Lee Van Cleef

Lee Van Cleef

Clarence LeRoy "Lee" Van Cleef Jr. 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
CREDITS
PHOTOS

TV Series

The Andy Griffith Show

The Andy Griffith Show

7.633
77 Sunset Strip

77 Sunset Strip

6.7
Mr. Lucky

Mr. Lucky

6.4
Gunsmoke

Gunsmoke

6.558
Perry Mason

Perry Mason

7.719
General Electric Theater

General Electric Theater

6.25
Hawaiian Eye

Hawaiian Eye

5.2
Zorro

Zorro

7.483
Laredo

Laredo

6.3
The Adventures of Champion

The Adventures of Champion

5.3
Rawhide

Rawhide

7.13
Have Gun, Will Travel

Have Gun, Will Travel

7.427
My Mother the Car

My Mother the Car

4.3
Yancy Derringer

Yancy Derringer

5.6
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

7.25
Richard Diamond, Private Detective

Richard Diamond, Private Detective

6.2
Bronco

Bronco

5.2
The Alaskans

The Alaskans

5.5
Black Saddle

Black Saddle

6
Branded

Branded

6.438
Wanted: Dead or Alive

Wanted: Dead or Alive

6.838
The Rifleman

The Rifleman

7.021
The Dakotas

The Dakotas

5.7
Lawman

Lawman

5.6
Law of the Plainsman

Law of the Plainsman

6
Riverboat

Riverboat

6.2
Wire Service

Wire Service

0
Buffalo Bill Jr.

Buffalo Bill Jr.

5
Cavalcade of America

Cavalcade of America

3.5
The Master

The Master

5.1
City Detective

City Detective

7
The Adventures of Kit Carson

The Adventures of Kit Carson

5.3
The DuPont Show with June Allyson

The DuPont Show with June Allyson

6.3
The Ford Television Theatre

The Ford Television Theatre

7.333
Studio 57

Studio 57

0
Maverick

Maverick

6.782
The Lone Ranger

The Lone Ranger

6.656
The Deputy

The Deputy

6.2
Lawman

Lawman

5.6
Casey Jones

Casey Jones

5.5
The Untouchables

The Untouchables

7.839
Rawhide

Rawhide

7.13
Trackdown

Trackdown

6.4
Cheyenne

Cheyenne

5.8
Gunsmoke

Gunsmoke

6.558
Gunsmoke

Gunsmoke

6.558
Cavalcade of America

Cavalcade of America

3.5
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

7.25
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

7.25
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

7.25
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

7.25
Four Star Playhouse

Four Star Playhouse

6.333
The Lone Ranger

The Lone Ranger

6.656
The Ford Television Theatre

The Ford Television Theatre

7.333
Bonanza

Bonanza

7.512
Tombstone Territory

Tombstone Territory

6.25
Have Gun, Will Travel

Have Gun, Will Travel

7.427
77 Sunset Strip

77 Sunset Strip

6.7
Cheyenne

Cheyenne

5.8
State Trooper

State Trooper

5
Wagon Train

Wagon Train

6.3
The Gene Autry Show

The Gene Autry Show

4.2
The Gene Autry Show

The Gene Autry Show

4.2
Annie Oakley

Annie Oakley

5.2
Studio 57

Studio 57

0
Annie Oakley

Annie Oakley

5.2
Stories of the Century

Stories of the Century

5.7
Stagecoach West

Stagecoach West

6
The Adventures of Boston Blackie

The Adventures of Boston Blackie

4
The Adventures of Boston Blackie

The Adventures of Boston Blackie

4
The Twilight Zone

The Twilight Zone

8.5

Movies

High Noon

High Noon

7.673
For a Few Dollars More

For a Few Dollars More

8.02
Escape from New York

Escape from New York

7.054
The Tin Star

The Tin Star

7
Kansas City Confidential

Kansas City Confidential

7.1
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral

Gunfight at the O.K. Corral

7
The Big Combo

The Big Combo

7.044
Pardners

Pardners

6.7
The Octagon

The Octagon

5
Barquero

Barquero

6.3
Speed Zone

Speed Zone

4.5
It Conquered the World

It Conquered the World

4.8
Beyond the Law

Beyond the Law

5.8
Ride Lonesome

Ride Lonesome

6.663
The Young Lions

The Young Lions

6.8
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms

The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms

6.5
The Stranger and the Gunfighter

The Stranger and the Gunfighter

5.3
Peter Baumgartner, Filmkameramann

Peter Baumgartner, Filmkameramann

0
The Lonely Man

The Lonely Man

6.1
Accused of Murder

Accused of Murder

4.5
The Magnificent Seven Ride!

The Magnificent Seven Ride!

