Lee Van Cleef

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

164

Gender

Male

Birthday

1925-01-09

Day of death

1989-12-16 (64 years old)

Place of Birth

Somerville, New Jersey, USA

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

  • Perry Mason

    Perry Mason

  • Bonanza

    Bonanza

  • The Andy Griffith Show

    The Andy Griffith Show

  • Wagon Train

    Wagon Train

  • Four Star Playhouse

    Four Star Playhouse

  • Maverick

    Maverick

  • The Twilight Zone

    The Twilight Zone

  • Have Gun, Will Travel

    Have Gun, Will Travel

  • Have Gun, Will Travel

    Have Gun, Will Travel

  • Cheyenne

    Cheyenne

  • Cheyenne

    Cheyenne

  • The Rifleman

    The Rifleman

  • The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

    The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

  • Zorro

    Zorro

  • The Lone Ranger

    The Lone Ranger

  • The Lone Ranger

    The Lone Ranger

  • The Untouchables

    The Untouchables

  • Gunsmoke

    Gunsmoke

  • Gunsmoke

    Gunsmoke

  • Gunsmoke

    Gunsmoke

  • Wanted: Dead or Alive

    Wanted: Dead or Alive

  • Rawhide

    Rawhide

  • Rawhide

    Rawhide

  • Lawman

    Lawman

  • Lawman

    Lawman

  • Hawaiian Eye

    Hawaiian Eye

  • How the West Was Won

    How the West Was Won

  • State Trooper

    State Trooper

  • 77 Sunset Strip

    77 Sunset Strip

  • 77 Sunset Strip

    77 Sunset Strip

  • Laredo

    Laredo

  • The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

    The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

  • For a Few Dollars More

    For a Few Dollars More

  • Studio 57

    Studio 57

  • Studio 57

    Studio 57

  • Tombstone Territory

    Tombstone Territory

  • Bronco

    Bronco

  • Trackdown

    Trackdown

  • Richard Diamond, Private Detective

    Richard Diamond, Private Detective

  • High Noon

    High Noon

  • Branded

    Branded

  • The Ford Television Theatre

    The Ford Television Theatre

  • The Ford Television Theatre

    The Ford Television Theatre

  • God's Gun

    God's Gun

  • Cavalcade of America

    Cavalcade of America

  • Cavalcade of America

    Cavalcade of America

  • The Stranger and the Gunfighter

    The Stranger and the Gunfighter

  • Escape from New York

    Escape from New York

  • The Gene Autry Show

    The Gene Autry Show

  • The Gene Autry Show

    The Gene Autry Show

  • The Deputy

    The Deputy

  • Law of the Plainsman

    Law of the Plainsman

  • Mr. Lucky

    Mr. Lucky

  • Captain Apache

    Captain Apache

  • The Big Gundown

    The Big Gundown

  • The Conqueror

    The Conqueror

  • Barquero

    Barquero

  • Black Saddle

    Black Saddle

  • Wire Service

    Wire Service

  • Annie Oakley

    Annie Oakley

  • Annie Oakley

    Annie Oakley

  • Riverboat

    Riverboat

  • White Lightning

    White Lightning

  • The DuPont Show with June Allyson

    The DuPont Show with June Allyson

  • El Condor

    El Condor

  • Killing Machine

    Killing Machine

  • Joe Dakota

    Joe Dakota

  • China Gate

    China Gate

  • Tumbleweed

    Tumbleweed

  • The Nebraskan

    The Nebraskan

  • Commandos

    Commandos

  • Speed Zone

    Speed Zone

  • The Squeeze

    The Squeeze

  • Gypsy Colt

    Gypsy Colt

  • The Adventures of Kit Carson

    The Adventures of Kit Carson

  • Sabata

    Sabata

  • The Alaskans

    The Alaskans

  • Yancy Derringer

    Yancy Derringer

  • The Magnificent Seven Ride!

    The Magnificent Seven Ride!

