Cast & creator
Lee Van Cleef
Best known for Perry Mason, Bonanza, The Andy Griffith Show
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".
Also known as: Clarence Leroy Van Cleef Jr., 李·范克里夫, 리 밴 클리프
93
film credits
75
television credits
168
1949–2024 · acting roles
6.4
average across scored titles
Signature credits
Known for
Across film & television
Filmography (168)
Showing 168 of 168 credits
Perry Mason
Edward Doyle
1957
Bonanza
Appling
1959
The Andy Griffith Show
Skip
1960
Wagon Train
Rufe Beal
1957
Maverick
1957
Have Gun, Will Travel
Golias
1957Have Gun, Will Travel
Corbin
1957
The Rifleman
1958
Four Star Playhouse
Bob Wheeler aka Sonora Kid
1952
The Twilight Zone
Steinhart
1959
The Untouchables
Frank Diamond
1959
Rawhide
Fred Grant
1959Rawhide
Deck Sommers
1959
Cheyenne
Braden
1955Cheyenne
Harry Bittercreek Bartender
1955
Wanted: Dead or Alive
Jumbo Kane
1958
The Lone Ranger
Bull Harper
1949The Lone Ranger
Jango
1949
Lawman
1958Lawman
Deputy Clyde Wilson
1958Lawman
Ned Scott
1958
Gunsmoke
Rad
1955Gunsmoke
John Hooker
1955Gunsmoke
Ike Jeffords
1955
Hawaiian Eye
1959
77 Sunset Strip
195877 Sunset Strip
Majeski
1958
Zorro
1957
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Sentenza / Angel Eyes
1966
The Ford Television Theatre
1952The Ford Television Theatre
Stanley Perrin
1952
Bronco
1958Bronco
Shanghai Williams
1958
Richard Diamond, Private Detective
Ed Murdock
1957
Studio 57
1954Studio 57
Tommy
1954State Trooper
Frank Parnessa
1956
Laredo
1965
Branded
1965
Trackdown
Ben Fraser
1957
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
Peak
1959
The Deputy
Cherokee Kid
1959
Tombstone Territory
Sam Carver
1957Tombstone Territory
1957
The Gene Autry Show
Hod - Henchman
1950The Gene Autry Show
Henchman Ray
1950
City Detective
1953
Annie Oakley
Amos Belcher
1954Annie Oakley
Tim Brennan
1954
Riverboat
Luke Cragg
1959
Yancy Derringer
Ike Milton
1958
Black Saddle
Frank Sandoe
1959
Cavalcade of America
1952Cavalcade of America
1st Mate Hawl Finch
1952
The Adventures of Kit Carson
1951
Law of the Plainsman
Tracey
1959
Mr. Lucky
Kruger
1959
For a Few Dollars More
Col. Douglas Mortimer
1965
The Alaskans
1959
Boston Blackie
Captain Jansen
1951Boston Blackie
Lou
1951
Escape from New York
Police Commissioner Bob Hauk
1981
The Dakotas
1963
Space Patrol
Ward
1950
Stagecoach West
Lin Hyatt
1960
High Noon
Jack Colby
1952
Wire Service
Al Sanders
1956
My Mother the Car
1965
The Master
John Peter McAllister
1984
Stories of the Century
Jesse James
1954
Buffalo Bill Jr.
1955
Casey Jones
Mort Clio
1957
How the West Was Won
River Pirate
1962
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Reese
1962
The Adventures of Champion
Frank
1955
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
Ed Bailey
1957
General Electric Theater
Dave Rudabaugh
1953
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Dallas Clancy
1951Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Sheriff
1951Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Larkin
1951Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Wink
1951Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Cowboy
1951
The Young Lions
1st Sgt. Rickett
1958
Death Rides a Horse
Ryan
1967
The Tin Star
Ed McGaffey
1957
Ride Lonesome
Frank
1959
The Magnificent Seven Ride!
