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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 Italian Spaghetti Westerns, particularly the
Sergio Leone Sergio Leone (; 3 January 1929 – 30 April 1989) was an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter credited as the pioneer of the Spaghetti Western genre and widely regarded as one of the most influential directors in the history of cin ...
-directed '' Dollars Trilogy'' films ''
For a Few Dollars More ''For a Few Dollars More'' ( it, Per qualche dollaro in più) is a 1965 Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone. It stars Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef as bounty hunters and Gian Maria Volonté as the primary villain. German actor ...
'' (1965) and '' The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'' (1966). Born and raised in
New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...
, Van Cleef served in the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
aboard a minesweeper, earning a
Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. W ...
for his actions. After acting on stage in regional theatre, he made his film debut in the Oscar-winning Western ''
High Noon ''High Noon'' is a 1952 American Western film produced by Stanley Kramer from a screenplay by Carl Foreman, directed by Fred Zinnemann, and starring Gary Cooper. The plot, which occurs in real time, centers on a town marshal whose sense ...
'' (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 and crime dramas. After suffering serious injuries in a car crash, Van Cleef's acting career started to decline. However, he achieved unexpected stardom when director Sergio Leone offered him the co-leading role in ''For a Few Dollars More''. The film proved to be a huge hit and cited him as a box-office draw, largely in Europe. Van Cleef went on to appear in such films as Leone's '' The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'' (1966), '' Death Rides a Horse'' (1967), '' Day of Anger'' (also 1967), '' Sabata'' (1969) and its sequel ''
Return of Sabata ''Return of Sabata'' ( it, È tornato Sabata ... hai chiuso un'altra volta, lit=Sabata is back ... you're finished again) is a 1971 Spaghetti Western film directed by Gianfranco Parolini. The third film in '' The Sabata Trilogy'', it features the ...
'' (1971), '' El Condor'' (1970), '' The Magnificent Seven Ride!'' (1972), ''
Mean Frank and Crazy Tony ''Mean Frank and Crazy Tony'' ( it, Il suo nome faceva tremare...Interpol in allarme or it, Dio, sei proprio un padreterno!) is a 1973 crime-comedy film directed by Michele Lupo, and starring Lee Van Cleef, Tony Lo Bianco and Edwige Fenech. P ...
'' (1973), ''
Take a Hard Ride ''Take a Hard Ride'' is a 1975 Italian-American Spaghetti Western film directed by Anthony Dawson and starring Jim Brown, Lee Van Cleef, Fred Williamson and Jim Kelly. This was the second of three films Brown, Williamson, and Kelly would star in ...
'' (1975), '' The Octagon'' (1980), '' Escape from New York'' (1981) and '' Speed Zone'' (1989). He also played the lead role of John Peter McAllister on the martial arts television series '' The Master'' (1984).


Early life

Lee Van Cleef was born on January 9, 1925, in
Somerville, New Jersey Somerville is a borough and the county seat of Somerset County, New Jersey, United States.New Je ...
, to Marion Lavinia Van Fleet and Clarence LeRoy Van Cleef. Lee graduated high school early at the age of 17 from Somerville High School New Jersey in order to enlist in the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
in September 1942.


Military service

After completing his military training, Van Cleef was assigned to a
submarine chaser A submarine chaser or subchaser is a small naval vessel that is specifically intended for anti-submarine warfare. Many of the American submarine chasers used in World War I found their way to Allied nations by way of Lend-Lease in World War I ...
and then to a minesweeper called the , on which he worked as a sonarman. The ship initially patrolled the
Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean ...
, then moved to the
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on ...
, participating in the landings in southern France. In January 1945, ''Incredible'' moved to the
Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...
, and performed sweeping duties out of the Soviet Navy base at
Sevastopol Sevastopol (; uk, Севасто́поль, Sevastópolʹ, ; gkm, Σεβαστούπολις, Sevastoúpolis, ; crh, Акъя́р, Aqyár, ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea, and a major port on the Black Sea ...
,
Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a p ...
. Afterwards, the ship performed air-sea rescue patrols in the Black Sea before returning to
Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The city is noted for its ...
, Sicily. By the time of his discharge in March 1946, he had achieved the rank of Sonarman First Class (SO1) and had earned his mine sweeper patch. He also had been awarded the
Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. W ...
and the Good Conduct Medal. By virtue of his deployments, Van Cleef also qualified for the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, the
American Campaign Medal The American Campaign Medal is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was first created on November 6, 1942, by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was intended to recognize those military members who had perfo ...
, and the World War II Victory Medal. He was discharged from the Navy in 1946.


