Lee Van Cleef

Infobox actor

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imagesize = 280px
caption = Van Cleef as Angel Eyes in
"The Good, the Bad and the Ugly"
birthname = Clarence LeRoy Van Cleef, Jr.
birthdate = birth date|1925|1|9|mf=y
birthplace = Somerville, New Jersey, U.S.
deathdate = death date and age|1989|12|16|1925|1|9
deathplace = Oxnard, California, U.S.
othername =
yearsactive = 1952–1989
spouse = Barbara Havelone (July 13 1976 – December 16 1989) (his death) Joanie (1960 – ?) Patsy Ruth (1943 – ?) (divorced) 3 children
homepage =
academyawards =
emmyawards =
tonyawards =

Lee Van Cleef (January 9 1925 – December 16 1989) was an American film actor who appeared mostly in Western and action pictures. His sharp features and piercing eyes led to his casting as a villain in scores of films, though in later years he was often a film's protagonist, such as with his co-lead role as a bounty hunter in "For a Few Dollars More".

Biography

Early life

Van Cleef was born Clarence LeRoy Van Cleef, Jr. in Somerville, New Jersey, the son of Marion Levinia (née Van Fleet) and Clarence LeRoy Van Cleef, Sr. [ [http://www.filmreference.com/film/46/Lee-Van-Cleef.html Lee Van Cleef Biography (1925-1989) ] ] [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DEFD6143FF934A25751C1A96F948260 "Lee Van Cleef, Actor, Dies at 64; Played Villains in Many Westerns"] , "The New York Times", December 17, 1989. Accessed November 25, 2007. "Lee Van Cleef was born in Somerville, N.J., on Jan. 9, 1925. His first job was as a farm worker in his home state. He then worked as an accountant in Somerville before beginning in his movie career in 1950."] Van Cleef served in the United States Navy during World War II and became an actor after a brief career as an accountant. His first acting experiences were on stage, including a small role in the original Broadway production of "Mister Roberts". His first film was the classic Western "High Noon", in which he played a villain. He also had a bit part as the sharpshooter in the climax of "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms" around the same time. In 1956 he co-starred with Peter Graves in the B-grade Sci-Fi movie "It Conquered the World".

Career

Van Cleef played different minor characters on four episodes of the TV series "The Rifleman" between 1959 and 1962. He appeared as minor villains and henchmen in various Westerns, including "The Tin Star" and "Gunfight at the OK Corral". He also played one of Lee Marvin's villainous henchmen in the 1962 John Ford classic "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance", with James Stewart and John Wayne. He had a small, uncredited role as one of the river pirates in 1962's "How the West Was Won".

In 1962, Van Cleef was involved in a serious car accident and was forced temporarily to retire from acting. Between 1962 and 1965 Van Cleef worked as a freelance painter and carpenter,Fact|date=March 2008 after which the actor appeared in several spaghetti Westerns, including "For a Few Dollars More" and "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" (both co-starring Clint Eastwood), as well as "The Big Gundown" and "The Sabata Trilogy". Van Cleef also had a supporting role in John Carpenter's cult hit "Escape from New York". He also appeared as a villainous swindler in the "Bonanza" episode, "The Bloodline" (December 31, 1960), along with 90 movie roles and 109 other television appearances over a 38-year span.

In the early 1980s he played John Peter McCallister, the "first Occidental to become a ninja" in NBC's "The Master". His last television appearance was in 1984 when he left the show "The Master". ["La mort de Lee Van Cleef", Le Monde. Mardi 19 décembre 1989, p. 17. accessed on October 7, 2006.] Episodes of the show were later remarketed as made-for-TV movies (by editing two episodes together), two of which were featured on "Mystery Science Theater 3000".

Personal life

Van Cleef lost the tip of his middle finger on his right hand while building a playhouse for his daughter. This can be seen in the close-up shots of his hand during the gunfights in "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" and in an early scene of "The Grand Duel".

He died from a heart attack in Oxnard, California and was interred in Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles. His gravestone reads "Lee Van Cleef Jan 9, 1925 - Dec 16, 1989 'Best of the Bad' Love and Light".

