Clarence Leroy Van Cleef, Jr. (January 9, 1925 – December 16, 1989)
Van Cleef is best known for his roles in Spaghetti Westerns such as For A Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
He also appeared in films like The Big Gundown (1966), Death Rides a Horse (1967), Day of Anger (1967), and The Grand Duel (1972).
He played the title role in Sabata (1969) and Return of Sabata (1971).
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. Van Cleef later had a supporting role in John Carpenter’s cult film Escape from New York (1981).
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 died from a heart attack but was also suffering from throat cancer. Van Cleef is buried at Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills.
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Clever Journeys 
In 1984 I had a small role on an episode of The Master and got to shake hands with Lee who had a very warm personality. Guest starring was Claude Akins that made everyone feel very much at ease. Claude jumped into the lunch wagon when it was time to eat and helped serve the cast and crew. Nice people, sorely missed.
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What an awesome memory to have. Liked both actors very much. Thanks for sharing.
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Why are they called “Spaghetti Westerns?”
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Made in Italy.
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