Clarence Leroy Lee Van Cleef, Jr. (January 9, 1925 December 16, 1989), was an American film actor who appeared mostly in Westerns and action pictures. His sharp features and piercing eyes led to his being cast as a villain in scores of films, such as Kansas City Confidential, High Noon, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. After his success in the last of these, he played the hero in many of his later movies. Wikipedia
Thieves of Fortune1990Sergio Danielo ChristopheroCannonball Fever1989Rock-Skipping GrandtherDer Commander1988Col. MazzariniArmed Response1986Burt RothJungle Raiders1985WarrenCode Name: Wild Geese1984ChinaThe Master1984TV SeriesJohn Peter McAllister / The MasterKilling Machine1984JulotEscape from New York1981HaukThe Octagon1980McCarnThe Hard Way1979TV MovieMcNealThe Squeeze1978Chris Gretchko / Ray SloanThe Perfect Killer1977Harry ChapmanNowhere to Hide1977TV MovieIke ScanlonVengeance1977McClainGods Gun1976Father John / LewisTake a Hard Ride1975KieferBlood Money1974DakotaMean Frank and Crazy Tony1973Frankie DiomedeThe Grand Duel1972Sheriff ClaytonThe Magnificent Seven Ride!1972ChrisBad Mans River1971Roy KingCaptain Apache1971Capt. ApacheThe Return of Sabata1971Sabata / MajorBarquero1970TravisEl Condor1970JarooSabata1969SabataCommandos1968MSgt. SullivanBeyond the Law1968Billy Joe CudlipGunlaw1967Frank TalbyThe Good, the Bad and the Ugly1966Sentenza / Angel EyesThe Big Gundown1966Jonathan CorbettDeath Rides a Horse1966RyanGunsmoke1960-1966TV SeriesIke Jeffords / Johnny Hooker / Rad MeadowsLaredo1966TV SeriesBig Mike KellyBranded1965-1966TV SeriesCharlie Yates / Fred SlaterFor a Few Dollars More1965Col. Douglas MortimerMy Mother the Car1965TV SeriesNick FitchThe Andy Griffith Show1965TV SeriesSkipRawhide1964TV SeriesDeck Sommers / Fred GrantDestry1964TV SeriesAce SlaterThe Travels of Jaimie McPheeters1963TV SeriesRaoul Volta77 Sunset Strip1960-1963TV SeriesMajeski / DeekLaramie1960-1963TV SeriesCaleb / Mac Morgan / Dawson / ...Have Gun - Will Travel1962-1963TV SeriesGolias / CorbinThe Dick Powell Theatre1963TV SeriesSaltyPerry Mason1963TV SeriesEdward DoyleThe Dakotas1962-1963TV SeriesSlade Tucker / Larry JacksonRipcord1962-1963TV SeriesJack Martin / Henry KaneHow the West Was Won1962River Pirate (uncredited)The Rifleman1959-1962TV SeriesJohnny Drako / Wicks / Stinger / ...Death Valley Days1954-1962TV SeriesBroggerCheyenne1961-1962TV SeriesHarry / Larry Jackson / BradenThe Man Who Shot Liberty Valance1962ReeseBronco1961-1962TV SeriesCharley Clune / Shanghai WilliamsThe Joey Bishop Show1962TV SeriesTwilight Zone1961TV SeriesSteinhartPosse from Hell1961LeoStagecoach West1961TV SeriesLin HyattMaverick1961TV SeriesWolf McManusHawaiian Eye1961TV SeriesManuelShotgun Slade1961TV SeriesBobBonanza1960TV SeriesApplingLawman1958-1960TV SeriesJack Sanders / Deputy Clyde Wilson / Ned Scott / ...Colt .451958-1960TV SeriesRed Feather / DeveryMr. Lucky1960TV SeriesKrugerThe Deputy1960TV SeriesCherokee KidThe Slowest Gun in the West1960TV MovieSam BassBlack Saddle1960TV SeriesFrank SandooThe Untouchables1960TV SeriesFrank DiamondThe Alaskans1960TV SeriesRocHotel de Paree1960TV SeriesThompsonThe DuPont Show with June Allyson1960TV SeriesPeakLaw of the Plainsman1959TV SeriesTraceyRiverboat1959TV SeriesLuke CraggTombstone Territory1959TV SeriesJake Conroy / Sam CarverWanted: Dead or Alive1959TV SeriesJumbo KaneThe Real McCoys1959TV Series1st SentryYancy Derringer1959TV SeriesIke Milton / Frank JamesCimarron City1959TV SeriesTomFury1959TV SeriesRace CollinsRide Lonesome1959FrankNorthwest Passage1959TV SeriesFrank WadeGuns, Girls, and Gangsters1959Mike BennettFrontier Doctor1958TV SeriesDeputy Sid Carver aka Bill DaltonMachete1958MiguelZorro1958TV SeriesAntonio CastilloTarget1958TV SeriesThe Bravados1958Alfonso ParralState Trooper1958TV SeriesFrank ParnessaThe Young Lions19581st Sgt. RickettRichard Diamond, Private Detective1958TV SeriesEd MurdockDay of the Badman1958Jake HayesWagon Train1958TV SeriesRufe BealTrackdown1957TV SeriesBen FraserRaiders of Old California1957Sgt. Damon PardeeCasey Jones1957TV SeriesMort ClioGun Battle at Monterey1957KirbyThe Tin Star1957Ed McGaffeyGeneral Electric Theater1957TV SeriesDave RudabaughJoe