Lee Van Cleef
Clarence LeRoy "Lee" Van Cleef Jr. 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. Military service: After basic training and further training at the Naval Fleet Sound School, Van Cleef was assigned to a submarine chaser and then to a minesweeper, USS Incredible, on which he worked as a sonarman. After leaving the Navy, Van Cleef read for a part in Our Town at the Little Theater Group in Clinton, New Jersey and received his first stage role. From there, he continued to meet with the group and audition for parts. The next biggest part was that of the boxer, Joe Pendleton, in the play Heaven Can Wait. During this time, he was observed by visiting talent scouts, who were impressed by Van Cleef's stage presence and delivery. One of these scouts later took him to New York City talent agent Maynard Morris of the MCA agency, who then sent him to the Alvin Theater for an audition. Van Cleef's screen debut came in High Noon. During a performance of Mister Roberts in Los Angeles, he was noticed by film director Stanley Kramer, 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 (1952), culminating 14 years later in Sergio Leone's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) 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". Description above from the Wikipedia article Lee Van Cleef, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
High Noon
(Jack Colby)
For a Few Dollars More
(Col. Douglas Mortimer)
Escape from New York
(Police Commissioner Bob Hauk)
The Tin Star
(Ed McGaffey)
Kansas City Confidential
(Tony Romano)
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
(Ed Bailey)
The Big Combo
(Fante)
Pardners
(Gus)
The Octagon
(McCarn)
Barquero
(Travis)
Speed Zone
(Grandfather)
It Conquered the World
(Dr. Tom Anderson)
Beyond the Law
(Billy Joe Cudlip)
Ride Lonesome
(Frank)
The Young Lions
(1st Sgt. Rickett)
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
(Corp. Stone)
The Stranger and the Gunfighter
(Dakota)
Peter Baumgartner, Filmkameramann
((archive footage))
The Lonely Man
(Faro)
Accused of Murder
(Police Sgt. Emmett Lackey)
The Magnificent Seven Ride!
(Marshal Chris Adams)
The Bravados
(Alfonso Parral)
The Grand Duel
(Sheriff Clayton)
Take a Hard Ride
(Kiefer)
Ten Wanted Men
(Al Drucker)
The Big Gundown
(Jonathan Corbett)
Armed Response
(Burt Roth)
Thieves of Fortune
(Sergio Danielo Christophero)
Death Rides a Horse
(Ryan)
Sabata
(Sabata)
Return of Sabata
(Sabata / Major)
Mean Frank and Crazy Tony
(Frankie)
When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion
(Self)
Tribute to a Bad Man
(Fat Jones)
Machete
(Miguel)
Day of Anger
(Frank Talby)
Vice Squad
(Pete Monty)
El Condor
(Jaroo)
China Gate
(Maj. Cham)
Kid Vengeance
(McClain)
Killing Machine
(Julot)
God's Gun
(Father John / Lewis)
Jungle Raiders
(Warren)
Bad Man's River
(Roy King)
Commandos
(MSgt. Sullivan)
The Lawless Breed
(Dirk Hanley)
Captain Apache
(Capt. Apache)
The Bandits of Corsica
(Nerva)
Arena
(Smitty)
Gypsy Colt
(Hank)
The Hard Way
(McNeal)
Raiders of Old California
(Damon Pardee)
The Commander
(Col. Mazzarini)
Arrow In The Dust
(Tillotson Henchman)
Code Name: Wild Geese
(Archie 'China' Travers)
Dawn at Socorro
(Earl Ferris)
Princess of the Nile
(Hakar (uncredited))
The Perfect Killer
(Harry Chapman)
