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Lee Van Cleef
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 spaghetti Westerns, holding starring roles in the Sergio Leone-directed Dollars Trilogy films, For a Few Dollars More (1965) and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966). In 1983, he received a Golden Boot Award for his contribution to the Western film and television genre.
Van Cleef served in the United States Navy during World War II aboard the minesweeper USS Incredible, earning a Bronze Star for his actions. After acting on stage in regional theatre, he made his film debut in the Oscar-winning Western High Noon (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, film noir, and crime dramas. After suffering serious injuries in a car crash, Van Cleef's acting career started to decline. He achieved stardom when Leone gave him the co-leading role in For a Few Dollars More (1965).
Van Cleef later appeared in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), The Big Gundown (1967), Death Rides a Horse (1967), Day of Anger (1967), Beyond the Law (1968), Sabata (1969) and its sequel Return of Sabata (1971), Barquero (1970), El Condor (1970), Captain Apache (1971),The Magnificent Seven Ride! (1972), The Grand Duel (1972), Mean Frank and Crazy Tony (1973), The Stranger and the Gunfighter (1974), Take a Hard Ride (1975), The Hard Way (1980), The Octagon (1980), Escape from New York (1981), and Armed Response (1986). He played the lead role of John Peter McAllister on the martial-arts television series The Master (1984).
Lee Van Cleef was born on January 9, 1925, in Somerville, New Jersey, to Marion Lavinia Van Fleet and Clarence LeRoy Van Cleef. His father was a pharmacist and his mother a concert pianist, both of Dutch descent. Lee graduated from Somerville High School and enlisted in the United States Navy in September 1942.
After completing his military training, Van Cleef was assigned to the submarine chaser USS SC-681, and then to the minesweeper USS Incredible, on which he worked as a sonarman.
The ship initially patrolled the Caribbean, then moved to the Mediterranean, participating in the landings in southern France. In January 1945, Incredible moved to the Black Sea, and performed sweeping duties out of the Soviet Navy base at Sevastopol, Crimea. Afterwards, the ship performed air-sea rescue patrols in the Black Sea before returning to Palermo, 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 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, and the World War II Victory Medal. He was discharged from the Navy in 1946.
After leaving the Navy, Van Cleef returned home to Somerville where he played in an amateur dance band. Van Cleef received his first acting role as George in the play Our Town at the Little Theater Group in Clinton, New Jersey. His next role was a boxer named Joe Pendleton in the play Heaven Can Wait. A talent scout took him to New York City talent agent Maynard Morris of the MCA agency, who sent him to the Alvin Theater, where he won a role in Mister Roberts.
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Lee Van Cleef
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 spaghetti Westerns, holding starring roles in the Sergio Leone-directed Dollars Trilogy films, For a Few Dollars More (1965) and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966). In 1983, he received a Golden Boot Award for his contribution to the Western film and television genre.
Van Cleef served in the United States Navy during World War II aboard the minesweeper USS Incredible, earning a Bronze Star for his actions. After acting on stage in regional theatre, he made his film debut in the Oscar-winning Western High Noon (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, film noir, and crime dramas. After suffering serious injuries in a car crash, Van Cleef's acting career started to decline. He achieved stardom when Leone gave him the co-leading role in For a Few Dollars More (1965).
Van Cleef later appeared in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), The Big Gundown (1967), Death Rides a Horse (1967), Day of Anger (1967), Beyond the Law (1968), Sabata (1969) and its sequel Return of Sabata (1971), Barquero (1970), El Condor (1970), Captain Apache (1971),The Magnificent Seven Ride! (1972), The Grand Duel (1972), Mean Frank and Crazy Tony (1973), The Stranger and the Gunfighter (1974), Take a Hard Ride (1975), The Hard Way (1980), The Octagon (1980), Escape from New York (1981), and Armed Response (1986). He played the lead role of John Peter McAllister on the martial-arts television series The Master (1984).
Lee Van Cleef was born on January 9, 1925, in Somerville, New Jersey, to Marion Lavinia Van Fleet and Clarence LeRoy Van Cleef. His father was a pharmacist and his mother a concert pianist, both of Dutch descent. Lee graduated from Somerville High School and enlisted in the United States Navy in September 1942.
After completing his military training, Van Cleef was assigned to the submarine chaser USS SC-681, and then to the minesweeper USS Incredible, on which he worked as a sonarman.
The ship initially patrolled the Caribbean, then moved to the Mediterranean, participating in the landings in southern France. In January 1945, Incredible moved to the Black Sea, and performed sweeping duties out of the Soviet Navy base at Sevastopol, Crimea. Afterwards, the ship performed air-sea rescue patrols in the Black Sea before returning to Palermo, 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 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, and the World War II Victory Medal. He was discharged from the Navy in 1946.
After leaving the Navy, Van Cleef returned home to Somerville where he played in an amateur dance band. Van Cleef received his first acting role as George in the play Our Town at the Little Theater Group in Clinton, New Jersey. His next role was a boxer named Joe Pendleton in the play Heaven Can Wait. A talent scout took him to New York City talent agent Maynard Morris of the MCA agency, who sent him to the Alvin Theater, where he won a role in Mister Roberts.