Dakota1957Adam GrantThe Last Stagecoach West1957Steve MargoliesThe Lonely Man1957FaroGunfight at the O.K. Corral1957Ed BaileyChina Gate1957Maj. ChamThe Badge of Marshal Brennan1957Shad DonaphinSchlitz Playhouse1953-1957TV SeriesCowboy / Wink / Sheriff / ...Tales of Wells Fargo1957TV SeriesCherokee BobSoldiers of Fortune1957TV SeriesSergeant BucheroffThe Quiet Gun1957Doug SadlerAccused of Murder1956Police Sgt. Emmett LackeyCrossroads1956TV SeriesCharlieThe Sheriff of Cochise1956TV SeriesHackettWire Service1956TV SeriesAl SandersThe Ford Television Theatre1954-1956TV SeriesStanley PerrinPardners1956GusIt Conquered the World1956Dr. Tom AndersonChevron Hall of Stars1956TV SeriesThomasTribute to a Bad Man1956Fat JonesStudio 571956TV SeriesTommyThe Conqueror1956ChepeiThe Millionaire1956TV SeriesHoward BranchBrave Eagle1955TV SeriesGreat BearThe Vanishing American1955Jay LordA Man Alone1955ClantonThe Adventures of Champion1955TV SeriesFrankLuke and the Tenderfoot1955TV SeriesJohnny DarkThe Naked Street1955Harry Goldish (uncredited)The Star and the Story1955TV SeriesThe Road to Denver1955Pecos LarryThe Man Behind the Badge1955TV SeriesFloydI Cover the Underworld1955Flash LoganAnnie Oakley1955TV SeriesAmos Belcher / Tim BrennanBuflo Bill, Jr.1955TV SeriesTom Stace / John-OCity Detective1955TV SeriesHardtmanTV Readers Digest1955TV SeriesMikeThe Big Combo1955FanteTen Wanted Men1955Al DruckerTreasure of Ruby Hills1955Frank EmmettThe Adventures of Kit Carson1953-1955TV SeriesSheriff Ned Jackson / Maj. Farnsworth and Vance Howard / Burt Tanner / ...The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin1954TV SeriesEd McCleodMedic1954TV SeriesDr. Frank StraussThe Gene Autry Show1953-1954TV SeriesHenchman Ray / Henchman HodDawn at Socorro1954Earl FerrisWaterfront1954TV SeriesEdThe Desperado1954The Crayton Twins, Paul / BuckPrincess of the Nile1954Hakar (uncredited)Cavalcade of America1953-1954TV SeriesThe Yellow Tomahawk1954Fire KnifeArrow in the Dust1954Tillotson HenchmanRails Into Laramie1954Ace WintonGypsy Colt1954HankStories of the Century1954TV SeriesJesse JamesBig Town1953-1954TV SeriesJack Coleman / RickThe Nebraskan1953Private Reno BentonTumbleweed1953MarvJack Slade1953Bolt MackayThe Lone Ranger1952-1953TV SeriesHenchman Jango / Bull Harper / Joe SingerVice Squad1953Pete MonteArena1953SmittySpace Patrol1952-1953TV SeriesLesser / Ward / Herrick / ...The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms1953Corp. StoneWhite Lightning1953Brutus AllenBandits of Corsica1953NervaFour Star Playhouse1953TV SeriesBob Wheeler aka Sonora KidThe Lawless Breed1953Dirk HanleyThe Range Rider1952-1953TV SeriesEl Latigo / Utah Joe / Rocky HatchBoston Blackie1952TV SeriesLou / Captain JansenKansas City Confidential1952Tony RomanoSky King1952TV SeriesMarkUntamed Frontier1952Dave ChittunHigh Noon1952Jack Colby
6 Bullets to Hell2014grateful acknowledgmentSpecial Collectors Edition2013TV Series in memory of - 1 episodeKill Bill: Vol. 22004dedicatee
Talking Pictures1988TV Series documentaryHimselfMonsters, Madmen & Machines: 25 Years of Science Fiction1984TV Movie documentaryactor It Conquered the WorldThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson1984TV SeriesHimselfWhen the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion1979TV Movie documentaryHimselfThe David Frost Show1970TV SeriesHimself
Alfonso Sansone produttore per caso2014Peter Baumgartner, Filmkameramann2014Video documentary shortChina (uncredited)Söldner-Stories2014Video documentary shortChina (uncredited)Special Collectors Edition2013TV SeriesSentenza / Angel EyesEurocrime! The Italian Cop and Gangster Films That Ruled the 70s2012DocumentaryHimselfCormans World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel2011DocumentaryEspaña, plat de cine2009TV Movie documentaryCol. Douglas Mortimer (uncredited)Comic Relief 20092009TV MovieIl lso bugiardo2008HimselfHow the West Was Lost2008TV Movie documentarySentenza / Angel Eyes (uncredited)Ein Leben wie im Flug2007TV MovieHimselfHollywood Remembers Lee Marvin2000TV Movie documentaryReese (uncredited)The Making of How the West Was Won1998Video documentary shortHimselfBruce Lee and Kung Fu Mania1992DocumentaryThe Best of the Martial Arts Films1992DocumentaryHimselfAFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to James Stewart1980TV Special documentaryActor The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (uncredited)Blade Rider, Revenge of the Indian Nations1966Charlie YatesLuke and the Tenderfoot1965TV MovieJohnny DarthThe Gun of Zangara1960TV MovieFrank Diamond (uncredited)
