Acting
Lee Van Cleef
EN, DE, IT, ES cinema · 94 credits
Born
9 January 1925
Died
16 December 1989 (aged 64)
Birthplace
Somerville, New Jersey, USA
Also known as Clarence Leroy Van Cleef Jr. · 李·范克里夫 · 리 밴 클리프
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
Filmography
The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout
as Self (archive footage)
Peter Baumgartner, Filmkameramann
2014
Peter Baumgartner, Filmkameramann
as (archive footage)
Klaus Kinski: I'm not an actor
as Col. Douglas Mortimer (archive footage)
Thieves of Fortune
as Sergio Danielo Christophero
Speed Zone
as Grandfather
The Commander
as Col. Mazzarini
Armed Response
as Burt Roth
Jungle Raiders
as Warren
The Master Ninja 5
as John Peter McAllister
Killing Machine
as Julot
Code Name: Wild Geese
as Archie 'China' Travers
Master Ninja
as John Peter McAllister
Master Ninja II
as John Peter McAllister
Escape from New York
as Police Commissioner Bob Hauk
The Octagon
as McCarn
The Hard Way
as McNeal
The Squeeze
as Chris Gretchko / Ray Sloan
The Perfect Killer
as Harry Chapman
Nowhere to Hide
as Ike Scanlon
Kid Vengeance
as McClain
God's Gun
as Father John / Lewis
Take a Hard Ride
as Kiefer
Mean Frank and Crazy Tony
as Frankie
The Magnificent Seven Ride!
as Marshal Chris Adams
The Grand Duel
as Sheriff Clayton
Return of Sabata
as Sabata / Major
Bad Man's River
as Roy King
Captain Apache
as Capt. Apache
Barquero
as Travis
El Condor
as Jaroo
Sabata
as Sabata
Beyond the Law
as Billy Joe Cudlip
Commandos
as MSgt. Sullivan
The Big Gundown
as Jonathan Corbett
Day of Anger
as Frank Talby
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
as Sentenza / Angel Eyes
Blade Rider, Revenge of the Indian Nations
as Charlie Yates
For a Few Dollars More
as Col. Douglas Mortimer
How the West Was Won
as River Pirate
The Slowest Gun in the West
as Sam Bass
Ride Lonesome
as Frank
Guns Girls and Gangsters
as Mike Bennett
The Young Lions
as 1st Sgt. Rickett
The Bravados
as Alfonso Parral
Machete
as Miguel
Day of the Badman
as Jake Hayes
The Tin Star
as Ed McGaffey
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
as Ed Bailey
The Lonely Man
as Faro
China Gate
as Maj. Cham
Raiders of Old California
as Damon Pardee
Joe Dakota
as Adam Grant
The Badge of Marshal Brennan
as Shad Donaphin
The Quiet Gun
as Doug Sadler
Last Stagecoach West
as Steve Margolies
Pardners
as Gus
It Conquered the World
as Dr. Tom Anderson
Accused of Murder
as Police Sgt. Emmett Lackey
Tribute to a Bad Man
as Fat Jones
The Conqueror
as Chepei
The Big Combo
as Fante
Ten Wanted Men
as Al Drucker
Treasure of Ruby Hills
as Frank Emmett
The Vanishing American
as Jay Lord
A Man Alone
as Clanton
I Cover the Underworld
as Flash Logan
The Road to Denver
as Pecos Larry
The Naked Street
as Harry Goldish (uncredited)
Gypsy Colt
as Hank
Arrow In The Dust
as Tillotson Henchman
Dawn at Socorro
as Earl Ferris
Princess of the Nile
as Hakar (uncredited)
The Yellow Tomahawk
as Fire Knife
Rails Into Laramie
as Ace Winton
The Desperado
as Paul Clayton/Buck Clayton
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
as Corp. Stone
Vice Squad
as Pete Monty
Arena
as Smitty
The Nebraskan
as Pvt. Reno Benton
Jack Slade
as Bolt Mackay
Tumbleweed
as Marv
White Lightning
as Brutus Allen
High Noon
as Jack Colby
Kansas City Confidential
as Tony Romano
The Lawless Breed
as Dirk Hanley
Untamed Frontier
as Dave Chittun