5.5
The Bravados

The Bravados

6.548
The Grand Duel

The Grand Duel

6.063
Take a Hard Ride

Take a Hard Ride

5.3
Ten Wanted Men

Ten Wanted Men

5.8
The Big Gundown

The Big Gundown

7.3
Armed Response

Armed Response

4.8
Thieves of Fortune

Thieves of Fortune

3
Death Rides a Horse

Death Rides a Horse

7
Sabata

Sabata

6.3
Return of Sabata

Return of Sabata

6
Mean Frank and Crazy Tony

Mean Frank and Crazy Tony

4.4
When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion

When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion

0
Tribute to a Bad Man

Tribute to a Bad Man

7
Machete

Machete

5.9
Day of Anger

Day of Anger

7.007
Vice Squad

Vice Squad

5.9
El Condor

El Condor

5.6
China Gate

China Gate

6
Kid Vengeance

Kid Vengeance

5.3
Killing Machine

Killing Machine

4.7
God's Gun

God's Gun

5.2
Jungle Raiders

Jungle Raiders

3.7
Bad Man's River

Bad Man's River

4.5
Commandos

Commandos

5.786
The Lawless Breed

The Lawless Breed

6.6
Captain Apache

Captain Apache

4.6
The Bandits of Corsica

The Bandits of Corsica

5.8
Arena

Arena

4.7
Gypsy Colt

Gypsy Colt

6.3
The Hard Way

The Hard Way

5.6
Raiders of Old California

Raiders of Old California

4.7
The Commander

The Commander

5.5
Arrow In The Dust

Arrow In The Dust

5.8
Code Name: Wild Geese

Code Name: Wild Geese

5.2
Dawn at Socorro

Dawn at Socorro

7.2
Princess of the Nile

Princess of the Nile

7.1
The Perfect Killer

The Perfect Killer

2
Untamed Frontier

Untamed Frontier

7.2
The Yellow Tomahawk

The Yellow Tomahawk

6
Joe Dakota

Joe Dakota

5.6
Treasure of Ruby Hills

Treasure of Ruby Hills

3.5
The Vanishing American

The Vanishing American

4
The Badge of Marshal Brennan

The Badge of Marshal Brennan

6
The Quiet Gun

The Quiet Gun

6.4
The Nebraskan

The Nebraskan

3
Gun Battle at Monterey

Gun Battle at Monterey

4.6
Rails Into Laramie

Rails Into Laramie

6.3
Jack Slade

Jack Slade

6.4
Last Stagecoach West

Last Stagecoach West

4.3
The Squeeze

The Squeeze

5.2
The Slowest Gun in the West

The Slowest Gun in the West

2
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

7.807
Octagon : le combat des maîtres

Octagon : le combat des maîtres

0
Tumbleweed

Tumbleweed

6.1
Posse from Hell

Posse from Hell

6.2
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

8.5
A Man Alone

A Man Alone

5.712
Klaus Kinski: I'm not an actor

Klaus Kinski: I'm not an actor

0
How the West Was Won

How the West Was Won

6.982
The Conqueror

The Conqueror

3.4
The Master Ninja 5

The Master Ninja 5

10
I Cover the Underworld

I Cover the Underworld

6
The Best of the Martial Arts Films

The Best of the Martial Arts Films

8.7
The Desperado

The Desperado

6.6
The Road to Denver

The Road to Denver

6
Master Ninja

Master Ninja

4.7
Nowhere to Hide

Nowhere to Hide

5
Master Ninja II

Master Ninja II

7
Day of the Badman

Day of the Badman

6.5
White Lightning

White Lightning

6
Guns, Girls and Gangsters

Guns, Girls and Gangsters

6.1
The Naked Street

The Naked Street

6.1
The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout

The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout

8