Acting career

After leaving the Navy, Van Cleef received his first acting role as a reader for the play ''
Our Town ''Our Town'' is a 1938 metatheatrical three-act play by American playwright Thornton Wilder which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play tells the story of the fictional American small town of Grover's Corners between 1901 and 1913 thr ...
'' at the Little Theater Group in
Clinton, New Jersey Clinton is a town in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. It is located on the South Branch of the Raritan River in the Raritan Valley region. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the town's population was 2,719,MCA MCA may refer to: Astronomy * Mars-crossing asteroid, an asteroid whose orbit crosses that of Mars Aviation * Minimum crossing altitude, a minimum obstacle crossing altitude for fixes on published airways * Medium Combat Aircraft, a 5th gen ...
agency, who then sent him to the
Alvin Theater The Neil Simon Theatre, originally the Alvin Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 250 West 52nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1927, the theater was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and was built for A ...
for an audition. The play was '' Mister Roberts''. Van Cleef's screen debut came in ''
High Noon ''High Noon'' is a 1952 American Western film produced by Stanley Kramer from a screenplay by Carl Foreman, directed by Fred Zinnemann, and starring Gary Cooper. The plot, which occurs in real time, centers on a town marshal whose sense ...
''. During a performance of ''Mister Roberts'' in Los Angeles, he was noticed by film producer
Stanley Kramer Stanley Earl Kramer (September 29, 1913February 19, 2001) was an American film director and producer, responsible for making many of Hollywood's most famous "message picture, message films" (he would call his movies ''heavy dramas'') and a libera ...
, 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 ''Kansas City Confidential'' is a 1952 American film noir and crime film directed by Phil Karlson starring John Payne and Coleen Gray. The film was released in the United Kingdom as ''The Secret Four''. Karlson and Payne teamed a year later for ...
'' (1952), culminating 14 years later in
Sergio Leone Sergio Leone (; 3 January 1929 – 30 April 1989) was an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter credited as the pioneer of the Spaghetti Western genre and widely regarded as one of the most influential directors in the history of cin ...
's '' The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'' (1966). Aside from Westerns and the
science fiction film Science fiction (or sci-fi) is a film genre that uses speculative, fictional science-based depictions of phenomena that are not fully accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial lifeforms, spacecraft, robots, cyborgs, interstel ...
s, three of his early major roles were in noir films, ''
Kansas City Confidential ''Kansas City Confidential'' is a 1952 American film noir and crime film directed by Phil Karlson starring John Payne and Coleen Gray. The film was released in the United Kingdom as ''The Secret Four''. Karlson and Payne teamed a year later for ...
'' (1952), '' Vice Squad'' (1953) and ''
The Big Combo ''The Big Combo'' is a 1955 American film noir crime film directed by Joseph H. Lewis, written by Philip Yordan and photographed by cinematographer John Alton, with music by David Raksin. The film stars Cornel Wilde, Richard Conte and Bri ...
'' (1955). In 1952, he made his television debut when he was cast in the episode "Formula for Fear" of the Western aviation series '' Sky King''. Van Cleef appeared six times between 1953 and 1955 on the children's syndicated Western series '' The Adventures of Kit Carson'', starring Bill Williams. He was cast three times, including the role of Rocky Hatch in the episode "Greed Rides the Range" (1952), of another syndicated Western series, '' The Range Rider''. He appeared in episode 82 of the TV series '' The Lone Ranger'' in 1952. In 1954, Van Cleef appeared as
Jesse James Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw, bank and train robber, guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Raised in the " Little Dixie" area of Western Missouri, James and his family maintained st ...
in the syndicated series ''Stories of the Century''. In 1955, he was cast twice on another syndicated Western series, '' Annie Oakley''. That same year, he guest-starred on the CBS Western series '' Brave Eagle''. In 1955, he played one of the two villains in an episode of ''
The Adventures of Champion ''The Adventures of Champion'' is an American adventure serial radio drama directed by William Burch about screen cowboy Gene Autry's horse Champion. Each 15-minute episode was broadcast weekday afternoons on the Mutual Broadcasting System in 194 ...
'' the Wonder Horse. He played Cherokee Bob in the NBC Western series ''
Tales of Wells Fargo ''Tales of Wells Fargo'' is an American Western television series starring Dale Robertson that ran from 1957 to 1962 on NBC. Produced by Revue Productions, the series aired in a half-hour format until its final season, when it expanded t ...
'' in 1957. In 1958, he was cast as Ed Murdock, a rodeo performer trying to reclaim the title in the event at
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylv ...
in New York City, on '' Richard Diamond, Private Detective''. Van Cleef played different characters on four episodes of ABC's ''
The Rifleman ''The Rifleman'' is an American Western television program starring Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the fictional town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The sho ...
