
Lee Van Cleef
- Date of Birth: 1925-01-09
- Date of Death: 1989-12-16
- Place of Birth: Somerville, New Jersey, USA
Biography
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 e... 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".

The Master Ninja 5
Action, TV Movie • 1985 January

The Best of the Martial Arts Films
Documentary, Action • 1990 January

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Western • 1966 December

The Twilight Zone
Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Mystery, Drama • 1959 October

For a Few Dollars More
Western • 1965 December

The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout
Documentary, History • 2024 June

The Untouchables
Drama, Crime • 1959 October

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Western • 1962 April

Perry Mason
Mystery, Drama, Crime • 1957 September

High Noon
Western, Drama • 1952 June