Lee Van Cleef (Clarence Leroy Van Cleef Jr.) was born on 9 January, 1925 in Somerville, New Jersey, USA, is an Actor, Soundtrack. His other notable films include the 1975 DeLuxe Color Italian-American Spaghetti Western film Take a Hard Ride, the 1976 ItalianIsraeli Spaghetti Western film God's Gun; and the 1981 dystopian science-fiction action film Escape from New York among others. He died of a heart attack in December 1989 and was buried at Forest Lawn in the Hollywood Hills. On April 9, 1960, Van Cleef married Joan Marjorie Drane. Van Cleef played different characters on four episodes of ABC 's The Rifleman, with Chuck Connors, between 1959 and 1962, and twice on ABC's Tombstone Territory. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. Van Cleef played a sentry on an episode of the ABC sitcom The Real McCoys, with Walter Brennan. Mr. Van Cleef was born in Somerville, N.J., and served in the Navy during World War II. Country: United States. He started getting several major and central characters in different films, both as hero and anti-hero. Lee Vancleef was born on month day 1925, at birth place, New Jersey, to . He thus began a new phase One of the great movie villains, Clarence Leroy Van Cleef, Jr. was born in Somerville, New Jersey, to Marion Lavinia (Van Fleet) and Clarence LeRoy Van Cleef, Sr. His parents were both of Dutch ancestry. IMPORTANT PRIVACY NOTICE & DISCLAIMER: YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO USE CAUTION WHEN DISTRIBUTING PRIVATE INFORMATION. He 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. good guy of Colonel Mortimer, and it is a credit to Van Cleef's not the part he was originally approached about though. Eastwood -- the sophisticated, competent older character of Colonel Van Cleef appeared six times between 1953 and 1955 on the children's syndicated Western series The Adventures of Kit Carson, starring Bill Williams. Skip Ancestry . of $17,000. For a decade he was typecast as a minor villain, his "sinister" features overshadowing his acting skills. of Sommerville, New Jersey. In 1966, he was noticed by Leone, who was searching for actors with distinctive facial features to star in Italian-made Westerns. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? Serenity Section, Map #A17, Lot 156, Single Ground Interment Space 1, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/2175/lee-van_cleef. Just one grandparent can lead you to many | His first marriage was to Patsy Ruth Kahle, in 1943. as dabbling in accounting. His acting His wife is Barbara Havelone (13 July 1976 - 16 December 1989) ( his death), Joan Marjorie Drane (9 April 1960 - 1974) ( divorced), Patsy Ruth Kahle (10 December 1943 - 1960) ( divorced) ( 3 children) Lee Van Cleef Net Worth Please reset your password. Leone wanted to cast Lee Marvin, but he had In fact, one trait that Lee had was that he had one green eye and one blue eye. Lee Van Cleef: his birthday, what he did before fame, his family life, fun trivia facts, popularity rankings, and more. Login to find your connection. Unfortunately, "The Magnificent Seven Ride!" While building a studio off his house in career, he played in many action/adventure films, such as, The Lee Van Cleef plays a man of mystery who is a crack shot with any kind of rifle or revolver in director Gianfranco Parolini's tongue-in-cheek Spaghetti western. He had heterochromatic eyes - one being green and the other blue. Survivors include his wife of 62 years, Stella A., of Greenbelt; two sons, Louis, of. Lee Van Cleef plays the chief villain in this largely African-American western that co-starred Jim Brown and Fred Williamson. A system error has occurred. asked Lee if he would get his nose fixed for the role. He then began a business in interior decoration with second wife Joan, as well as pursuing his talent for painting, primarily of sea and landscapes. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. In 1959, Van Cleef appeared as Luke Clagg in the episode "Strange Request" of the NBC Western series Riverboat starring Darren McGavin, as Jumbo Kane in the episode "The Hostage" on the CBS Western series "Wanted Dead or Alive" starring Steve McQueen, and in an episode of Maverick titled "Red Dog" in 1961 starring Roger Moore and John Carradine. The Stranger and the Gunfighter in 1974. He purchased The character Mr. Van Cleef developed in the spaghetti Westerns was typically that of the lone, proficient killer, whose tough exterior concealed a degree of gentility and a rudimentary justice that ultimately gained some sympathy from the audience. When Lee Van Cleef was born on 9 January 1925, in Somerville, Somerset, New Jersey, United States, his father, Clarence Leroy Van Cleef Sr., was 29 and his mother, Marion Lavinia Gilbert Van Fleet, was 27. from cleaning up the local saloons in Tonino Valerii's western horse opera "Day of Anger." Thereafter, he travelled with a minesweeper and performed several war duties before returning to Palermo, Sicily, on February 20, 1945. 1974), Patsy Ruth (m. 1943; div. This led to a long string of supporting roles, usually playing menacing roles in westerns both in films and on television. 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. PATRICIA REED Former Area Resident Patricia Reed, 60, a longtime area resident who had been a member of Truro Episcopal Church in Fairfax City, died Dec. 16 at Fairfax Hospital. He also had been awarded the Bronze Star and the Good Conduct Medal. Geni requires JavaScript! Lee Van Cleef, 64, the film actor who appeared in noted Westerns as a rugged, steely-eyed nemesis of protagonists such as Gary Cooper and Clint Eastwood, died Dec. 16 at a hospital in Oxnard, Calif., after an apparent heart attack. He appeared in over 170 film and television roles in a career spanning nearly 40 years, but is best known as a star of Italian Spaghetti Westerns, particularly the Sergio Leone-directed Dollars Trilogy films For a Few Dollars More (1965) and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966). They had three children, Alan, Deborah and David, and divorced in 1958. Douglas Mortimer. an American Ninja now in the United States searching for his long was looking for an actor to play the co-starring role opposite His other central roles includes Day of Anger (1967), Death Rides a Horse (1967) and The Grand Duel (1972). The next biggest part was that of the boxer, Joe Pendleton, in the play Heaven Can Wait. was contacted, and went for the interview. Also Known As: Clarence LeRoy Van Cleef Jr. Spouse/Ex-: Barbara Havelone (m. 1976), Joan Drane (m. 1960; div. was looking to cast his second so called "Spaghetti Western" and thought that was the end of that. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. Born on January 9, 1925 to parents of Dutch The gravestone of this great screen villain bears an inscription that says "BEST OF THE BAD". In 1958, he was cast as Deputy Sid Carver in the episode "The Great Stagecoach Robbery" of another syndicated Western series, Frontier Doctor, starring Rex Allen. Van Cleef guest-starred on the CBS Western series Have Gun Will Travel, on the ABC/Warner Bros. series Colt .45, on the NBC Western series Cimarron City and Laramie, and on Rod Cameron's syndicated crime dramas City Detective and State Trooper. to sell himself. Birth of Lee (Clarence Leroy) Van Cleef, Jr. Death of Lee (Clarence Leroy) Van Cleef, Jr. at Oxna Burial of Lee (Clarence Leroy) Van Cleef, Jr. >. As men are apt to do, an argument broke out between Eastwood Both of his parents were of Dutch ancestry. However, his sinister features with hook nose, steely eyes and sharp cheeks and chin soon typecast him in minor villainous roles in films of different genres for the next 13 years or so. His net worth has been growing significantly in 2020-2021. Lee appeared in one of these combos, the next day offering the part of the heavy, Colby. cemeteries found in Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles County, California, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. 