'', with Chuck Connors, between 1959 and 1962, and twice on ABC's '' Tombstone Territory''. In 1958, he was cast as Deputy Sid Carver in the episode "The Great Stagecoach Robbery" of another syndicated Western series, '' Frontier Doctor'', starring Rex Allen. In 1959, Van Cleef appeared as Luke Clagg in the episode "Strange Request" of the NBC Western series '' Riverboat'' starring
Darren McGavin Darren is a masculine given name of uncertain etymological origins. Some theories state that it originated from an Anglicisation of the Irish first name Darragh or Dáire, meaning "Oak Tree". According to other sources, it is thought to come from ...
, as Jumbo Kane in the episode "The Hostage" on the CBS Western series " Wanted Dead or Alive" starring
Steve McQueen Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of the counterculture of the 1960s, made him a top box-office draw for his films of the late 1950s, 1960s, and ...
, and in an episode of ''
Maverick Maverick, Maveric or Maverik may refer to: History * Maverick (animal), an unbranded range animal, derived from U.S. cattleman Samuel Maverick Aviation * AEA Maverick, an Australian single-seat sportsplane design * General Aviation Design Bure ...
'' titled "Red Dog" in 1961 starring
Roger Moore Sir Roger George Moore (14 October 192723 May 2017) was an English actor. He was the third actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond in the Eon Productions film series, playing the character in seven feature films between 1 ...
and John Carradine. Van Cleef played a sentry on an episode of the ABC sitcom ''
The Real McCoys ''The Real McCoys'' is an American situation comedy starring Walter Brennan, Richard Crenna, and Kathleen Nolan. Co-produced by Danny Thomas's Marterto Productions in association with Walter Brennan and Irving Pincus's Westgate Compan ...
'', with Walter Brennan. Van Cleef was cast with
Pippa Scott Philippa Scott is an American actress who has appeared in film and television since the 1950s. Personal life Scott was born in Los Angeles, California. She is the daughter of actress Laura Straub and screenwriter Allan Scott; an uncle was th ...
and again with Chuck Connors in the 1960 episode "Trial by Fear" of the CBS
anthology series An anthology series is a radio, television, video game or film series that spans different genres and presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a dif ...
''
The DuPont Show with June Allyson ''The DuPont Show with June Allyson'' (also known as ''The June Allyson Show'') is an American anthology drama series which aired on CBS from September 21, 1959, to April 3, 1961, with rebroadcasts continuing until June 12, 1961. The series wa ...
''. A young Van Cleef also made an appearance on ''
The Andy Griffith Show ''The Andy Griffith Show '' is an American sitcom, situation comedy television series that aired on CBS from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968, with a total of 249 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons—159 in black and white and 90 in colo ...
'' and as Frank Diamond in '' The Untouchables'', in an episode entitled "The Unhired Assassin". He also appeared in an episode of the ABC/
Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
Western series '' The Alaskans''. Van Cleef guest-starred on the CBS Western series '' Have Gun – Will Travel'', on the ABC/ Warner Bros. series '' Colt .45'', on the NBC Western series '' Cimarron City'' and '' Laramie'', and on Rod Cameron's syndicated crime dramas ''
City Detective ''City Detective'' is a half-hour syndicated crime drama starring Rod Cameron as Bart Grant, a tough 1950s New York City police lieutenant. The show's title was a bit of a misnomer, as Grant fought crime "from Mexico to the Mojave Desert to Ne ...
'' and ''
State Trooper State police, provincial police or regional police are a type of sub-national territorial police force found in nations organized as federations, typically in North America, South Asia, and Oceania. These forces typically have jurisdicti ...
''. He guest-starred in an episode of John Bromfield's syndicated crime drama '' Sheriff of Cochise''. Van Cleef starred as minor villains and henchmen in various Westerns, including '' The Tin Star'' and '' Gunfight at the O.K. Corral''. His film characters died in many of his Westerns and gangster portrayals. In 1960, he appeared as a villainous swindler in the ''
Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on ...
'' episode, "The Bloodline" (December 31, 1960) and also made an appearance on ''
Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central chara ...
''. In 1961, he played a role on episode 7 ("The Grave") of the third season of ''
The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...
'' starring Lee Marvin. He played a villainous henchman of Lee Marvin's titular character in the 1962
John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...
movie '' The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance'' starring
John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Go ...
and
James Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military pilot. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morality ...
. In 1963, he appeared on '' Perry Mason'' (episode: "The Case of the Golden Oranges"). That same year, he appeared in "The Day of the Misfits" on ''
The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters ''The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters'' is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel written by Robert Lewis Taylor, which was later made into a short-running television series on ABC from September 1963 through March 1964, featuring Kurt Russell as Jaimie, D ...
''.


