File:Lee_Van_Cleef_-_Death_Rides_A_Horse_(1).jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Lee Van Cleef was an American actor known for his distinctive appearance and roles in Western films and television shows during the 1950s through 1980s. He became particularly famous for his performances in spaghetti Westerns and action films, making him an iconic figure in the genre during his career from 1925 until his death in 1989.
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Film & TV
Somerville, New Jersey, USA
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…
Known for
- The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout — Self (archive footage)2024
- Peter Baumgartner, Filmkameramann — (archive footage)2014
- Klaus Kinski: I'm not an actor — Col. Douglas Mortimer (archive footage)2000
- Thieves of Fortune — Sergio Danielo Christophero1990
- The Best of the Martial Arts Films — Self1990
- Speed Zone — Grandfather1989
- The Commander — Col. Mazzarini1988
- Armed Response — Burt Roth1986
- Jungle Raiders — Warren1985
- The Master Ninja 5 — John Peter McAllister1985
via TMDB
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Given name
- Lee
- Gender
- male
- Citizenship
- United States
- Place of birth
- Somerville
- Place of death
- Oxnard
- Occupation
- dancer
- Languages spoken
- English language
- Native language
- English language
- Genre
- Spaghetti Western
- Conflict
- World War II
- Military branch
- United States Navy
- Official website
- www.briansdriveintheater.com/leevancleef.html
- Image
- Lee Van Cleef - Death Rides A Horse (1).jpg
- Height
- 188
Show 10 more facts
- place of burial
- Forest Lawn Memorial Park
- Commons category
- Lee Van Cleef
- date of birth
- 1925-01-09
- date of death
- 1989-12-16
- cause of death
- myocardial infarction
- manner of death
- natural causes
- start of work period
- 1952-00-00
- name in native language
- Lee Van Cleef
- writing language
- English language
- end of work period
- 1989-00-00
via Wikidata · CC0
~13 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Clarence LeRoy Van Cleef Jr. (January 9, 1925 – December 16, 1989) was an American actor. He appeared in over 170 film and television roles in a career spanning nearly 40 years, but is best known as a star of spaghetti Westerns, holding starring roles in the Sergio Leone-directed Dollars Trilogy films, For a Few Dollars More (1965) and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966). In 1983, he received a Golden Boot Award for his contribution to the Western film and television genre.
Van Cleef served in the United States Navy during World War II aboard the minesweeper USS Incredible, earning a Bronze Star for his actions. After acting on stage in regional theatre, he made his film debut in the Oscar-winning Western High Noon (1952) in a non-speaking outlaw cast role. With distinctive, angular features and a taciturn screen persona, Van Cleef was typecast as minor villain and supporting player in Westerns, film noir, and crime dramas. After suffering serious injuries in a car crash, Van Cleef's acting career started to decline. He achieved stardom when Leone gave him the co-leading role in For a Few Dollars More (1965).
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Lee Van Cleef” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.