Filmography

*"High Noon" (1952)
*"Untamed Frontier" (1952)
*"Kansas City Confidential" (1952)
*"The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms" (1953)
*"The Lawless Breed" (1953)
*"The Bandits of Corsica" (1953)
*"White Lightning" (1953)
*"Arena" (1953)
*"Vice Squad" (1953)
*"Jack Slade" (1953)
*"The Nebraskan" (1953)
*"Private Eyes" (1953)
*"Tumbleweed" (1953)
*"Gypsy Colt" (1954)
*"Arrow In The Dust" (1954)
*"Rails Into Laramie" (1954)
*"The Yellow Tomahawk" (1954)
*"Princess of the Nile" (1954) (Uncredited Bit Part)
*"The Desperado" (1954)
*"Dawn At Socorro" (1954)
*"Treasure of Ruby Hills" (1955)
*"Ten Wanted Men" (1955)
*"Man Without A Star" (1955) (Uncredited Bit Part)
*"I Cover The Underworld" (1955)
*"The Road To Denver" (1955)
*"A Man Alone" (1955)
*"The Vanishing American" (1955)
*"The Conqueror" (1955)
*"The Big Combo" (1955)
*"It Conquered the World" (1956)
*"Tribute To A Bad Man" (1956)
*"Pardners" (1956)
*"Accused of Murder" (1956)
*"The Lonely Man" (1957)
*"The Tin Star" (1957)
*"The Quiet Gun" (1957)
*"Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" (1957)
*"China Gate" (1957)
*"The Badge of Marshal Brennan" (1957)
*"The Last Stagecoach West" (1957)
*"Joe Dakota" (1957)
*"Gun Battle of Monterey" (1957)
*"Raiders of Old California" (1957)
*"Day of the Bad Man" (1958)
*"The Bravados" (1958)
*"The Young Lions" (1958)
*"Machete" (1958)
*"Guns, Girls and Gangsters" (1959)
*"Ride Lonesome" (1959)
*"The Slowest Gun In The West" (TV) (1960)
*"Posse From Hell" (1961)
*"The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" (1962)
*"How the West Was Won" (1962) (uncredited)
*"For a Few Dollars More" (1965)
*"The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" (1966)
*"The Big Gundown" (1966)
*"Death Rides a Horse" (1967)
*"Day of Anger" (1967)
*"Beyond the Law, aka Bloodsilver" (1968)
*"Commandos (1968)"
*"Sabata" (1969)
*"Barquero" (1970)
*"El Condor" (1970)
*"Captain Apache" (1971)
*"Return of Sabata" (1971)
*"Grand Duel" (Storm Rider) (1972)
*"Bad Man's River" (1972)
*"The Magnificent Seven Ride!" (1972)
*"Mean Frank and Crazy Tony, aka Escape From Death Row" (1973)
*"The Stranger and the Gunfighter" (1974)
*"Take A Hard Ride" (1975), filmed in Gran Canaria (Canary Islands)
*"God's Gun" (1976)
*"Kid Vengeance" (1977) (Filmed in Gran Canaria)
*"The Perfect Killer" (1977)
*"Nowhere To Hide" (1977)(TV)
*"The Squeeze" (1978)
*"The Hard Way" (1979) (TV)
*"The Octagon" (1980)
*"Escape from New York" (1981)
*"Killing Machine" (1983)
*"" (1984)
*"The Master" (1984) TV series
*"Jungle Raiders" (1985)
*"Armed Response" (1986)
*"The Commander" (1986)
*"Speed Zone!" aka "Cannonball Fever" (1989)
*"Thieves of Fortune" (1989)

References

External links

*imdb name|id=0001812|name=Lee Van Cleef
*amg name|2:13582
*findagrave|2175 Retrieved on 2008-02-08
* [http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/book-2.php?id=978-0-7864-2272-2 Van Cleef's only published English-language biography]
* [http://thebad.net TheBad.net: A Tribute to Lee Van Cleef]
* [http://www.briansdriveintheater.com/leevancleef.html Lee Van Cleef page]