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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.

  • BIRTH 09/01/1925
  • DEATH 16/12/1989
  • Country United States
  • SHOWS 10
  • MOVIES 46

Shows (10)

Wanted: Dead or Alive
Wanted: Dead or Alive
Jumbo Kane
Bonanza
Bonanza
Appling
Perry Mason
Perry Mason
Edward Doyle
The Andy Griffith Show
The Andy Griffith Show
Skip
Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke
Ike Jeffords / John Hooker / Rad
The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger
Bull Harper
Four Star Playhouse
Four Star Playhouse
Bob Wheeler aka Sonora Kid
Rawhide
Rawhide
Deck Sommers / Fred Grant
The Master
The Master
John Peter McAllister
General Electric Theater
General Electric Theater
Dave Rudabaugh

Movies (46)

Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo
Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo
Sentenza / Angel Eyes
Per qualche dollaro in più
Per qualche dollaro in più
Col. Douglas Mortimer
Escape from New York
Escape from New York
Police Commissioner Bob Hauk
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
Ed Bailey
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Reese
Commandos
Commandos
MSgt. Sullivan
The Magnificent Seven Ride!
The Magnificent Seven Ride!
Marshal Chris Adams
Speed Zone
Speed Zone
Grandfather
The Young Lions
The Young Lions
1st Sgt. Rickett
La resa dei conti
La resa dei conti
Jonathan Corbett
Code Name: Wild Geese
Code Name: Wild Geese
Archie 'China' Travers
High Noon
High Noon
Jack Colby
I giorni dell'ira
I giorni dell'ira
Frank Talby
A Man Alone
A Man Alone
Clanton
Da uomo a uomo
Da uomo a uomo
Ryan
Kansas City Confidential
Kansas City Confidential
Tony Romano
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
Corp. Stone
Al di là della legge
Al di là della legge
Billy Joe Cudlip
The Big Combo
The Big Combo
Fante
The Octagon
The Octagon
McCarn
Master Ninja
Master Ninja
John Peter McAllister
Barquero
Barquero
Travis
Thieves of Fortune
Thieves of Fortune
Sergio Danielo Christophero
Vice Squad
Vice Squad
Pete Monty
The Conqueror
The Conqueror
Chepei
Untamed Frontier
Untamed Frontier
Dave Chittun
Tribute to a Bad Man
Tribute to a Bad Man
Fat Jones
The Yellow Tomahawk
The Yellow Tomahawk
Fire Knife
Il grande duello
Il grande duello
Sheriff Clayton
Posse from Hell
Posse from Hell
Leo
È tornato Sabata... hai chiuso un'altra volta!
È tornato Sabata... hai chiuso un'altra…
Sabata / Major
Ride Lonesome
Ride Lonesome
Frank
Dio, sei proprio un padreterno!
Dio, sei proprio un padreterno!
Frankie
The Bravados
The Bravados
Alfonso Parral
Gypsy Colt
Gypsy Colt
Hank
El Kárate, el Colt y el Impostor
El Kárate, el Colt y el Impostor
Dakota
The Tin Star
The Tin Star
Ed McGaffey
Machete
Machete
Miguel
Ten Wanted Men
Ten Wanted Men
Al Drucker
The Bandits of Corsica
The Bandits of Corsica
Nerva
Take a Hard Ride
Take a Hard Ride
Kiefer
El Condor
El Condor
Jaroo
The Lonely Man
The Lonely Man
Faro
Diamante Lobo
Diamante Lobo
Father John / Lewis
Bad Man's River
Bad Man's River
Roy King
Pardners
Pardners
Gus