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".
Personal Details
Also Known As
Movies (44)
The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout
as Self (archive footage)
2024
Peter Baumgartner, Filmkameramann
as (archive footage)
2014
Octagon : le combat des maîtres
2003
Klaus Kinski: I'm not an actor
as Col. Douglas Mortimer (archive footage)
2000
Thieves of Fortune
as Sergio Danielo Christophero
1990
Speed Zone
as Grandfather
1989
The Commander
as Col. Mazzarini
1988
Armed Response
as Burt Roth
1986
Jungle Raiders
as Warren
1985
The Master Ninja 5
as John Peter McAllister
1985
Code Name: Wild Geese
as Archie 'China' Travers
1984
Killing Machine
as Julot
1984
Master Ninja
as John Peter McAllister
1984
Master Ninja II
as John Peter McAllister
1984
Escape from New York
as Police Commissioner Bob Hauk
1981
The Octagon
as McCarn
1980
The Hard Way
as McNeal
1980
When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion
as Self
1979
The Squeeze
as Chris Gretchko / Ray Sloan
1978
The Perfect Killer
as Harry Chapman
1977
Nowhere to Hide
as Ike Scanlon
1977
Kid Vengeance
as McClain
1976
God's Gun
as Father John / Lewis
1976
Take a Hard Ride
as Kiefer
1975
The Stranger and the Gunfighter
as Dakota
1974
Mean Frank and Crazy Tony
as Frankie
1973
The Grand Duel
as Sheriff Clayton
1972
The Magnificent Seven Ride!
as Marshal Chris Adams
1972
Captain Apache
as Capt. Apache
1971
Bad Man's River
as Roy King
1971
Return of Sabata
as Sabata / Major
1971
Barquero
as Travis
1970
El Condor
as Jaroo
1970
Sabata
as Sabata
1969
Commandos
as MSgt. Sullivan
1968
Beyond the Law
as Billy Joe Cudlip
1968
Day of Anger
as Frank Talby
1967
Death Rides a Horse
as Ryan
1967
The Big Gundown
as Jonathan Corbett
1967
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
as Sentenza / Angel Eyes
1966
For a Few Dollars More
as Col. Douglas Mortimer
1965
How the West Was Won
as River Pirate (uncredited)
1962
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
as Reese
1962
Posse from Hell
as Leo
1961
