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Lee Van Cleef
Acting
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 fi…
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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".
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BODY OF WORK
Lee Van Cleef's Filmography
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The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout
as Self (archive footage)
No Poster
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
The Best of the Martial Arts Films
as Self
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
Code Name: Wild Geese
as Archie 'China' Travers
Killing Machine
as Julot
Master Ninja II
as John Peter McAllister
Master Ninja
as John Peter McAllister
Escape from New York
as Police Commissioner Bob Hauk
The Octagon
as McCarn
The Hard Way
as McNeal
When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion
as Self
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
The Stranger and the Gunfighter
as Dakota
Mean Frank and Crazy Tony
as Frankie
The Grand Duel
as Sheriff Clayton
The Magnificent Seven Ride!
as Marshal Chris Adams
Captain Apache
as Capt. Apache
Bad Man's River
as Roy King
Return of Sabata
as Sabata / Major
Barquero
as Travis
El Condor
as Jaroo
Sabata
as Sabata
Commandos
as MSgt. Sullivan
Beyond the Law
as Billy Joe Cudlip
Day of Anger
as Frank Talby
Death Rides a Horse
as Ryan
The Big Gundown
as Jonathan Corbett
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
as Sentenza / Angel Eyes
For a Few Dollars More
as Col. Douglas Mortimer
How the West Was Won
as River Pirate
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
as Reese
Posse from Hell
as Leo
The Slowest Gun in the West
as Sam Bass
Ride Lonesome
as Frank
Guns Girls and Gangsters
as Mike Bennett
Machete
as Miguel
The Bravados
as Alfonso Parral
The Young Lions
as 1st Sgt. Rickett
Day of the Badman
as Jake Hayes
The Tin Star
as Ed McGaffey
Raiders of Old California
as Damon Pardee
Joe Dakota
as Adam Grant
Gun Battle at Monterey
as Kirby
The Quiet Gun
as Doug Sadler
Last Stagecoach West
as Steve Margolies
The Lonely Man
as Faro
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
as Ed Bailey
China Gate
as Maj. Cham
The Badge of Marshal Brennan
as Shad Donaphin
Accused of Murder
as Police Sgt. Emmett Lackey
Pardners
as Gus
It Conquered the World
as Dr. Tom Anderson
Tribute to a Bad Man
as Fat Jones
The Conqueror
as Chepei
The Vanishing American
as Jay Lord
A Man Alone
as Clanton
The Naked Street
as Harry Goldish (uncredited)
The Road to Denver
as Pecos Larry
I Cover the Underworld
as Flash Logan
The Big Combo
as Fante
Ten Wanted Men
as Al Drucker
Treasure of Ruby Hills
as Frank Emmett
Dawn at Socorro
as Earl Ferris
Princess of the Nile
as Hakar (uncredited)
The Desperado
as Paul Clayton/Buck Clayton
The Yellow Tomahawk
as Fire Knife
Arrow In The Dust
as Tillotson Henchman
Rails Into Laramie
as Ace Winton
Gypsy Colt
as Hank
The Nebraskan
as Pvt. Reno Benton
Tumbleweed
as Marv
Jack Slade
as Bolt Mackay
Vice Squad
as Pete Monty
Arena
as Smitty
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
as Corp. Stone
White Lightning
as Brutus Allen
The Bandits of Corsica
as Nerva
The Lawless Breed
as Dirk Hanley
Kansas City Confidential
as Tony Romano
Untamed Frontier
as Dave Chittun
High Noon
as Jack Colby