Untamed Frontier
(Dave Chittun)
The Yellow Tomahawk
(Fire Knife)
Joe Dakota
(Adam Grant)
Treasure of Ruby Hills
(Frank Emmett)
The Vanishing American
(Jay Lord)
The Badge of Marshal Brennan
(Shad Donaphin)
The Quiet Gun
(Doug Sadler)
The Nebraskan
(Pvt. Reno Benton)
Gun Battle at Monterey
(Kirby)
Rails Into Laramie
(Ace Winton)
Jack Slade
(Bolt Mackay)
Last Stagecoach West
(Steve Margolies)
The Squeeze
(Chris Gretchko / Ray Sloan)
The Slowest Gun in the West
(Sam Bass)
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
(Reese)
Octagon : le combat des maîtres
Tumbleweed
(Marv)
Posse from Hell
(Leo)
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
(Sentenza / Angel Eyes)
A Man Alone
(Clanton)
Klaus Kinski: I'm not an actor
(Col. Douglas Mortimer (archive footage))
How the West Was Won
(River Pirate (uncredited))
The Conqueror
(Chepei)
The Master Ninja 5
(John Peter McAllister)
I Cover the Underworld
(Flash Logan)
The Best of the Martial Arts Films
(Self (archive footage))
The Desperado
(Paul Clayton/Buck Clayton)
The Road to Denver
(Pecos Larry)
Master Ninja
(John Peter McAllister)
Nowhere to Hide
(Ike Scanlon)
White Lightning
(Brutus Allen)
Day of the Badman
(Jake Hayes)
Master Ninja II
(John Peter McAllister)
Guns, Girls and Gangsters
(Mike Bennett)
The Naked Street
(Harry Goldish (uncredited))
The Andy Griffith Show
(Skip)
77 Sunset Strip
Mr. Lucky
Gunsmoke
(Rad)
Perry Mason
(Edward Doyle)
General Electric Theater
(Dave Rudabaugh)
Hawaiian Eye
Zorro
The Twilight Zone
Laredo
The Adventures of Champion
(Frank)
Rawhide
(Fred Grant)
Have Gun, Will Travel
My Mother the Car
Yancy Derringer
(Ike Milton)
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
(Dallas Clancy)
Richard Diamond, Private Detective
(Ed Murdock)
Bronco
The Alaskans
Black Saddle
(Frank Sandoe)
Branded
Wanted: Dead or Alive
(Jumbo Kane)
The Rifleman
The Dakotas
Lawman
Law of the Plainsman
(Tracey)
Riverboat
(Luke Cragg)
Wire Service
(Al Sanders)
Buffalo Bill Jr.
Cavalcade of America
The Master
(John Peter McAllister)
City Detective
The Adventures of Kit Carson
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
(Peak)
The Ford Television Theatre
The Adventures of Boston Blackie
Studio 57
Maverick
The Lone Ranger
(Bull Harper)
The Deputy
(Cherokee Kid)
Lawman
(Deputy Clyde Wilson)
Casey Jones
(Mort Clio)
The Untouchables
(Frank Diamond)
Rawhide
(Deck Sommers)
Trackdown
(Ben Fraser)
Cheyenne
(Braden)
Gunsmoke
(John Hooker)
Gunsmoke
(Ike Jeffords)
Cavalcade of America
(1st Mate Hawl Finch)
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
(Larkin)
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
(Sheriff)
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
(Wink)
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
(Cowboy)
Four Star Playhouse
(Bob Wheeler aka Sonora Kid)
The Lone Ranger
(Jango)
The Ford Television Theatre
(Stanley Perrin)
Bonanza
(Appling)
Tombstone Territory
(Sam Carver)
Have Gun, Will Travel
(Corbin)
77 Sunset Strip
(Majeski)
Cheyenne
(Harry Bittercreek Bartender)
State Trooper
(Frank Parnessa)
Wagon Train
(Rufe Beal)
The Gene Autry Show
(Hod - Henchman)
The Gene Autry Show
(Henchman Ray)
Annie Oakley
(Amos Belcher)
Studio 57
(Tommy)
Annie Oakley
(Tim Brennan)
Stories of the Century
(Jesse James)
Stagecoach West
(Lin Hyatt)