Lee Van Cleef

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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".

Filmography

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2024
The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout
Movie Self (archive footage)
2014
Peter Baumgartner, Filmkameramann
Movie (archive footage)
2000
Klaus Kinski: I'm not an actor
Movie Col. Douglas Mortimer (archive footage)
1990
Thieves of Fortune
Movie Sergio Danielo Christophero
1990
The Best of the Martial Arts Films
Movie Self
1989
Speed Zone
Movie Grandfather
1988
The Commander
Movie Col. Mazzarini
1986
Armed Response
Movie Burt Roth
1985
Jungle Raiders
Movie Warren
1985
The Master Ninja 5
Movie John Peter McAllister
1984
Code Name: Wild Geese
Movie Archie 'China' Travers
1984
Killing Machine
Movie Julot
1984
The Master
TV show John Peter McAllister
1984
Master Ninja
Movie John Peter McAllister
1984
Master Ninja II
Movie John Peter McAllister
1981
Escape from New York
Movie Police Commissioner Bob Hauk