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".
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| # | Name | Character | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Speed Zone (1989) | Grandfather | 4 | |
| 2 | Armed Response (1986) | Burt Roth | - | - |
| 3 | Escape from New York (1981) | Police Commissioner Bob Hauk | 7.2 | |
| 4 | The Octagon (1980) | McCarn | 6 | |
| 5 | The Squeeze (1978) | Chris Gretchko / Ray Sloan | - | - |
| 6 | God's Gun (1976) | Father John / Lewis | - | - |
| 7 | Kid Vengeance (1976) | McClain | - | - |
| 8 | Take a Hard Ride (1975) | Kiefer | - | - |
| 9 | The Magnificent Seven Ride! (1972) | Marshal Chris Adams | - | - |
| 10 | The Grand Duel (1972) | Sheriff Clayton | 7 | |
| 11 | Return of Sabata (1971) | Sabata / Major | 8 | |
| 12 | Barquero (1970) | Travis | - | - |
| 13 | Sabata (1969) | Sabata | 8 | |
| 14 | Day of Anger (1967) | Frank Talby | 7 | |
| 15 | Death Rides a Horse (1967) | Ryan | 8 | |
| 16 | The Big Gundown (1967) | Jonathan Corbett | 9 | |
| 17 | The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) | Sentenza / Angel Eyes | 8.6 | |
| 18 | For a Few Dollars More (1965) | Col. Douglas Mortimer | 7.8 | |
| 19 | The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) | Reese | 6.8 | |
| 20 | How the West Was Won (1962) | River Pirate | 6 | |
| 21 | Ride Lonesome (1959) | Frank | 6.5 | |
| 22 | The Young Lions (1958) | 1st Sgt. Rickett | 6 | |
| 23 | The Tin Star (1957) | Ed McGaffey | 7 | |
| 24 | China Gate (1957) | Maj. Cham | 4 | |
| 25 | Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957) | Ed Bailey | 7.3 | |
| 26 | Joe Dakota (1957) | Adam Grant | 5 | |
| 27 | The Conqueror (1956) | Chepei | 3 | |
| 28 | Accused of Murder (1956) | Police Sgt. Emmett Lackey | 4 | |
| 29 | Pardners (1956) | Gus | 7 | |
| 30 | It Conquered the World (1956) | Dr. Tom Anderson | 4.5 | |
| 31 | The Big Combo (1955) | Fante | 8.5 | |
| 32 | The Naked Street (1955) | Harry Goldish (uncredited) | 5 | |
| 33 | The Desperado (1954) | Paul Clayton/Buck Clayton | - | - |
| 34 | The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953) | Corp. Stone | 4.7 | |
| 35 | Kansas City Confidential (1952) | Tony Romano | - | - |
| 36 | High Noon (1952) | Jack Colby | 7.3 |
