Actor. After serving in the United States Navy during World War II (WWII), he was trained as an accountant. He started acting in community theater while working as an office administrator, eventually landing a role in the touring company of "Mr. Roberts." He was noticed by film director Stanley Kramer, who cast him in a nonspeaking role in "High Noon" (1952). This led to a long string of supporting roles, usually playing menacing roles in westerns both in films and on television. He rose to star status in Sergio Leone's "spaghetti westerns," playing enigmatic characters in "For a Few Dollars More" (1965) and "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" (1966) alongside Clint Eastwood and Eli Wallach. Van Cleef would make several more European-filmed westerns over the following decade, and would make a notable, atypical appearance in the John Carpenter-helmed science-fiction action cult classic "Escape From New York" (1981). His last role of note was playing a venerable ninja on the short-lived NBC action television series "The Master" (January 1984 to August 1984). His gravestone reads: "Lee Van Cleef Jan 9, 1925 - Dec 16, 1989 'Best of the Bad' Love and Light."

Actor. After serving in the United States Navy during World War II (WWII), he was trained as an accountant. He started acting in community theater while working as an office administrator, eventually landing a role in the touring company of "Mr. Roberts." He was noticed by film director Stanley Kramer, who cast him in a nonspeaking role in "High Noon" (1952). This led to a long string of supporting roles, usually playing menacing roles in westerns both in films and on television. He rose to star status in Sergio Leone's "spaghetti westerns," playing enigmatic characters in "For a Few Dollars More" (1965) and "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" (1966) alongside Clint Eastwood and Eli Wallach. Van Cleef would make several more European-filmed westerns over the following decade, and would make a notable, atypical appearance in the John Carpenter-helmed science-fiction action cult classic "Escape From New York" (1981). His last role of note was playing a venerable ninja on the short-lived NBC action television series "The Master" (January 1984 to August 1984). His gravestone reads: "Lee Van Cleef Jan 9, 1925 - Dec 16, 1989 'Best of the Bad' Love and Light."

Bio by: Stuthehistoryguy