LC
Lee Van Cleef
Actor
Born January 9, 1925Died December 16, 1989 (64 years)
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.
Military service:
After basic training and further training at the Naval Fleet Sound School, Van Cleef was assigned to a submarine chaser and then to a minesweeper, USS Incredible, on which he worked as a sonarman.
After leaving the Navy, Van Cleef read for a part in Our Town at the Little Theater Group in Clinton, New Jersey and received his first stage role. From there, he continued to meet with the group and audition for parts. The next biggest part was that of the boxer, Joe Pendleton, in the play Heaven Can Wait. During this time, he was observed by visiting talent scouts, who were impressed by Van Cleef's stage presence and delivery. One of these scouts later took him to New York City talent agent Maynard Morris of the MCA agency, who then sent him to the Alvin Theater for an audition.
Van Cleef's screen debut came in High Noon. During a performance of Mister Roberts in Los Angeles, he was noticed by film director Stanley Kramer, who offered Van Cleef a role in his upcoming film. Kramer originally wanted Van Cleef for the role of the deputy Harvey Pell, but as he wanted Van Cleef to have his "distinctive nose" fixed, Van Cleef declined the role in favor of the part of the silent gunslinger Jack Colby. He was then cast mostly in villainous roles, due to his sharp cheeks and chin, piercing eyes, and hawk-like nose, from the part of Tony Romano in Kansas City Confidential (1952), culminating 14 years later in Sergio Leone's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
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.
Military service:
After basic training and further training at the Naval Fleet Sound School, Van Cleef was assigned to a submarine chaser and then to a minesweeper, USS Incredible, on which he worked as a sonarman.
After leaving the Navy, Van Cleef read for a part in Our Town at the Little Theater Group in Clinton, New Jersey and received his first stage role. From there, he continued to meet with the group and audition for parts. The next biggest part was that of the boxer, Joe Pendleton, in the play Heaven Can Wait. During this time, he was observed by visiting talent scouts, who were impressed by Van Cleef's stage presence and delivery. One of these scouts later took him to New York City talent agent Maynard Morris of the MCA agency, who then sent him to the Alvin Theater for an audition.
Van Cleef's screen debut came in High Noon. During a performance of Mister Roberts in Los Angeles, he was noticed by film director Stanley Kramer, who offered Van Cleef a role in his upcoming film. Kramer originally wanted Van Cleef for the role of the deputy Harvey Pell, but as he wanted Van Cleef to have his "distinctive nose" fixed, Van Cleef declined the role in favor of the part of the silent gunslinger Jack Colby. He was then cast mostly in villainous roles, due to his sharp cheeks and chin, piercing eyes, and hawk-like nose, from the part of Tony Romano in Kansas City Confidential (1952), culminating 14 years later in Sergio Leone's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
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.
