Lee Van Cleef

Acting

January 9, 1925 – December 16, 1989 (died at 64)

Somerville, New Jersey, USA

Male

92 Movies

73 TV Shows

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".

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

1966 8.5

as Sentenza / Angel Eyes

Age 41 (now 64)

For a Few Dollars More

1965 8.0

as Col. Douglas Mortimer

Age 40 (now 64)

Escape from New York

1981 7.0

as Police Commissioner Bob Hauk

Age 56 (now 64)

Death Rides a Horse

1967 7.0

as Ryan

Age 42 (now 64)

The Big Gundown

1967 7.3

as Jonathan Corbett

Age 42 (now 64)

Return of Sabata

1971 5.9

as Sabata / Major

Age 46 (now 64)

Sabata

1969 6.3

as Sabata

Age 44 (now 64)

Day of Anger

1967 7.0

as Frank Talby

Age 42 (now 64)

The Grand Duel

1972 6.0

as Sheriff Clayton

Age 47 (now 64)

The Magnificent Seven Ride!

1972 5.5

as Marshal Chris Adams

Age 47 (now 64)

Barquero

1970 6.3

as Travis

Age 45 (now 64)

The Octagon

1980 5.1

as McCarn

Age 55 (now 64)

The Big Combo

1955 7.0

as Fante

Age 30 (now 64)

Kansas City Confidential

1952 7.1

as Tony Romano

Age 27 (now 64)

Ride Lonesome

1959 6.7

as Frank

Age 34 (now 64)

It Conquered the World

1956 4.9

as Dr. Tom Anderson

Age 31 (now 64)

The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout

2024 5.3

as Self (archive footage)

Age 99 (now 64)

Peter Baumgartner, Filmkameramann

2014

as (archive footage)

Age 88 (now 64)

Klaus Kinski: I'm not an actor

2000

as Col. Douglas Mortimer (archive footage)

Age 75 (now 64)

Thieves of Fortune

1990 3.8

as Sergio Danielo Christophero

Age 65 (now 64)

Speed Zone

1989 4.5

as Grandfather

Age 64

The Commander

1988 5.6

as Col. Mazzarini

Age 63 (now 64)

Armed Response

1986 5.2

as Burt Roth

Age 61 (now 64)

Jungle Raiders

1985 4.4

as Warren

Age 60 (now 64)

The Master Ninja 5

1985 10.0

as John Peter McAllister

Age 59 (now 64)

Code Name: Wild Geese

1984 5.3

as Archie 'China' Travers

Age 59 (now 64)

Killing Machine

1984 4.7

as Julot

Age 59 (now 64)

Master Ninja

1984 4.4

as John Peter McAllister

Age 59 (now 64)

Master Ninja II

1984 7.2

as John Peter McAllister

Age 59 (now 64)

Escape from New York

1981 7.0

as Police Commissioner Bob Hauk

Age 56 (now 64)

The Octagon

1980 5.1

as McCarn

Age 55 (now 64)

The Hard Way

1980 6.1

as McNeal

Age 55 (now 64)

When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion

1979

as Self

Age 54 (now 64)

The Squeeze

1978 5.9

as Chris Gretchko / Ray Sloan

Age 53 (now 64)

The Perfect Killer

1977 4.3

as Harry Chapman

Age 52 (now 64)

Nowhere to Hide

1977 7.5

as Ike Scanlon

Age 52 (now 64)

Kid Vengeance

1976 5.4

as McClain

Age 51 (now 64)

God's Gun

1976 5.2

as Father John / Lewis

Age 51 (now 64)

Take a Hard Ride

1975 5.3

as Kiefer

Age 50 (now 64)

The Stranger and the Gunfighter

1974 5.4

as Dakota

Age 48 (now 64)

Mean Frank and Crazy Tony

1973 4.6

as Frankie

Age 48 (now 64)

The Grand Duel

1972 6.0

as Sheriff Clayton

Age 47 (now 64)

The Magnificent Seven Ride!

1972 5.5

as Marshal Chris Adams

Age 47 (now 64)

Captain Apache

1971 4.7

as Capt. Apache

Age 46 (now 64)

Bad Man's River

1971 4.6

as Roy King

Age 46 (now 64)

Return of Sabata

1971 5.9

as Sabata / Major

Age 46 (now 64)

Barquero

1970 6.3

as Travis

Age 45 (now 64)

El Condor

1970 5.5

as Jaroo

Age 45 (now 64)

Sabata

1969 6.3

as Sabata

Age 44 (now 64)

Commandos

1968 5.7

as MSgt. Sullivan

Age 43 (now 64)

Beyond the Law

1968 5.8

as Billy Joe Cudlip

Age 43 (now 64)

Day of Anger

1967 7.0

as Frank Talby

Age 42 (now 64)

Death Rides a Horse

1967 7.0

as Ryan

Age 42 (now 64)

