Trivia

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.

For his film debut, he appeared, solo, in the opening pre-title shots of the classic "High Noon" (1952)." It would be the first of many bad guys he would portray in westerns.

Was the inspiration for the character Revolver Ocelot in the "Metal Gear" series of games.

Like fellow western baddie, Jack Elam, he had worked as an accountant.

He had three children from his first marriage: Alan (B. 1947), Deborah (B. 1948), and David. In 1960, when Lee married his second wife Joan Miller. They adopted a daughter, Denise.

He was hetero-chromatic with one eye being blue and the other green.

Appeared in two films nominated for Best Picture Oscar: Le train sifflera trois fois (1952) and La Conquête de l'Ouest (1962). Harry Morgan also appeared in both films.

Producer Stuart Cohen recently revealed that Van Cleef was considered for the role of Garry in John Carpenter's The Thing (1982), since Carpenter had recently worked with him on New-York 1997 (1981).

One episode of his short-lived TV series, L'homme au katana (1984), was titled "The Good, The Bad and the Priceless".

Was on the short list of actors under consideration for arms dealer Brad Whitaker in Tuer n'est pas jouer (1987).

Was portrayed as a bounty hunter in the Lucky Luke comic book "The Bounty Hunter".

Son of Clarence Leroy Van Cleef and Maria Lavinia Van Fleet, both mostly of Dutch ancestry. He also had distant French, Swedish, Belgian (Flemish), English, and German, roots.

His final western Kid Vengeance (1976) was actually filmed before his previous western Les impitoyables (1976), but released afterwards. Although Van Cleef was billed first, in both films he was playing a secondary role to teen idol and singer Leif Garrett.

During one summer in the early 1950s he was a camp counselor in NYC for Marc Furstenberg.

He slipped out of the limelight during the 1980s, appearing in films that did not have a wide release.

Interviewed in "Bad at the Bijou" by William R. Horner (McFarland, 1982).

Was considered for Juan Sanchos-Villilobos Ramirez in Highlander (1986).

Was considered for Max Zorin in a View to a Kill (1985).

Was considered for General Brad Whitaker in the Living Daylights (1987).