![]() During a performance of Mister Roberts in Los Angeles, he was noticed by film producer Stanley Kramer, who offered Van Cleef a role in his upcoming film. Van Cleef's screen debut came in High Noon. 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. During this time, he was observed by visiting talent scouts, who were impressed by Van Cleef's stage presence and delivery. The next biggest part was that of the boxer, Joe Pendleton, in the play Heaven Can Wait. From there, he continued to meet with the group and audition for parts. Bronze StarĪfter leaving the Navy, Van Cleef received his first acting role as a reader for the play Our Town at the Little Theater Group in Clinton, New Jersey. By virtue of his deployments, Van Cleef also qualified for the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, the American Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal. He also had been awarded the Bronze Star and the Good Conduct Medal. Afterwards, the ship performed air-sea rescue patrols in the Black Sea before returning to Palermo, Sicily.īy the time of his discharge in March 1946, he had achieved the rank of Sonarman First Class (SO1) and had earned his mine sweeper patch. In January 1945, Incredible moved to the Black Sea, and performed sweeping duties out of the Soviet Navy base at Sevastopol, Crimea. The ship initially patrolled the Caribbean, then moved to the Mediterranean, participating in the landings in southern France. Military service Īfter completing his military training, Van Cleef was assigned to a submarine chaser and then to a minesweeper called the USS Incredible, on which he worked as a sonarman. Lee graduated high school early at the age of 17 from Somerville High School New Jersey in order to enlist in the United States Navy in September 1942. Lee Van Cleef was born on January 9, 1925, in Somerville, New Jersey, to Marion Lavinia Van Fleet and Clarence LeRoy Van Cleef. ![]() ![]() He also played the lead role of John Peter McAllister on the martial arts television series The Master (1984). Van Cleef went on to appear in such films as Leone's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), Death Rides a Horse (1967), Day of Anger (also 1967), Sabata (1969) and its sequel Return of Sabata (1971), El Condor (1970), The Magnificent Seven Ride! (1972), Mean Frank and Crazy Tony (1973), Take a Hard Ride (1975), The Octagon (1980), Escape from New York (1981) and Speed Zone (1989). The film proved to be a huge hit and cited him as a box-office draw, largely in Europe. However, he achieved unexpected stardom when director Sergio Leone offered him the co-leading role in For a Few Dollars More. After suffering serious injuries in a car crash, Van Cleef's acting career started to decline. With distinctive, angular features and a taciturn screen persona, Van Cleef was typecast as minor villain and supporting player in Westerns and crime dramas. After acting on stage in regional theatre, he made his film debut in the Oscar-winning Western High Noon (1952) in a non-speaking outlaw cast role. 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).īorn and raised in New Jersey, Van Cleef served in the United States Navy during World War II aboard a minesweeper, earning a Bronze Star for his actions. (Janu– December 16, 1989) was an American actor. European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign MedalĬlarence LeRoy Van Cleef Jr. ![]()
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