Stardom

In 1965,
Sergio Leone Sergio Leone (; 3 January 1929 – 30 April 1989) was an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter credited as the pioneer of the Spaghetti Western genre and widely regarded as one of the most influential directors in the history of cin ...
cast Van Cleef, whose career had yet to take off, as a main protagonist alongside
Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the " Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "'' Do ...
in ''
For a Few Dollars More ''For a Few Dollars More'' ( it, Per qualche dollaro in più) is a 1965 Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone. It stars Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef as bounty hunters and Gian Maria Volonté as the primary villain. German actor ...
''. Leone then chose Van Cleef to appear again with Eastwood, this time as the primary antagonist, Angel Eyes, in the now seminal Western '' The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'' (1966). With his roles in Leone's films, Van Cleef became a major star of
Spaghetti Western The Spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's film-making style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most o ...
s, playing central, and often surprisingly heroic, roles in films such as ''
The Big Gundown ''The Big Gundown'' ( it, La resa dei conti, lit=The Settling of Scores) is a 1966 Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Sollima, and starring Lee Van Cleef and Tomas Milian. Plot Possessing a reputation for bringing criminals to justice, r ...
'' (1966), '' Death Rides a Horse'' (1967), '' Day of Anger'' (1967), and ''
The Grand Duel ''The Grand Duel'' (Italian: ''Il Grande duello''), also known as ''Storm Rider'' and ''The Big Showdown'', is a 1972 Spaghetti Western film directed by Giancarlo Santi, who had previously worked as Sergio Leone's assistant director on ''The Good ...
'' (1972). He played the title role in '' Sabata'' (1969) and ''
Return of Sabata ''Return of Sabata'' ( it, È tornato Sabata ... hai chiuso un'altra volta, lit=Sabata is back ... you're finished again) is a 1971 Spaghetti Western film directed by Gianfranco Parolini. The third film in '' The Sabata Trilogy'', it features the ...
'' (1971), and co-starred with
Jim Brown James Nathaniel Brown (born February 17, 1936) is a former American football player, sports analyst and actor. He played as a fullback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) from 1957 through 1965. Considered to be one ...
in an Italian-American co-production, ''
Take a Hard Ride ''Take a Hard Ride'' is a 1975 Italian-American Spaghetti Western film directed by Anthony Dawson and starring Jim Brown, Lee Van Cleef, Fred Williamson and Jim Kelly. This was the second of three films Brown, Williamson, and Kelly would star in ...
'' (1975). In two of his final westerns he co-starred with Leif Garrett in '' God's Gun'' (1976) and ''
Kid Vengeance Kid, Kids, KIDS, and K.I.D.S. may refer to: Common meanings * Colloquial term for a child or other young person ** Also for a parent's offspring regardless of age * Engage in joking * Young goats * The goat meat of young goats * Kidskin, le ...
'' (1977), both of which were filmed mainly in Israel. Van Cleef later had a supporting role in John Carpenter's
cult film A cult film or cult movie, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage i ...
'' Escape from New York'' (1981). He slipped out of the limelight in his later years. In 1984, he was cast as a
ninja A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance, espionage, infiltration, deception, ambush, bodyguarding and their fighting skills in martial arts, including ninjutsu.Kawakami, pp. 2 ...
master in the NBC adventure series '' The Master'', but it was canceled after thirteen episodes. In all, Van Cleef is credited with 90 movie roles and 109 television appearances over a 38-year span.


Personal life

Van Cleef was married three times. His first marriage was to Patsy Ruth Kahle, in 1943. They had three children, Alan, Deborah and David, and divorced in 1958. His second marriage was to Joan Marjorie Drane, from 1960 to 1974. His final marriage was to Barbara Havelone in 1976, who survived him. He lost the last joint of the middle finger of his right hand while building a playhouse for his daughter. In 1958, a severe car crash nearly cost Van Cleef his life and career. A resulting knee injury made his physicians think that he would never ride a horse again. This injury plagued Van Cleef for the rest of his life and caused him great pain. His recovery was long and difficult and halted his acting for a time. He then began a business in interior decoration with second wife Joan, as well as pursuing his talent for painting, primarily of sea and landscapes.


