Lee Van Cleef

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
    Acting
    Place of birth
    Somerville, New Jersey, USA
    Birthday
    1/9/1925
High Noon
High Noon
7.7
For a Few Dollars More
For a Few Dollars More
8
Escape from New York
Escape from New York
7.1
The Tin Star
The Tin Star
7
Kansas City Confidential
Kansas City Confidential
7.1
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
7
The Big Combo
The Big Combo
7
Pardners
Pardners
6.6
The Octagon
The Octagon
5
Barquero
Barquero
6.3
Speed Zone
Speed Zone
4.5
It Conquered the World
It Conquered the World
4.8
Beyond the Law
Beyond the Law
5.5
Ride Lonesome
Ride Lonesome
6.6
The Young Lions
The Young Lions
6.8
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
6.6
The Stranger and the Gunfighter
The Stranger and the Gunfighter
5.3
Peter Baumgartner, Filmkameramann
0
The Lonely Man
The Lonely Man
6
Accused of Murder
Accused of Murder
4.5
The Magnificent Seven Ride!
The Magnificent Seven Ride!
5.4
The Bravados
The Bravados
6.5
The Grand Duel
The Grand Duel
6
Take a Hard Ride
Take a Hard Ride
5.3
Ten Wanted Men
Ten Wanted Men
5.8
The Big Gundown
The Big Gundown
7.3
Armed Response
Armed Response
5.1
Thieves of Fortune
Thieves of Fortune
3
Death Rides a Horse
Death Rides a Horse
7
Sabata
Sabata
6.2
Return of Sabata
Return of Sabata
6
Mean Frank and Crazy Tony
Mean Frank and Crazy Tony
5
When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion
0
Tribute to a Bad Man
Tribute to a Bad Man
7
Machete
Machete
5.9
Day of Anger
Day of Anger
7
Vice Squad
Vice Squad
5.9
El Condor
El Condor
5.6
China Gate
China Gate
6
Kid Vengeance
Kid Vengeance
5.3
Killing Machine
Killing Machine
4.6
God's Gun
God's Gun
5.1
Jungle Raiders
Jungle Raiders
5
Bad Man's River
Bad Man's River
4.4
Commandos
Commandos
5.7
The Lawless Breed
The Lawless Breed
6.6
Captain Apache
Captain Apache
4.4
The Bandits of Corsica
The Bandits of Corsica
5.8
Arena
Arena
4.7
Gypsy Colt
Gypsy Colt
6.3
The Hard Way
The Hard Way
5.6
Raiders of Old California
Raiders of Old California
4.7
The Commander
The Commander
5.5
Arrow In The Dust
Arrow In The Dust
5.9
Code Name: Wild Geese
Code Name: Wild Geese
5.2
Dawn at Socorro
Dawn at Socorro
7.2
Princess of the Nile
Princess of the Nile
7.1
The Perfect Killer
The Perfect Killer
2
Untamed Frontier
Untamed Frontier
7.2
The Yellow Tomahawk
The Yellow Tomahawk
6
Joe Dakota
Joe Dakota
5.5
Treasure of Ruby Hills
Treasure of Ruby Hills
4
The Vanishing American
The Vanishing American
4
The Badge of Marshal Brennan
The Badge of Marshal Brennan
6
The Quiet Gun
The Quiet Gun
6.4
The Nebraskan
The Nebraskan
3
Gun Battle at Monterey
Gun Battle at Monterey
4
Rails Into Laramie
Rails Into Laramie
6.3
Jack Slade
Jack Slade
6.4
Last Stagecoach West
Last Stagecoach West
4.3
The Squeeze
The Squeeze
5.2
The Slowest Gun in the West
The Slowest Gun in the West
2
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
7.8
Octagon : le combat des maîtres
Octagon : le combat des maîtres
0
Tumbleweed
Tumbleweed
6.1
Posse from Hell
Posse from Hell
6.1
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
8.5
A Man Alone
A Man Alone
5.6
Klaus Kinski: I'm not an actor
0
How the West Was Won
How the West Was Won
7
The Conqueror
The Conqueror
3.4
The Master Ninja 5
The Master Ninja 5
10
I Cover the Underworld
I Cover the Underworld
6
The Best of the Martial Arts Films
The Best of the Martial Arts Films
8.8
The Desperado
The Desperado
6.6
The Road to Denver
The Road to Denver
6
Master Ninja
Master Ninja
4.7
Nowhere to Hide
Nowhere to Hide
5
Master Ninja II
Master Ninja II
7
Day of the Badman
Day of the Badman
6.5
White Lightning
White Lightning
6
Guns, Girls and Gangsters
Guns, Girls and Gangsters
5.9
The Naked Street
The Naked Street
6
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