun in the West | Sam Bass |
| 1959 | Ride Lonesome | Frank |
| 1959 | Guns, Girls and Gangsters | Mike Bennett |
| 1958 | The Young Lions | 1st Sgt. Rickett |
| 1958 | The Bravados | Alfonso Parral |
| 1958 | Machete | Miguel |
| 1958 | Day of the Badman | Jake Hayes |
| 1957 | The Tin Star | Ed McGaffey |
| 1957 | Gunfight at the O.K. Corral | Ed Bailey |
| 1957 | The Lonely Man | Faro |
| 1957 | China Gate | Maj. Cham |
| 1957 | Raiders of Old California | Damon Pardee |
| 1957 | Joe Dakota | Adam Grant |
| 1957 | The Badge of Marshal Brennan | Shad Donaphin |
| 1957 | The Quiet Gun | Doug Sadler |
| 1957 | Gun Battle at Monterey | Kirby |
| 1957 | Last Stagecoach West | Steve Margolies |
| 1956 | Pardners | Gus |
| 1956 | It Conquered the World | Dr. Tom Anderson |
| 1956 | Accused of Murder | Police Sgt. Emmett Lackey |
| 1956 | Tribute to a Bad Man | Fat Jones |
| 1956 | The Conqueror | Chepei |
| 1955 | The Big Combo | Fante |
| 1955 | Ten Wanted Men | Al Drucker |
| 1955 | Treasure of Ruby Hills | Frank Emmett |
| 1955 | The Vanishing American | Jay Lord |
| 1955 | A Man Alone | Clanton |
| 1955 | I Cover the Underworld | Flash Logan |
| 1955 | The Road to Denver | Pecos Larry |
| 1955 | The Naked Street | Harry Goldish (uncredited) |
| 1954 | Gypsy Colt | Hank |
| 1954 | Arrow In The Dust | Tillotson Henchman |
| 1954 | Dawn at Socorro | Earl Ferris |
| 1954 | Princess of the Nile | Hakar (uncredited) |
| 1954 | The Yellow Tomahawk | Fire Knife |
| 1954 | Rails Into Laramie | Ace Winton |
| 1954 | The Desperado | Paul Clayton/Buck Clayton |
| 1953 | The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms | Corp. Stone |
| 1953 | Vice Squad | Pete Monty |
| 1953 | The Bandits of Corsica | Nerva |
| 1953 | Arena | Smitty |
| 1953 | The Nebraskan | Pvt. Reno Benton |
| 1953 | Jack Slade | Bolt Mackay |
| 1953 | Tumbleweed | Marv |
| 1953 | White Lightning | Brutus Allen |
| 1952 | High Noon | Jack Colby |
| 1952 | Kansas City Confidential | Tony Romano |
| 1952 | The Lawless Breed | Dirk Hanley |
| 1952 | Untamed Frontier | Dave Chittun |