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Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

165

Gender

Male

Birthday

1925-01-09

Day of Death

1989-12-16 (64 years old)

Place of Birth

Somerville, New Jersey, USA

Also Known As

Clarence Leroy Van Cleef Jr.

李·范克里夫

리 밴 클리프

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". Description above from the Wikipedia article Lee Van Cleef, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For

Acting

High Noon

1952

High Noon

as

Jack Colby

For a Few Dollars More

1965

For a Few Dollars More

as

Col. Douglas Mortimer

Escape from New York

1981

Escape from New York

as

Police Commissioner Bob Hauk

The Tin Star

1957

The Tin Star

as

Ed McGaffey

Kansas City Confidential

1952

Kansas City Confidential

as

Tony Romano

The Big Combo

1955

The Big Combo

as

Fante

Pardners

1956

Pardners

as

Gus

The Octagon

1980

The Octagon

as

McCarn

Barquero

1970

Barquero

as

Travis

Speed Zone

1989

Speed Zone

as

Grandfather

It Conquered the World

1956

It Conquered the World

as

Dr. Tom Anderson

Beyond the Law

1968

Beyond the Law

as

Billy Joe Cudlip

Ride Lonesome

1959

Ride Lonesome

as

Frank

The Young Lions

1958

The Young Lions

as

1st Sgt. Rickett

Peter Baumgartner, Filmkameramann

2014

Peter Baumgartner, Filmkameramann

as

(archive footage)

The Lonely Man

1957

The Lonely Man

as

Faro

Accused of Murder

1956

Accused of Murder

as

Police Sgt. Emmett Lackey

The Magnificent Seven Ride!

1972

The Magnificent Seven Ride!

as

Marshal Chris Adams

The Bravados

1958

The Bravados

as

Alfonso Parral

The Grand Duel

1972

The Grand Duel

as

Sheriff Clayton

Take a Hard Ride

1975

Take a Hard Ride

as

Kiefer

Ten Wanted Men

1955

Ten Wanted Men

as

Al Drucker

The Big Gundown

1967

The Big Gundown

as

Jonathan Corbett

Armed Response

1986

Armed Response

as

Burt Roth

Thieves of Fortune

1990

Thieves of Fortune

as

Sergio Danielo Christophero

Sabata

1969

Sabata

as

Sabata

Return of Sabata

1971

Return of Sabata

as

Sabata / Major

Tribute to a Bad Man

1956

Tribute to a Bad Man

as

Fat Jones

Machete

1958

Machete

as

Miguel

Day of Anger

1967

Day of Anger

as

Frank Talby

Vice Squad

1953

Vice Squad

as

Pete Monty

El Condor

1970

El Condor

as

Jaroo

China Gate

1957

China Gate

as

Maj. Cham

Kid Vengeance

1976

Kid Vengeance

as

McClain

Killing Machine

1984

Killing Machine

as

Julot

God's Gun

1976

God's Gun

as

Father John / Lewis

Jungle Raiders

1985

Jungle Raiders

as

Warren

Bad Man's River

1971

Bad Man's River

as

Roy King

Commandos

1968

Commandos

as

MSgt. Sullivan

The Lawless Breed

1952

The Lawless Breed

as

Dirk Hanley

Captain Apache

1971

Captain Apache

as

Capt. Apache

Arena

1953

Arena

as

Smitty

Gypsy Colt

1954

Gypsy Colt

as

Hank

The Hard Way

1980

The Hard Way

as

McNeal

Raiders of Old California

1957

Raiders of Old California

as

Damon Pardee

The Commander

1988

The Commander

as

Col. Mazzarini

Arrow In The Dust

1954

Arrow In The Dust

as

Tillotson Henchman

Code Name: Wild Geese

1984

Code Name: Wild Geese

as

Archie 'China' Travers

Dawn at Socorro

1954

Dawn at Socorro

as

Earl Ferris

Princess of the Nile

1954

Princess of the Nile

as

Hakar (uncredited)

