The Good, the Bad and the Ugly1966
As Sentenza / Angel Eyes
TMDb 8.5 / 10
Lee Van Cleef
Born
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 (93)
For a Few Dollars More1965
As Col. Douglas Mortimer
TMDb 8.0 / 10
Escape from New York1981
As Police Commissioner Bob Hauk
TMDb 7.0 / 10
High Noon1952
As Jack Colby
TMDb 7.7 / 10
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance1962
As Reese
TMDb 7.8 / 10
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral1957
As Ed Bailey
TMDb 7.0 / 10
How the West Was Won1962
As River Pirate
TMDb 7.0 / 10
The Bravados1958
As Alfonso Parral
TMDb 6.6 / 10
The Young Lions1958
As 1st Sgt. Rickett
TMDb 6.7 / 10
Speed Zone1989
As Grandfather
TMDb 4.5 / 10
The Tin Star1957
As Ed McGaffey
TMDb 7.1 / 10
The Magnificent Seven Ride!1972
As Marshal Chris Adams
TMDb 5.7 / 10
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms1953
As Corp. Stone
TMDb 6.6 / 10
Ride Lonesome1959
As Frank
TMDb 6.7 / 10
Death Rides a Horse1967
As Ryan
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Sabata1969
As Sabata
TMDb 6.3 / 10
Day of Anger1967
As Frank Talby
TMDb 7.1 / 10
God's Gun1976
As Father John / Lewis
TMDb 5.0 / 10
Barquero1970
As Travis
TMDb 6.2 / 10
The Octagon1980
As McCarn
TMDb 5.1 / 10
Ten Wanted Men1955
As Al Drucker
TMDb 5.9 / 10
Tribute to a Bad Man1956
As Fat Jones
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Take a Hard Ride1975
As Kiefer
TMDb 5.3 / 10
The Lonely Man1957
As Faro
TMDb 6.1 / 10
Commandos1968
As MSgt. Sullivan
TMDb 5.7 / 10
Posse from Hell1961
As Leo
TMDb 6.2 / 10
The Big Gundown1967
As Jonathan Corbett
TMDb 7.2 / 10
China Gate1957
As Maj. Cham
TMDb 6.2 / 10
Dawn at Socorro1954
As Earl Ferris
TMDb 7.2 / 10
Bad Man's River1971
As Roy King
TMDb 5.0 / 10
El Condor1970
As Jaroo
TMDb 5.4 / 10
The Big Combo1955
As Fante
TMDb 7.0 / 10
The Stranger and the Gunfighter1974
As Dakota
TMDb 5.4 / 10
Pardners1956
As Gus
TMDb 6.7 / 10
Captain Apache1971
As Capt. Apache
TMDb 4.7 / 10
Beyond the Law1968
As Billy Joe Cudlip
TMDb 5.8 / 10
The Conqueror1956
As Chepei
TMDb 3.6 / 10
Day of the Badman1958
As Jake Hayes
TMDb 6.9 / 10
Princess of the Nile1954
As Hakar (uncredited)
TMDb 7.3 / 10
It Conquered the World1956
As Dr. Tom Anderson
TMDb 4.9 / 10
A Man Alone1955
As Clanton
TMDb 5.8 / 10
Joe Dakota1957
As Adam Grant
TMDb 6.7 / 10
The Grand Duel1972
As Sheriff Clayton
TMDb 6.0 / 10
The Lawless Breed1952
As Dirk Hanley
TMDb 6.7 / 10
The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout2024
As Self (archive footage)
TMDb 5.3 / 10
Kansas City Confidential1952
As Tony Romano
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Untamed Frontier1952
As Dave Chittun
TMDb 7.3 / 10
The Best of the Martial Arts Films1990
As Self
TMDb 8.8 / 10
Jungle Raiders1985
As Warren
TMDb 4.4 / 10
The Naked Street1955
As Harry Goldish (uncredited)
TMDb 6.2 / 10
Arrow In The Dust1954
As Tillotson Henchman
TMDb 6.3 / 10
Mean Frank and Crazy Tony1973
As Frankie
TMDb 4.6 / 10
Code Name: Wild Geese1984
As Archie 'China' Travers
TMDb 5.3 / 10
The Commander1988
As Col. Mazzarini
TMDb 5.6 / 10
Armed Response1986
As Burt Roth
TMDb 5.2 / 10
Vice Squad1953
As Pete Monty
TMDb 6.1 / 10
Guns Girls and Gangsters1959
As Mike Bennett
TMDb 5.9 / 10
The Slowest Gun in the West1960
As Sam Bass
TMDb 4.5 / 10
When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion1979
As Self
Return of Sabata1971
As Sabata / Major
TMDb 5.9 / 10
Machete1958
As Miguel
TMDb 6.7 / 10
Tumbleweed1953
As Marv
TMDb 6.2 / 10
The Road to Denver1955
As Pecos Larry
TMDb 7.0 / 10
The Badge of Marshal Brennan1957
As Shad Donaphin
TMDb 6.5 / 10
The Perfect Killer1977
As Harry Chapman
TMDb 4.3 / 10
Rails Into Laramie1954
As Ace Winton
TMDb 6.5 / 10
Treasure of Ruby Hills1955
As Frank Emmett
TMDb 5.0 / 10
Last Stagecoach West1957
As Steve Margolies
TMDb 5.5 / 10
I Cover the Underworld1955
As Flash Logan
TMDb 6.5 / 10
Killing Machine1984
As Julot
TMDb 4.7 / 10
Kid Vengeance1976
As McClain
TMDb 5.4 / 10
Raiders of Old California1957
As Damon Pardee
TMDb 5.4 / 10
The Bandits of Corsica1953
As Nerva
TMDb 6.4 / 10
Gun Battle at Monterey1957
As Kirby
TMDb 5.2 / 10
The Yellow Tomahawk1954
As Fire Knife
TMDb 6.6 / 10
Master Ninja1984
As John Peter McAllister
TMDb 4.4 / 10
The Desperado1954
As Paul Clayton/Buck Clayton
TMDb 7.2 / 10
Accused of Murder1956
As Police Sgt. Emmett Lackey
TMDb 4.8 / 10
The Squeeze1978
As Chris Gretchko / Ray Sloan
TMDb 5.9 / 10
Master Ninja II1984
As John Peter McAllister
TMDb 7.2 / 10
The Master Ninja 51985
As John Peter McAllister
TMDb 10.0 / 10
Gypsy Colt1954
As Hank
TMDb 7.2 / 10
Klaus Kinski: I'm not an actor2000
As Col. Douglas Mortimer (archive footage)
The Vanishing American1955
As Jay Lord
TMDb 6.7 / 10
Jack Slade1953
As Bolt Mackay
TMDb 7.0 / 10
The Hard Way1980
As McNeal
TMDb 6.1 / 10
Arena1953
As Smitty
TMDb 5.0 / 10
The Nebraskan1953
As Pvt. Reno Benton
TMDb 3.8 / 10
The Quiet Gun1957
As Doug Sadler
TMDb 6.4 / 10
Thieves of Fortune1990
As Sergio Danielo Christophero
TMDb 3.8 / 10
White Lightning1953
As Brutus Allen
TMDb 7.5 / 10
Nowhere to Hide1977
As Ike Scanlon
TMDb 7.5 / 10
Peter Baumgartner, Filmkameramann
Peter Baumgartner, Filmkameramann2014
As (archive footage)
Filmography and biography: TMDb