  • The Master

    The Master

  • Vice Squad

    Vice Squad

  • The Commander

    The Commander

  • Stagecoach West

    Stagecoach West

  • Armed Response

    Armed Response

  • Jack Slade

    Jack Slade

  • Tribute to a Bad Man

    Tribute to a Bad Man

  • Bad Man's River

    Bad Man's River

  • City Detective

    City Detective

  • The Dakotas

    The Dakotas

  • Day of Anger

    Day of Anger

  • Ride Lonesome

    Ride Lonesome

  • The Octagon

    The Octagon

  • Kid Vengeance

    Kid Vengeance

  • Mean Frank and Crazy Tony

    Mean Frank and Crazy Tony

  • Untamed Frontier

    Untamed Frontier

  • Boston Blackie

    Boston Blackie

  • Boston Blackie

    Boston Blackie

  • My Mother the Car

    My Mother the Car

  • Death Rides a Horse

    Death Rides a Horse

  • The Tin Star

    The Tin Star

  • Pardners

    Pardners

  • Beyond the Law

    Beyond the Law

  • Gunfight at the O.K. Corral

    Gunfight at the O.K. Corral

  • Buffalo Bill Jr.

    Buffalo Bill Jr.

  • The Young Lions

    The Young Lions

  • Code Name: Wild Geese

    Code Name: Wild Geese

  • The Big Combo

    The Big Combo

  • Dawn at Socorro

    Dawn at Socorro

  • The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms

    The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms

  • Master Ninja II

    Master Ninja II

  • Casey Jones

    Casey Jones

  • Machete

    Machete

  • Take a Hard Ride

    Take a Hard Ride

  • Guns, Girls and Gangsters

    Guns, Girls and Gangsters

  • Ten Wanted Men

    Ten Wanted Men

  • Accused of Murder

    Accused of Murder

  • When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion

    When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion

  • Stories of the Century

    Stories of the Century

  • Raiders of Old California

    Raiders of Old California

  • Arrow In The Dust

    Arrow In The Dust

  • It Conquered the World

    It Conquered the World

  • The Hard Way

    The Hard Way

  • Peter Baumgartner, Filmkameramann

    Peter Baumgartner, Filmkameramann

  • The Road to Denver

    The Road to Denver

  • The Grand Duel

    The Grand Duel

  • A Man Alone

    A Man Alone

  • Princess of the Nile

    Princess of the Nile

  • The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout

    The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout

  • Gun Battle at Monterey

    Gun Battle at Monterey

  • Last Stagecoach West

    Last Stagecoach West

  • The Lonely Man

    The Lonely Man

  • The Adventures of Champion

    The Adventures of Champion

  • The Lawless Breed

    The Lawless Breed

  • Klaus Kinski: I'm not an actor

    Klaus Kinski: I'm not an actor

  • The Bravados

    The Bravados

  • The Slowest Gun in the West

    The Slowest Gun in the West

  • The Yellow Tomahawk

    The Yellow Tomahawk

  • Posse from Hell

    Posse from Hell

  • The Quiet Gun

    The Quiet Gun

  • Rails Into Laramie

    Rails Into Laramie

  • Return of Sabata

    Return of Sabata

  • Master Ninja

    Master Ninja

  • The Perfect Killer

    The Perfect Killer

  • Day of the Badman

    Day of the Badman

  • The Naked Street

    The Naked Street

  • Jungle Raiders

    Jungle Raiders

  • Thieves of Fortune

    Thieves of Fortune

  • The Vanishing American

    The Vanishing American

  • General Electric Theater

    General Electric Theater

  • The Badge of Marshal Brennan

    The Badge of Marshal Brennan

  • Kansas City Confidential

    Kansas City Confidential

  • Treasure of Ruby Hills

    Treasure of Ruby Hills

  • Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

    Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

  • Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

    Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

  • Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

    Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

  • Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

    Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

  • Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

    Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

  • Octagon : le combat des maîtres

    Octagon : le combat des maîtres

  • I Cover the Underworld

    I Cover the Underworld

  • Arena

    Arena

  • The Bandits of Corsica

    The Bandits of Corsica

  • The Desperado

    The Desperado

  • Nowhere to Hide

    Nowhere to Hide

  • The Master Ninja 5

    The Master Ninja 5