Movies & Shows on Plex
Known For
Filmography
| 2021 | |
| 2011 | |
| 2009 | Comic Relief 2009 · as Cast |
| 2008 | How the West Was Lost · as Sentenza |
| 2005 | |
| 1992 | Bruce Lee and Kung Fu Mania · as Cast |
| 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 |
| 1984 | Code Name: Wild Geese · as Archie 'china' Travers |
| 1984 | Goma-2 · as Julot |
| 1984 | Master Ninja · as John Peter Mcallister |
| 1984 | Master Ninja II · as John Peter Mcallister |
| 1984 | The Master (TV Series) · as John Peter Mcallister |
| 1981 | Escape from New York · as Police Commissioner Bob Hauk |
| 1980 | The Octagon · as Mccarn |
| 1980 | The Hard Way · as Mcneal |
| 1979 | The Wild West · as Cast |
| 1978 | The Squeeze · as Chris Gretchko / Ray Sloan |
| 1977 | The Perfect Killer · as Harry Chapman |
| 1977 | Nowhere to Hide · as Ike Scanlon |
| 1976 | |
| 1976 | |
| 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 | Bad Man's River · as Roy King |
| 1971 | Captain Apache · as Capt. Apache |
| 1971 | Return of Sabata · as Sabata / Major |
| 1970 | El Condor · as Jaroo |
| 1970 | Barquero · as Travis |
| 1969 | Sabata · as Sabata |
| 1968 | |
| 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 | Laredo (TV Series) |
| 1965 | My Mother the Car (TV Series) |
| 1965 | Branded (TV Series) |
| 1964 | Destry (TV Series) · as Ace Slater |
| 1963 | The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters (TV Series) · as Raoul Volta |
| 1962 | How the West Was Won · as River Pirate (uncredited) |
| 1962 | The Dakotas (TV Series) |
| 1962 | The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance · as Reese |
| 1961 | Ripcord (TV Series) · as Henry Kane |
| 1961 | The Dick Powell Show (TV Series) · as Salty |
| 1961 | The Joey Bishop Show (TV Series) · as Charlie |
| 1961 | Posse from Hell · as Leo |
| 1960 | Stagecoach West (TV Series) · as Lin Hyatt |
| 1960 | The Andy Griffith Show (TV Series) · as Skip |
| 1960 | The Slowest Gun in the West · as Sam Bass |
| 1959 | Mr. Lucky (TV Series) |
| 1959 | Shotgun Slade (TV Series) · as Buck |
| 1959 | Hawaiian Eye (TV Series) |
| 1959 | The Alaskans (TV Series) |
| 1959 | Hotel de Paree (TV Series) · as Thompson |
| 1959 | The Twilight Zone (TV Series) |
| 1959 | Law of the Plainsman (TV Series) · as Tracey |
| 1959 | The June Allyson Show (TV Series) · as Peak |
| 1959 | Laramie (TV Series) · as Caleb |
| 1959 | Riverboat (TV Series) · as Luke Cragg |
| 1959 | |
| 1959 | The Deputy (TV Series) · as Cherokee Kid |
| 1959 | Ride Lonesome · as Frank |
| 1959 | The Untouchables (TV Series) · as Frank Diamond |
| 1959 | Black Saddle (TV Series) · as Frank Sandoe |
| 1959 | Rawhide (TV Series) · as Fred Grant |
| 1959 | Guns Girls and Gangsters · as Mike Bennett |
| 1958 | Machete · as Miguel |
| 1958 | Cimarron City (TV Series) · as Tom |
| 1958 | 77 Sunset Strip (TV Series) · as Majeski |
| 1958 | Lawman (TV Series) · as Deputy Clyde Wilson |
| 1958 | Yancy Derringer (TV Series) · as Ike Milton |
| 1958 | The Rifleman (TV Series) |
| 1958 | Bronco (TV Series) |
| 1958 | Northwest Passage (TV Series) · as Frank Wade |
| 1958 | Wanted: Dead or Alive (TV Series) · as Jumbo Kane |
| 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 | Colt .45 (TV Series) · as Devery |
| 1957 | Tombstone Territory (TV Series) · as Sam Carver |
| 1957 | Zorro (1957) (TV Series) |
| 1957 | Casey Jones (TV Series) · as Mort Clio |
| 1957 | Trackdown (TV Series) · as Ben Fraser |
| 1957 | The Real McCoys (TV Series) · as 1st Sentry |