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. once asked if he liked playing the bad guy, Lee replied, "Sure, To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. Octagon and Escape From New York. since he had been out of the business for quite some time. children: Alan Van Cleef, David Van Cleef, Deborah Van Cleef, Denise Van Cleef Born Country: United States Actors American Men Height: 6'2" (188 cm ), 6'2" Males Died on: December 16, 1989 place of death: Oxnard, California, United States Ancestry: Dutch American, German American, British American Cause of Death: Heart Disease after having much success with his first of such films, "A [18] In 1984, he was cast as a ninja master in the NBC adventure series The Master, but it was canceled after thirteen episodes. Some of these films include the 1952 noir crime film Kansas City Confidential; the 1956 CinemaScope epic film The Conqueror; the 1957 western film The Tin Star; and the 1958 CinemaScope war drama film The Young Lions. His survivors include three daughters, Madeleine Ritzenberg of Bethesda, Barbara Rosenthal of Scarsdale, N.Y., and Margery Posner of Pacific Palisades, Calif.; 10 grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren. But in 1964 Lee Van Cleef clawed a whole new career as the king of the Spaghetti Western. his family, but worked on farms and other outdoors jobs, then He remained part of its original production and travelled to many cities performing in the plays national touring production. him," Lee complied and gave what he said was a terrible reading, Assistant at Van Cleef & Arpels View profile View profile . called his agent who didn't know what he was doing at the moment, Miss Moore, a native of Missouri, had lived in the Washington area since returning to this country from Europe in 1975. Raised in Somerville, New Jersey, he graduated from high school early, with the intention of enlisting in the US Navy. He did few odd jobs and had a stint in the United States Navy during the Second World War before foraying into acting with the 1950 play Mister Roberts. Mr. Van Cleef, who had a long history of heart trouble, was stricken about 11:40 p.m. Friday at his Oxnard home and was pronounced dead at St. John's Regional Medical Center shortly after midnight, according to a spokesman for the county coroner. In characteristic The email does not appear to be a valid email address. those characters have a lot of depth." the Caribbean, then in the Black and China Seas on a mine sweeper. Lee Van Cleef Birth Name: Clarence LeRoy Van Cleef, Jr. his first wife, and married again in 1960. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. Lee graduated high school early at the age of 17 from Somerville High School New Jersey[3] in order to enlist in the United States Navy in September 1942.[4]. Van Cleef began training in 1942, and upon completion was assigned to a submarine chaser, followed by a longer deployment onboard the minesweeper USS Incredible (AM-249). Lee Van Cleef was born on January 09, 1925 (died on December 16, 1989, he was 64 years old) in as Clarence LeRoy Van Cleef Jr.. His nickname was Cleef Clarence LeRoy Van Jr.. Lee Van Cleef, American actor (1925-1989) Birth Place: Somerville, New Jersey, USA. A young Van Cleef also made an appearance on The Andy Griffith Show and as Frank Diamond in The Untouchables, in an episode entitled "The Unhired Assassin". a home in Rome, and gave one of his few television interviews In 1961, he played a role on episode 7 ("The Grave") of the third season of The Twilight Zone starring Lee Marvin. just signed for the film Cat Ballou. Joseph has 1 job listed on their profile. He had to take a hiatus from acting thereafter and during such time he ventured into an interior decoration business along with his second wife, Joan. Action, Adventure, Romance. Married in 1943 to Patsy Ruth, Lee settled down to family life The two men form an uneasy alliance. He also appeared in an episode of the ABC/Warner Brothers Western series The Alaskans.[14]. Please reorganize this content to explain the subject's impact on popular culture, Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills), EuropeanAfricanMiddle Eastern Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, Hollywood Hills, California, "Actor Lee Van Cleef, Villain in Hundreds of Westerns", "Glimpse of History: 'Being born with a pair of beady eyes was the best thing that ever happened to me' Lee Van Cleef", "Lee Van Cleef, the "Bad" in Leone's classic Western, was a decorated sonarman on a WWII minesweeper", "Lee Van Cleef was an iconic presence in the veteran villain category of film", "Lee Van Cleef, Actor, Dies at 64; Played Villains in Many Westerns", "In The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Lee Van Cleef (the Bad) is missing part of a finger. Try again later. 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