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Lee Van Cleef |
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Height: 6' 2
Born: 9 January 1925, Somerville, New Jersey, USA.
Deceased: 16 December 1989, Oxnard, California, USA. (heart attack)
Married to: 'Barbara Havelone' (1976 - 1989) (his death) 'Patsy Ruth' (1943 - ?) (divorced); 3 children 'Joanie' (1960 - ?) |
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One of the great movie villains, Lee Van Cleef started out as an accountant. He served in the U.S. Navy aboard minesweepers and subchasers during World War II. After the war, he worked as an office administrator, becoming involved in amateur theatrics in his spare time. An audition for a professional role led to a touring company job in "Mr. Roberts". His performance therein was seen by 'Stanley Kramer' , who cast him as henchman Jack Colby in High Noon (1952), a role that brought him great recognition despite having no dialogue. For the next decade, he played a long string of memorably villainous characters, primarily in Westerns but also in crime dramas such as The Big Combo (1955). His hawk nose and slit eyes seemed destined to keep him always in the realm of heavies, but in the mid-Sixties 'Sergio Leone (I)' cast him as the tough but decent Colonel Mortimer opposite 'Clint Eastwood' in "Per qualche dollaro in pił (1965)" . A new career as a Western hero (or at least anti-hero) opened up, and Van Cleef became an international star, though in films of decreasing value. In the Eighties he moved easily into action and martial-arts movies, and starred in "The Master", a TV series featuring almost non-stop martial arts action. He died of a heart attack in December 1989, and was buried at Forest Lawn in the Hollywood Hills. Jim Beaver <jumblejim@prodigy.net> Trivia:
Van Cleef was missing the last joint of his middle finger, a
disfigurement prominently featured in the climactic gunfight of The
Good, The Bad, and the Ugly.
Lost tip of one finger while building his daughter a playhouse. Many
rumors suggested that he lost it in a road accident or bar fighter.
Van Cleef had three children from his first marriage: Deborah, Alan,
and David.
One episode of his short-lived TV series, ""Master, The" (1984)" , was titled "The
Good, The Bad, and the Priceless".Quotes:
"Being born with a pair of beady eyes was the best thing that ever
happened to me." |
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