The Big Gundown

1967 7.3

as Jonathan Corbett

Age 42 (now 64)

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

1966 8.5

as Sentenza / Angel Eyes

Age 41 (now 64)

For a Few Dollars More

1965 8.0

as Col. Douglas Mortimer

Age 40 (now 64)

How the West Was Won

1962 7.0

as River Pirate

Age 37 (now 64)

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

1962 7.8

as Reese

Age 37 (now 64)

Posse from Hell

1961 6.2

as Leo

Age 36 (now 64)

The Slowest Gun in the West

1960 4.5

as Sam Bass

Age 35 (now 64)

Ride Lonesome

1959 6.7

as Frank

Age 34 (now 64)

Guns Girls and Gangsters

1959 5.9

as Mike Bennett

Age 33 (now 64)

Machete

1958 6.7

as Miguel

Age 33 (now 64)

The Bravados

1958 6.6

as Alfonso Parral

Age 33 (now 64)

The Young Lions

1958 6.8

as 1st Sgt. Rickett

Age 33 (now 64)

Day of the Badman

1958 6.8

as Jake Hayes

Age 33 (now 64)

The Tin Star

1957 7.0

as Ed McGaffey

Age 32 (now 64)

Raiders of Old California

1957 5.4

as Damon Pardee

Age 32 (now 64)

Joe Dakota

1957 6.7

as Adam Grant

Age 32 (now 64)

Gun Battle at Monterey

1957 5.2

as Kirby

Age 32 (now 64)

The Quiet Gun

1957 6.6

as Doug Sadler

Age 32 (now 64)

Last Stagecoach West

1957 5.5

as Steve Margolies

Age 32 (now 64)

The Lonely Man

1957 6.1

as Faro

Age 32 (now 64)

Gunfight at the O.K. Corral

1957 7.0

as Ed Bailey

Age 32 (now 64)

China Gate

1957 6.2

as Maj. Cham

Age 32 (now 64)

The Badge of Marshal Brennan

1957 6.5

as Shad Donaphin

Age 32 (now 64)

Accused of Murder

1956 4.8

as Police Sgt. Emmett Lackey

Age 31 (now 64)

Pardners

1956 6.7

as Gus

Age 31 (now 64)

It Conquered the World

1956 4.9

as Dr. Tom Anderson

Age 31 (now 64)

Tribute to a Bad Man

1956 7.0

as Fat Jones

Age 31 (now 64)

The Conqueror

1956 3.6

as Chepei

Age 31 (now 64)

The Vanishing American

1955 6.7

as Jay Lord

Age 30 (now 64)

A Man Alone

1955 5.8

as Clanton

Age 30 (now 64)

The Naked Street

1955 6.2

as Harry Goldish (uncredited)

Age 30 (now 64)

The Road to Denver

1955 7.0

as Pecos Larry

Age 30 (now 64)

I Cover the Underworld

1955 6.5

as Flash Logan

Age 30 (now 64)

The Big Combo

1955 7.0

as Fante

Age 30 (now 64)

Ten Wanted Men

1955 5.9

as Al Drucker

Age 30 (now 64)

Treasure of Ruby Hills

1955 5.0

as Frank Emmett

Age 30 (now 64)

Dawn at Socorro

1954 7.2

as Earl Ferris

Age 29 (now 64)

Princess of the Nile

1954 7.3

as Hakar (uncredited)

Age 29 (now 64)

The Desperado

1954 7.2

as Paul Clayton/Buck Clayton

Age 29 (now 64)

The Yellow Tomahawk

1954 6.6

as Fire Knife

Age 29 (now 64)

Arrow In The Dust

1954 6.3

as Tillotson Henchman

Age 29 (now 64)

Rails Into Laramie

1954 6.5

as Ace Winton

Age 29 (now 64)

Gypsy Colt

1954 7.3

as Hank

Age 29 (now 64)

The Nebraskan

1953 3.8

as Pvt. Reno Benton

Age 28 (now 64)

Tumbleweed

1953 6.3

as Marv

Age 28 (now 64)

Jack Slade

1953 7.0

as Bolt Mackay

Age 28 (now 64)

Vice Squad

1953 6.1

as Pete Monty

Age 28 (now 64)

Arena

1953 5.0

as Smitty

Age 28 (now 64)

The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms

1953 6.6

as Corp. Stone

Age 28 (now 64)

White Lightning

1953 7.5

as Brutus Allen

Age 28 (now 64)

The Bandits of Corsica

1953 6.4

as Nerva

Age 28 (now 64)

The Lawless Breed

1952 6.8

as Dirk Hanley

Age 27 (now 64)

Kansas City Confidential

1952 7.1

as Tony Romano

Age 27 (now 64)

Untamed Frontier

1952 7.3

as Dave Chittun

Age 27 (now 64)

High Noon

1952 7.7

as Jack Colby

Age 27 (now 64)