Marshal Chris Adams
1972
The Bravados
Alfonso Parral
1958
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
Corp. Stone
1953
Speed Zone
Grandfather
1989
Day of Anger
Frank Talby
1967
Bad Man's River
Roy King
1971
God's Gun
Father John / Lewis
1976
Take a Hard Ride
Kiefer
1975
Sabata
Sabata
1969
Beyond the Law
Billy Joe Cudlip
1968
Kansas City Confidential
Tony Romano
1952
Ten Wanted Men
Al Drucker
1955
The Big Gundown
Jonathan Corbett
1967
Day of the Badman
Jake Hayes
1958
The Best of the Martial Arts Films
Self
1990
Tribute to a Bad Man
Fat Jones
1956
Mean Frank and Crazy Tony
Frankie
1973
It Conquered the World
Dr. Tom Anderson
1956
The Naked Street
Harry Goldish (uncredited)
1955
Treasure of Ruby Hills
Frank Emmett
1955
The Big Combo
Fante
1955
Return of Sabata
Sabata / Major
1971
Pardners
Gus
1956
A Man Alone
Clanton
1955
The Octagon
McCarn
1980
Posse from Hell
Leo
1961
The Road to Denver
Pecos Larry
1955
The Stranger and the Gunfighter
Dakota
1974
The Conqueror
Chepei
1956
Arrow In The Dust
Tillotson Henchman
1954
The Slowest Gun in the West
Sam Bass
1960
Rails Into Laramie
Ace Winton
1954
Joe Dakota
Adam Grant
1957
Code Name: Wild Geese
Archie 'China' Travers
1984
Guns Girls and Gangsters
Mike Bennett
1959
Barquero
Travis
1970
Commandos
MSgt. Sullivan
1968
Princess of the Nile
Hakar (uncredited)
1954
Machete
Miguel
1958
China Gate
Maj. Cham
1957
The Lonely Man
Faro
1957
The Lawless Breed
Dirk Hanley
1952
Jungle Raiders
Warren
1985
The Bandits of Corsica
Nerva
1953
Captain Apache
Capt. Apache
1971
The Badge of Marshal Brennan
Shad Donaphin
1957
El Condor
Jaroo
1970
The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout
Self (archive footage)
2024
Vice Squad
Pete Monty
1953
The Grand Duel
Sheriff Clayton
1972
Armed Response
Burt Roth
1986
I Cover the Underworld
Flash Logan
1955
Master Ninja
John Peter McAllister
1984
Last Stagecoach West
Steve Margolies
1957
Dawn at Socorro
Earl Ferris
1954
The Master Ninja 5
John Peter McAllister
1985
Gun Battle at Monterey
Kirby
1957
The Squeeze
Chris Gretchko / Ray Sloan
1978
When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion
Self
1979
The Commander
Col. Mazzarini
1988
Master Ninja II
John Peter McAllister
1984
Raiders of Old California
Damon Pardee
1957
Untamed Frontier
Dave Chittun
1952
The Yellow Tomahawk
Fire Knife
1954
Klaus Kinski: I'm not an actor
Col. Douglas Mortimer (archive footage)
2000
Thieves of Fortune
Sergio Danielo Christophero
1990
Accused of Murder
Police Sgt. Emmett Lackey
1956
Kid Vengeance
McClain
1976
The Desperado
Paul Clayton/Buck Clayton
1954
The Vanishing American
Jay Lord
1955
Tumbleweed
Marv
1953
Killing Machine
Julot
1984
The Nebraskan
Pvt. Reno Benton
1953
Gypsy Colt
Hank
1954
Jack Slade
Bolt Mackay
1953
The Hard Way
McNeal
1980
Arena
Smitty
1953
The Quiet Gun
Doug Sadler
1957
White Lightning
Brutus Allen
1953
The Perfect Killer
Harry Chapman
1977Peter Baumgartner, Filmkameramann
(archive footage)
2014
Nowhere to Hide
Ike Scanlon
1977