Lee Van Cleef
American actor and Spaghetti Western icon whose piercing gaze and hatchet-faced features made him one of cinema's most unforgettable screen presences.
What do we know about Lee Van Cleef?
Here are the key biographical details about Lee Van Cleef:
- Name: Lee Van Cleef
- Also Known As: Clarence Leroy Van Cleef Jr., 李·范克里夫, 리 밴 클리프
- Date of Birth: January 9, 1925
- Place of Birth: Somerville, New Jersey, USA
- Date of Death: December 16, 1989
- Gender: Male
- Job Title: Actor
Who is Lee Van Cleef?
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".
What is Lee Van Cleef known for?
With over 160 credits spanning film and television, Lee Van Cleef's most celebrated works include:
- The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966, Movie)
- For a Few Dollars More (1965, Movie)
- Escape from New York (1981, Movie)
- High Noon (1952, Movie)
- The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962, Movie)
- The Twilight Zone (1959, TV Series)
- How the West Was Won (1962, Movie)
- Bonanza (1959, TV Series)
- Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957, Movie)
- Death Rides a Horse (1967, Movie)
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