The Perfect Killer

1977

The Perfect Killer

as

Harry Chapman

Untamed Frontier

1952

Untamed Frontier

as

Dave Chittun

The Yellow Tomahawk

1954

The Yellow Tomahawk

as

Fire Knife

Joe Dakota

1957

Joe Dakota

as

Adam Grant

Treasure of Ruby Hills

1955

Treasure of Ruby Hills

as

Frank Emmett

The Badge of Marshal Brennan

1957

The Badge of Marshal Brennan

as

Shad Donaphin

The Quiet Gun

1957

The Quiet Gun

as

Doug Sadler

The Nebraskan

1953

The Nebraskan

as

Pvt. Reno Benton

Rails Into Laramie

1954

Rails Into Laramie

as

Ace Winton

Jack Slade

1953

Jack Slade

as

Bolt Mackay

Last Stagecoach West

1957

Last Stagecoach West

as

Steve Margolies

The Squeeze

1978

The Squeeze

as

Chris Gretchko / Ray Sloan

Tumbleweed

1953

Tumbleweed

as

Marv

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

1966

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

as

Sentenza / Angel Eyes

A Man Alone

1955

A Man Alone

as

Clanton

Klaus Kinski: I'm not an actor

2000

Klaus Kinski: I'm not an actor

as

Col. Douglas Mortimer (archive footage)

How the West Was Won

1962

How the West Was Won

as

River Pirate (uncredited)

The Conqueror

1956

The Conqueror

as

Chepei

The Master Ninja 5

1985

The Master Ninja 5

as

John Peter McAllister

I Cover the Underworld

1955

I Cover the Underworld

as

Flash Logan

The Best of the Martial Arts Films

1990

The Best of the Martial Arts Films

as

Self (archive footage)

The Desperado

1954

The Desperado

as

Paul Clayton/Buck Clayton

The Road to Denver

1955

The Road to Denver

as

Pecos Larry

Master Ninja

1985

Master Ninja

as

John Peter McAllister

Nowhere to Hide

1977

Nowhere to Hide

as

Ike Scanlon

Master Ninja II

1984

Master Ninja II

as

John Peter McAllister

Day of the Badman

1958

Day of the Badman

as

Jake Hayes

White Lightning

1953

White Lightning

as

Brutus Allen

Guns, Girls and Gangsters

1959

Guns, Girls and Gangsters

as

Mike Bennett

The Naked Street

1955

The Naked Street

as

Harry Goldish (uncredited)

The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout

2024

The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout

as

Self (archive footage)

Perry Mason

Perry Mason

as

Edward Doyle

General Electric Theater

General Electric Theater

as

Dave Rudabaugh

Rawhide

Rawhide

as

Fred Grant

Yancy Derringer

Yancy Derringer

as

Ike Milton

Black Saddle

Black Saddle

as

Frank Sandoe

Riverboat

Riverboat

as

Luke Cragg

Wire Service

Wire Service

as

Al Sanders

The Master

The Master

as

John Peter McAllister

The Lone Ranger

The Lone Ranger

as

Bull Harper

The Deputy

The Deputy

as

Cherokee Kid

Lawman

Lawman

as

Deputy Clyde Wilson

Casey Jones

Casey Jones

as

Mort Clio

The Untouchables

The Untouchables

as

Frank Diamond

Rawhide

Rawhide

as

Deck Sommers

Trackdown

Trackdown

as

Ben Fraser

Cheyenne

Cheyenne

as

Braden

Gunsmoke

Gunsmoke

as

John Hooker

Gunsmoke

Gunsmoke

as

Ike Jeffords

Cavalcade of America

Cavalcade of America

as

1st Mate Hawl Finch

Four Star Playhouse

Four Star Playhouse

as

Bob Wheeler aka Sonora Kid

Bonanza

Bonanza

as

Appling

Cheyenne

Cheyenne

as

Harry Bittercreek Bartender

State Trooper

State Trooper

as

Frank Parnessa

Wagon Train

Wagon Train

as

Rufe Beal

The Gene Autry Show

The Gene Autry Show

as

Hod - Henchman

The Gene Autry Show

The Gene Autry Show

as

Henchman Ray

Annie Oakley

Annie Oakley

as

Amos Belcher

Studio 57

Studio 57

as

Tommy

Annie Oakley

Annie Oakley

as

Tim Brennan

Stagecoach West

Stagecoach West

as

Lin Hyatt

Production

Crew

Directing