Lee Van Cleef was born on 9th January, 1925 in Somerville, New Jersey, USA was an American film actor who appeared mostly in Western and action pictures the son of Marion Levinia and Clarence LeRoy Van Cleef, Sr. both of Dutch ancestry.
Biography and Career
Lee Van Cleef started out as an accountant. He served in the U.S. Navy aboard minesweepers and subchasers during World War II.
After the war he worked as an office administrator, becoming involved in amateur theatrics in his spare time. An audition for a professional role led to a touring company job in "Mr. Roberts".
His performance was seen by Stanley Kramer, who cast him as henchman Jack Colby in High Noon (1952), a role that brought him great recognition despite the fact that he had no dialogue. For th
e next decade he played a string of memorably villainous characters, primarily in westerns but also in crime dramas such as The Big Combo (1955).
His hawk nose and steely, slit eyes seemed destined to keep him always in the realm of heavies, but in the mid-'60s Sergio Leone cast him as the tough but decent Col. Mortimer opposite Clint Eastwood in Per qualche dollaro in più (1965).
In the 1980s he moved easily into action and martial-arts movies, and starred in "The Master" (1984), a TV series featuring almost non-stop martial arts action. He died of a heart attack in December 1989, and was buried at Forest Lawn in the Hollywood Hills.
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 former colonel in For a Few Dollars More.
Van Cleef served in the United States Navy aboard minesweepers and subchasers during World War II and became an actor after a brief career as an accountant.
General Appearance
Date of Death : 16 December 1989, Oxnard, California, USA (heart attack)
Birth Name : Clarence Leroy Van Cleef Jr.
Height : 6' 2" (1.88 m)
Why do we like separ?
We like Lee Van Cleef he has piercing eyes
Why is Lee Van Cleef famous?
Lee Van Cleef was famous for movie villains roles.
Lee Van Cleef was born on 9th January, 1925 in Somerville, New Jersey, USA was an American film actor who appeared mostly in Western and action pictures the son of Marion Levinia and Clarence LeRoy Van Cleef, Sr. both of Dutch ancestry.
irrelevant
broken