- Born
- Died
- Birth nameClarence Leroy Van Cleef Jr.
- Height1.87 m
- 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 of Dutch ancestry. Van Cleef started out as an accountant. He served in the U.S. Navy aboard minesweepers and sub chasers 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 was seen by Stanley Kramer, who cast him as henchman Jack Colby in Le train sifflera trois fois (1952), a role that brought him great recognition despite the fact that he had no dialogue. For the next decade, he played a string of memorably villainous characters, primarily in westerns but also in crime dramas such as Association criminelle (1955). His hawk nose and steely, slit eyes seemed destined to keep him always in the realm of heavies, but in the mid 1960s Sergio Leone cast him as the tough but decent Col. Mortimer opposite Clint Eastwood in ...et pour quelques dollars de plus (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 quality. In the 1980s, he moved easily into action and martial-arts movies and starred in L'homme au katana (1984), 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.- IMDb mini biography by: Jim Beaver <jumblejim@prodigy.net>
- SpousesBarbara Havelone(July 13, 1976 - December 16, 1989) (his death)Joan Marjorie Drane(April 9, 1960 - 1974) (divorced)Patsy Ruth Kahle(December 10, 1943 - 1960) (divorced, 3 children)
- ChildrenAlan Van CleefDeborah Van CleefDavid Van CleefDenise Van Cleef
- ParentsMarion Levinia Van FleetClarence LeRoy Van Cleef Sr
- Spaghetti westerns
- Sharp facial features
- Beady eyes that frequently squinted in the Western sun
- Sardonic, menacing characters
- Low, authoritative voice
- He was involved in a car accident in 1959 in which he lost his left kneecap. Doctors told him he would never be able to ride a horse again because of the injury. Within six months he was back in the saddle.
- When still working as an accountant, Van Cleef was offered an acting job "starting on Monday." He protested that he needed to give his employer two weeks' notice, only to be told that he started on Monday or didn't start at all. When Van Cleef's employer heard this, he promptly fired him, removing the need for any notice period.
- Served in the US Navy from 1942-46.
- He had almost given up his acting career in the mid-'60s and turned to painting when he was cast by Sergio Leone in ...et pour quelques dollars de plus (1965). It made him a superstar in Europe and restarted his career in the US, making him again a recognizable and bankable name.
- His death certificate gave throat cancer as a secondary cause of death.
- Being born with a pair of beady eyes was the best thing that ever happened to me.
- Bad guys have always been my bag . . . I look mean without even trying. Audiences just naturally hate me on screen. I could play a role in a tuxedo and people would think I was rotten. You can do much more with a villain part. Movies are full of leading men, most of whom aren't working. It's much harder to find a good villain.
- [6/12/81 interview in The Cleveland Plain Dealer, on his pierced left ear] I started wearing it when I was a kid in the Navy. I sailed all over the world, and somewhere along I started wearing an earring as a symbol of respect for all of the different cultures and people. I've worn it, off and on, ever since. Lately, when directors and producers see the bloody thing, they ask me to wear it on camera.
- I believe in showing real violence, not toy violence. Real violence turns you off because you know it's not the thing to do. If you show violence realistic enough people don't want to do it.
- My story suddenly turned into a rags-to-riches saga. And just in time, too.
- ...et pour quelques dollars de plus (1966) - $17,000
- Le train sifflera trois fois (1952) - $500 /week
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