Lee Van Cleef

Died at 101

born January 9, 1925

male164 suggestions0 votes

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".

Known for

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

For a Few Dollars More

Escape from New York

Related Talent

Charles Bronson

22 roles in common

Top Casting Suggestions

Lee Van Cleef has been suggested to play 164 roles. Click below to see other actors suggested for each role, and vote for who you think would play the role best.

Lee Van Cleef

Hosea Matthews

Red Dead Redemption II (1980's)

Hosea Matthews

Lee Van Cleef

Mike Ehrmantraut

Breaking Bad (1970's)

Mike Ehrmantraut

Lee Van Cleef

Abraham Whistler

Blade (1978)

Abraham Whistler

Lee Van Cleef

Dutch van der Linde

Red Dead Redemption (1970's)

Dutch van der Linde

Lee Van Cleef

Gurney Halleck

Dune (1980)

Gurney Halleck

Lee Van Cleef

Dutch van der Linde

Red Dead Redemption (1960's)

Dutch van der Linde

Lee Van Cleef

Jim Malone

Enzo Castellari's THE UNTOUCHABLES ("POLIZIA DI CHICAGO CONTRO CAPONE," 1974)

Jim Malone

Lee Van Cleef

Henri Ducard

John Carpenter's Batman Begins (1985)

Henri Ducard

Lee Van Cleef

Stick

The Perfect Daredevil Movie

Stick

Lee Van Cleef

Actor

Best of 60s

Actor

Lee Van Cleef

Senator Ethan Roark

Sin City (1980)

Senator Ethan Roark

Lee Van Cleef

1950

Actor from every decade who could have played Freddy Krueger

1950

Lee Van Cleef

Caretaker

Ghost Rider (1987)

Caretaker

Lee Van Cleef

Wyatt Earp

Sergio Leone's Violenza nella Tombstone (1969)

Wyatt Earp

Lee Van Cleef

Stick

Daredevil: The Man Without Fear (1986)

Stick

Lee Van Cleef

Warden

Shutter Island (1980)

Warden

Lee Van Cleef

Abraham Whistler

Blade (1984)

Abraham Whistler

Lee Van Cleef

Antlers Holst

Nope (1985)

Antlers Holst

Lee Van Cleef

Stick

Daredevil : Man Without Fear (1985)

Stick

Lee Van Cleef

Frankie

Shark Tale (1968)

Frankie

Lee Van Cleef

Budd

Kill Bill: Volumes 1 & 2 (1973 - 1974)

Budd

Lee Van Cleef

Commissioner Gordon

John Carpenter's ESCAPE FROM GOTHAM (1981)

Commissioner Gordon

Lee Van Cleef

Three Named people

Land of the Three name people

Three Named people

Lee Van Cleef

Actors Who Have Passed (R.I.P.)

Who is your favourite?

Actors Who Have Passed (R.I.P.)

Showing 1–24 of 247 suggestions