Lee Van Cleef
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.
Known for
The Andy Griffith Show
Skip
The Twilight Zone
Steinhart
Wagon Train
Rufe Beal
The Lone Ranger
Bull Harper
The Lone Ranger
Jango
The Rifleman
Bonanza
Appling
The Ford Television Theatre
The Ford Television Theatre
Stanley Perrin
Law of the Plainsman
Tracey
Have Gun, Will Travel
Golias
Have Gun, Will Travel
Corbin
Maverick
Zorro
Hawaiian Eye
Perry Mason
Edward Doyle
State Trooper
Frank Parnessa
The Adventures of Kit Carson
Annie Oakley
Amos Belcher
Annie Oakley
Tim Brennan
Cheyenne
Braden
Cheyenne
Harry Bittercreek Bartender
Rawhide
Fred Grant
Rawhide
Deck Sommers
Wanted: Dead or Alive
Jumbo Kane
Trackdown
Ben Fraser
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
Peak
Studio 57
Studio 57
Tommy
The Adventures of Champion
Frank
Four Star Playhouse
Bob Wheeler aka Sonora Kid
The Untouchables
Frank Diamond
Black Saddle
Frank Sandoe
City Detective
Tombstone Territory
Sam Carver
Stagecoach West
Lin Hyatt
Bronco
The Deputy
Cherokee Kid
The Adventures of Boston Blackie
Captain Jansen
The Adventures of Boston Blackie
Lou
Wire Service
Al Sanders
Buffalo Bill Jr.
77 Sunset Strip
77 Sunset Strip
Majeski
Richard Diamond, Private Detective
Ed Murdock
Riverboat
Luke Cragg
Mr. Lucky
My Mother the Car
The Alaskans
Yancy Derringer
Ike Milton
The Gene Autry Show
Hod - Henchman
The Gene Autry Show
Henchman Ray
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Sentenza / Angel Eyes
Stories of the Century
Jesse James
The Dakotas
Branded
Laredo
Gunsmoke
Rad
Gunsmoke
John Hooker
Gunsmoke
Ike Jeffords
Lawman
Lawman
Deputy Clyde Wilson
The Master
John Peter McAllister
For a Few Dollars More
Col. Douglas Mortimer
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Reese
Cavalcade of America
Cavalcade of America
1st Mate Hawl Finch
Kansas City Confidential
Tony Romano
General Electric Theater
Dave Rudabaugh
Escape from New York
Police Commissioner Bob Hauk
High Noon
Jack Colby
Death Rides a Horse
Ryan
Speed Zone
Grandfather
The Big Combo
Fante
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Dallas Clancy
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Larkin
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Sheriff
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Wink
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Cowboy
Casey Jones
Mort Clio
Captain Apache
Capt. Apache
Bad Man's River
Roy King
Ride Lonesome
Frank
God's Gun
Father John / Lewis
The Grand Duel
Sheriff Clayton
Beyond the Law
Billy Joe Cudlip
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
Ed Bailey
How the West Was Won
River Pirate (uncredited)
The Tin Star
Ed McGaffey
Kid Vengeance
McClain
Day of Anger
Frank Talby
The Magnificent Seven Ride!
Marshal Chris Adams
The Young Lions
1st Sgt. Rickett
The Bravados
Alfonso Parral
Sabata
Sabata
The Big Gundown
Jonathan Corbett
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
Corp. Stone
The Octagon
McCarn
Return of Sabata
Sabata / Major
Commandos
MSgt. Sullivan
Ten Wanted Men
Al Drucker
Armed Response
Burt Roth
Tumbleweed
Marv
The Conqueror
Chepei
Master Ninja
John Peter McAllister
Posse from Hell
Leo
The Lonely Man
Faro
Barquero
Travis
The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout
Self (archive footage)
Pardners
Gus
Tribute to a Bad Man
Fat Jones
The Best of the Martial Arts Films
Self (archive footage)
A Man Alone
Clanton
China Gate
Maj. Cham
Killing Machine
Julot
Code Name: Wild Geese
Archie 'China' Travers
The Stranger and the Gunfighter
Dakota
The Bandits of Corsica
Nerva
El Condor
Jaroo
Untamed Frontier
Dave Chittun
Day of the Badman
Jake Hayes
Take a Hard Ride
Kiefer
Joe Dakota
Adam Grant
It Conquered the World
Dr. Tom Anderson
Master Ninja II
John Peter McAllister
Rails Into Laramie
Ace Winton
The Perfect Killer
Harry Chapman
Vice Squad
Pete Monty
The Commander
Col. Mazzarini
The Lawless Breed
Dirk Hanley
The Vanishing American
Jay Lord
Accused of Murder
Police Sgt. Emmett Lackey
Mean Frank and Crazy Tony
Frankie
The Road to Denver
Pecos Larry
Princess of the Nile
Hakar (uncredited)
The Naked Street
Harry Goldish (uncredited)
The Slowest Gun in the West
Sam Bass
Treasure of Ruby Hills
Frank Emmett
Arrow In The Dust
Tillotson Henchman
The Squeeze
Chris Gretchko / Ray Sloan
The Quiet Gun
Doug Sadler
Jungle Raiders
Warren
The Desperado
Paul Clayton/Buck Clayton
When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion
Self
The Hard Way
McNeal
Raiders of Old California
Damon Pardee
Arena
Smitty
Klaus Kinski: I'm not an actor
Col. Douglas Mortimer (archive footage)
Dawn at Socorro
Earl Ferris
The Badge of Marshal Brennan
Shad Donaphin
Machete
Miguel
I Cover the Underworld
Flash Logan
Jack Slade
Bolt Mackay
Last Stagecoach West
Steve Margolies
Guns, Girls and Gangsters
Mike Bennett
The Yellow Tomahawk
Fire Knife
The Nebraskan
Pvt. Reno Benton
Nowhere to Hide
Ike Scanlon
Thieves of Fortune
Sergio Danielo Christophero
The Master Ninja 5
John Peter McAllister
White Lightning
Brutus Allen
Gun Battle at Monterey
Kirby
Gypsy Colt
Hank
Octagon : le combat des maîtres
Peter Baumgartner, Filmkameramann
(archive footage)