Death

Despite suffering from
heart disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, h ...
from the late 1970s and having a
pacemaker An artificial cardiac pacemaker (or artificial pacemaker, so as not to be confused with the natural cardiac pacemaker) or pacemaker is a medical device that generates electrical impulses delivered by electrodes to the chambers of the heart ei ...
installed in the early 1980s, Van Cleef continued to work in films until his death on December 16, 1989, at age 64. He collapsed in his home in Oxnard, California, from a
heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...
. Throat cancer was listed as a secondary cause of death. 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


Film


Television


In popular culture

* Lee Van Cleef's characters in the Sergio Leone movies inspired the creation of the characters Elliot Belt of the '' Lucky Luke'' comic album ''The Bounty Hunter'', and
Cad Bane Cad Bane is a fictional character in the '' Star Wars'' franchise. Created by George Lucas, Dave Filoni and Henry Gilroy, the character was introduced to serve as a recurring antagonist in the 2008 computer animated series '' Star Wars: The Clo ...
of the ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has been expanded into various film ...
'' franchise. * The band Primus has a song about Lee Van Cleef on their album ''
Green Naugahyde ''Green Naugahyde'' is the seventh studio album by rock group Primus, released by ATO Records and Prawn Song on September 12, 2011 in Europe, and on September 13, 2011 in the United States. It is the band's first album since 1999's ''Antipop'', ...
''. * Guitarist and ex-
Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff ...
member Ron Thal recorded an instrumental piece titled "The Legend of Van Cleef". * The '' Warcraft'' universe features the villain Edwin Van Cleef, inspired by Lee Van Cleef. * The
Black Library The Black Library is a division of Games Workshop (formerly a part of BL Publishing) which is devoted to publishing novels and audiobooks (and has previously produced art books, background books, and graphic novels) set in the ''Warhammer Fantasy ...
magazine '' Inferno!'' featured several short stories, within the
Necromunda ''Necromunda'' is a skirmish tabletop war game produced by Games Workshop since 1995. It has been relaunched as ''Necromunda: Underhive'' in 2017. In ''Necromunda'', players control rival gangs battling each other in the Underhive, a place of ...
setting, starring a bounty hunter named Nathan Creed, who was written as a homage to Lee Van Cleef; writer Jonathan Green described the character as "Lee Van Cleef, Clint Eastwood, The Man With No Name and John Wayne all rolled into one", and illustrations in the magazine clearly showed Creed as physically nearly identical to Van Cleef. * Philip Pullman, author of the bestselling trilogy '' His Dark Materials'', stated that the first name of his fictional American explorer, airman, and crack marksman Lee Scoresby was a reference to Van Cleef, with the character's surname as an homage to the famous Arctic explorer William Scoresby. * Van Cleef was parodied in '' GLC: The Carnage Continues...'', a short British comedy film of the late 1980s that humorously joined British politics with Hollywood action stars. Van Cleef is portrayed by the film's director Peter Richardson, though it rather suggests Van Cleef the personage is unrealistically playing
Tony Benn Anthony Neil Wedgwood Benn (3 April 1925 – 14 March 2014), known between 1960 and 1963 as Viscount Stansgate, was a British politician, writer and diarist who served as a Cabinet minister in the 1960s and 1970s. A member of the Labour Party, ...
, a British member of Parliament. * Van Cleef served as visual inspiration for the characters of Revolver Ocelot and Old Snake in the ''Metal Gear Solid'' video game series as well as inspiring the gunslinger personality of the former. * Hungarian musician Tamás Cseh wrote the song "Lee van Cleef". *British singers Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott mention Lee and
Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the " Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "'' Do ...
in the song, "When I Get Back to Blighty". *References to Lee Van Cleef appear as Easter eggs in the episode S04E20 Entity. The entity is searching through personnel files on a projected computer screen. The first name that shows up is Lee Van Cleef, with team designation "SG-1" and a rank of "Master". His name appears several more times with pictures of different people.


References


External links

* *
TheBad.net: A Tribute to Lee Van Cleef
{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Cleef, Lee 1925 births 1989 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American male television actors American people of Dutch descent American people of English descent American people of German descent Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) Male Spaghetti Western actors Male Western (genre) film actors Male actors from Los Angeles Male actors from New Jersey Male actors from Oxnard, California Male actors from Somerville, New Jersey Somerville High School (New Jersey) alumni United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Navy sailors Western (genre) television actors Deaths from throat cancer Deaths from cancer in California