| 1957 | Maverick (TV Series) |
| 1957 | Perry Mason (TV Series) · as Edward Doyle |
| 1957 | Wagon Train (TV Series) · as Rufe Beal |
| 1957 | Have Gun, Will Travel (TV Series) · as Corbin |
| 1957 | Last Stagecoach West · as Steve Margolies |
| 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 |
| 1957 | Tales of Wells Fargo (TV Series) · as Cherokee Bob |
| 1957 | The Quiet Gun · as Doug Sadler |
| 1956 | Frontier Doctor (TV Series) · as Bill Dalton |
| 1956 | Richard Diamond, Private Detective (TV Series) · as Ed Murdock |
| 1956 | Accused of Murder · as Police Sgt. Emmett Lackey |
| 1956 | The Sheriff of Cochise (TV Series) · as Hackett |
| 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 |
| 1956 | State Trooper (TV Series) · as Frank Parnessa |
| 1955 | The Road to Denver · as Pecos Larry |
| 1955 | The Vanishing American · as Jay Lord |
| 1955 | |
| 1955 | Crossroads (1955) (TV Series) · as Charlie |
| 1955 | Brave Eagle (TV Series) · as Great Bear |
| 1955 | The Adventures of Champion (TV Series) · as Frank |
| 1955 | Cheyenne (TV Series) · as Harry Bittercreek Bartender |
| 1955 | Gunsmoke (TV Series) · as John Hooker |
| 1955 | A Man Alone · as Clanton |
| 1955 | The Naked Street · as Harry Goldish (uncredited) |
| 1955 | Buffalo Bill Jr. (TV Series) |
| 1955 | The Big Combo · as Fante |
| 1955 | Ten Wanted Men · as Al Drucker |
| 1955 | Treasure of Ruby Hills · as Frank Emmett |
| 1955 | The Millionaire (TV Series) · as Howard Branch |
| 1955 | TV Reader's Digest (TV Series) · as Mike |
| 1955 | Soldiers of Fortune (TV Series) · as Sgt. Bucheroff |
| 1955 | The Star and the Story (TV Series) · as Cast |
| 1954 | Dawn at Socorro · as Earl Ferris |
| 1954 | Rails Into Laramie · as Ace Winton |
| 1954 | The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin (TV Series) · as Ed Mccleod |
| 1954 | The Lineup (TV Series) · as Cast |
| 1954 | Studio 57 (TV Series) · as Tommy |
| 1954 | Medic (TV Series) · as Dr. Frank Strauss |
| 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 | Gypsy Colt · as Hank |
| 1954 | Waterfront (TV Series) · as Ed |
| 1954 | Stories of the Century (TV Series) · as Jesse James |
| 1954 | Annie Oakley (TV Series) · as Amos Belcher |
| 1953 | The Nebraskan · as Pvt. Reno Benton |
| 1953 | Tumbleweed · as Marv |
| 1953 | Jack Slade · as Bolt Mackay |
| 1953 | The Man Behind the Badge (TV Series) · as Floyd |
| 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 | Bandits of Corsica · as Nerva |
| 1953 | General Electric Theater (TV Series) · as Dave Rudabaugh |
| 1952 | The Lawless Breed · as Dirk Hanley |
| 1952 | Kansas City Confidential · as Tony Romano |
| 1952 | Ford Theatre: All Star Theatre (TV Series) · as Stanley Perrin |
| 1952 | Cavalcade of America (TV Series) · as 1st Mate Hawl Finch |
| 1952 | Four Star Playhouse (TV Series) · as Bob Wheeler Aka Sonora Kid |
| 1952 | Untamed Frontier · as Dave Chittun |
| 1952 | High Noon · as Jack Colby |
| 1952 | Death Valley Days (TV Series) · as Brogger |
| 1951 | Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (TV Series) · as Dallas Clancy |
| 1951 | Sky King (TV Series) · as Mark |
| 1951 | Boston Blackie (TV Series) · as Captain Jansen |
| 1951 | The Adventures of Kit Carson (TV Series) |
| 1951 | The Range Rider (TV Series) · as El Latigo |
| 1950 | Ashley Banjo’s Big Town Dance (TV Series) · as Jack Coleman |
| 1950 | The Gene Autry Show (TV Series) · as Henchman Ray |
| 1950 | Space Patrol (TV Series) · as Herrick |
| 1949 | The Lone Ranger (TV Series) · as Jango |