1When still working as an accountant, Van Cleef was offered an acting job starting on Monday. He protested that he needed to give his employer two weeks notice, only to be told that he started on Monday or didnt start at all. When Van Cleefs employer heard this, he promptly fired him, removing the need for any notice period.2Served in the US Navy from 1942-46.3Producer Stuart Cohen recently revealed that Van Cleef was considered for the role of Garry in John Carpenters The Thing (1982), since Carpenter had recently worked with him on Escape from New York (1981).4He was involved in a car accident in 1959 in which he lost his left kneecap. Doctors told him he would never be able to ride a horse again because of the injury. Within six months he was back in the saddle.5Was on the short list of actors under consideration for arms dealer Brad Whitaker in The Living Daylights (1987).6Interviewed in Bad at the Bijou by William R. Horner (McFarland, 1982).7Was portrayed as a bounty hunter in the Lucky Luke comic book The Bounty Hunter.8Son of Clarence Leroy Van Cleef and Maria Lavinia Van Fleet, both mostly of Dutch ancestry. He also had distant French, Swedish, Belgian (Flemish), English, and German, roots.9During one summer in the early 1950s he was a camp counselor in NYC for Marc Furstenberg.10Was the inspiration for the character Revolver Ocelot in the Metal Gear series of games.11According to the book Weird NJ (Sceurman, Mark and Mark Moran, Barnes and Noble Books, 2004 ISBN 0-7607-3979-X) he was a descendant of the Morris County Van Cleefs who were inmous in the area for their strange living and procreational efforts. In ct, one trait that Lee had was that he had one green eye and one blue eye. According to the book, this telltale characteristic was corrected in the movies with colored contact lenses.12He had almost given up his acting career in the mid-60s and turned to painting when he was cast by Sergio Leone in For a Few Dollars More (1965). It made him a superstar in Europe and restarted his career in the US, him again a recognizable and bankable name.13One episode of his short-lived TV series, The Master (1984), was titled The Good, The Bad and the Priceless.14He had three children from his first marriage: Alan (B. 1947), Deborah (B. 1948), and David. In 1960, when Lee married his second wife Joan Miller. They adopted a daughter, Denise.15He was missing the last joint of his middle finger, a disfigurement prominently featured in the climactic gunfight of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966). He actually lost it while building a playhouse for his daughter, although there were rumors that it happened in a road accident or a bar fight.
1[on his pierced left ear] I started wearing it when I was a kid in the Navy. I sailed all over the world, and somewhere along I started wearing an earring as a symbol of respect for all of the different cultures and people. Ive worn it, off and on, ever since. Lately, when directors and producers see the bloody thing, they ask me to wear it on camera. [The Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 12, 1981]2Bad guys have always been my bag . . . I look mean without even trying. Audiences just naturally hate me on screen. I could play a role in a tuxedo and people would think I was rotten. You can do much more with a villain part. Movies are full of leading men, most of whom arent working. Its much harder to find a good villain.3Being born with a pair of beady eyes was the best thing that ever happened to me.
1When starring in westerns, his characters frequently use customized firearms, such as rifles and pistols with increased precision, fire rate, ammo magazine and additional muzzles.2Low Authorative voice3Sardonic, menacing characters4Beady eyes that frequently squinted in the Western sun5Sharp cial features6Spaghetti westerns
