Lee Van Cleef
90 movies · 54 TV shows
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- Jan 9, 1925
- Died
- Dec 16, 1989 (age 64)
- Place of birth
- Somerville, New Jersey, USA
- Also known as
- Clarence Leroy Van Cleef Jr. · 李·范克里夫 · 리 밴 클리프
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".
Profiles IMDb
Known for
-
★ 8.5 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
1966 · Film
-
★ 8.0 For a Few Dollars More
1965 · Film
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★ 7.0 Escape from New York
1981 · Film
-
★ 7.7 High Noon
1952 · Film
-
★ 7.8 The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
1962 · Film
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★ 8.5 The Twilight Zone
1959 · TV
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★ 7.0 How the West Was Won
1962 · Film
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★ 7.5 Bonanza
1959 · TV
Lee Van Cleef: movies and TV shows
Acting (144)
- 2014 Peter Baumgartner, Filmkameramann
as (archive footage)
- 2000 Klaus Kinski: I'm not an actor
as Col. Douglas Mortimer (archive footage)
- 1990 Thieves of Fortune
as Sergio Danielo Christophero
- 1989 Speed Zone
as Grandfather
- 1988 The Commander
as Col. Mazzarini
- 1986 Armed Response
as Burt Roth
- 1985 Jungle Raiders
as Warren
- 1985 The Master Ninja 5
as John Peter McAllister
- 1984 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
- 1981 Escape from New York
as Police Commissioner Bob Hauk
- 1980 The Octagon
as McCarn
- 1980 The Hard Way
as McNeal
- 1978 The Squeeze
as Chris Gretchko / Ray Sloan
- 1977 The Perfect Killer
as Harry Chapman
- 1977 Nowhere to Hide
as Ike Scanlon
- 1976 Kid Vengeance
as McClain
- 1976 God's Gun
as Father John / Lewis
- 1975 Take a Hard Ride
as Kiefer
- 1974 The Stranger and the Gunfighter
as Dakota
- 1973 Mean Frank and Crazy Tony
as Frankie
- 1972 The Grand Duel
as Sheriff Clayton
- 1972 The Magnificent Seven Ride!
as Marshal Chris Adams
- 1971 Captain Apache
as Capt. Apache
- 1971 Bad Man's River
as Roy King
- 1971 Return of Sabata
as Sabata / Major
- 1970 Barquero
as Travis
- 1970 El Condor
as Jaroo
- 1969 Sabata
as Sabata
- 1968 Commandos
as MSgt. Sullivan
- 1968 Beyond the Law
as Billy Joe Cudlip
- 1967 Day of Anger
as Frank Talby
- 1967 Death Rides a Horse
as Ryan
- 1967 The Big Gundown
as Jonathan Corbett
- 1966 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
as Sentenza / Angel Eyes
- 1965 For a Few Dollars More
as Col. Douglas Mortimer
- 1965
- 1965
- 1965
- 1963
- 1962 How the West Was Won
as River Pirate
- 1962 The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
as Reese
- 1961 Posse from Hell
as Leo
- 1960
- 1960
- 1960 The Slowest Gun in the West
as Sam Bass
- 1959
- 1959
- 1959
- 1959
- 1959
- 1959
- 1959
- 1959
- 1959
- 1959
- 1959 Ride Lonesome
as Frank
- 1959
- 1959
- 1959 Guns Girls and Gangsters
as Mike Bennett
- 1958 Machete
as Miguel
- 1958
- 1958
- 1958
- 1958
- 1958
- 1958
- 1958 The Bravados
as Alfonso Parral
- 1958 The Young Lions
as 1st Sgt. Rickett
- 1958 Day of the Badman
as Jake Hayes
- 1957 The Tin Star
as Ed McGaffey
- 1957 Raiders of Old California
as Damon Pardee
- 1957 Joe Dakota
as Adam Grant
- 1957 Gun Battle at Monterey
as Kirby
- 1957
- 1957
- 1957
- 1957
- 1957
- 1957
- 1957
- 1957
- 1957 The Quiet Gun
as Doug Sadler
- 1957 Last Stagecoach West
as Steve Margolies
- 1957
- 1957 The Lonely Man
as Faro
- 1957 Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
as Ed Bailey
- 1957 China Gate
as Maj. Cham
- 1957 The Badge of Marshal Brennan
as Shad Donaphin
- 1956 Accused of Murder
as Police Sgt. Emmett Lackey
- 1956
- 1956
- 1956 Pardners
as Gus
- 1956 It Conquered the World
as Dr. Tom Anderson
- 1956 Tribute to a Bad Man
as Fat Jones
- 1956 The Conqueror
as Chepei
- 1955 The Vanishing American
as Jay Lord
- 1955 A Man Alone
as Clanton
- 1955
- 1955
- 1955
- 1955 The Naked Street
as Harry Goldish (uncredited)
- 1955 The Road to Denver
as Pecos Larry
- 1955 I Cover the Underworld
as Flash Logan
- 1955
- 1955 The Big Combo
as Fante
- 1955 Ten Wanted Men
as Al Drucker
- 1955 Treasure of Ruby Hills
as Frank Emmett
- 1954
- 1954 Dawn at Socorro
as Earl Ferris
- 1954 Princess of the Nile
as Hakar (uncredited)
- 1954 The Desperado
as Paul Clayton/Buck Clayton
- 1954 The Yellow Tomahawk
as Fire Knife
- 1954 Arrow In The Dust
as Tillotson Henchman
- 1954 Rails Into Laramie
as Ace Winton
- 1954 Gypsy Colt
as Hank
- 1954
- 1954
- 1953 The Nebraskan
as Pvt. Reno Benton
- 1953 Tumbleweed
as Marv
- 1953 Jack Slade
as Bolt Mackay
- 1953
- 1953 Vice Squad
as Pete Monty
- 1953 Arena
as Smitty
- 1953 The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
as Corp. Stone
- 1953 White Lightning
as Brutus Allen
- 1953 The Bandits of Corsica
as Nerva
- 1953
- 1952 The Lawless Breed
as Dirk Hanley
- 1952 Kansas City Confidential
as Tony Romano
- 1952
- 1952
- 1952
- 1952 Untamed Frontier
as Dave Chittun
- 1952 High Noon
as Jack Colby
- 1951
- 1951
- 1951
- 1950
- 1950
- 1949
Talk shows and appearances (3)
- 2024
- 1990
- 1979