Editing Lee Van Cleef (section)

== Acting career ==

After leaving the navy, Van Cleef returned home to Somerset. He played in an amateur dance band.<ref>"Valentine Party Held by Lions," ''Bridgewater Courier-News,'' February 19, 1947, p. 4</ref> Van Cleef received his first acting role as George in the play ''[[Our Town]]'' at the Little Theater Group in [[Clinton, New Jersey]].<ref name=ap>{{cite web |title=Actor Lee Van Cleef, Villain in Hundreds of Westerns |url=https://www.apnews.com/2605778957043863d0c9dde89d02c6fb |access-date=February 26, 2019 |website=Apnews.com |date=December 26, 1989 |archive-date=August 20, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180820005839/https://www.apnews.com/2605778957043863d0c9dde89d02c6fb |url-status=dead }}</ref> His next role was that of the boxer, Joe Pendleton, in the play ''Heaven Can Wait''. A talent scout took him to New York City talent agent Maynard Morris of the [[MCA Inc.|MCA]] agency, who sent him to the [[Neil Simon Theatre|Alvin Theater]], where he won a role in ''[[Mister Roberts (play)|Mister Roberts]]''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Horner |first=William R. |date=2000 |title=Bad at the Bijou |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pAGICo2y5kwC&pg=PA48 |publisher=McFarland |page=48 |isbn=078640938X}}</ref>

Van Cleef's screen debut came in ''High Noon''.<ref name=aw /> 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. Kramer wanted Van Cleef for the role of the deputy Harvey Pell, but wanted Van Cleef to have his nose fixed. Van Cleef declined the role in favor of the part of the silent gunslinger Jack Colby. He was cast in ''[[Kansas City Confidential]]'' (1952), [[Vice Squad (1953 film)|''Vice Squad'']] (1953), ''[[The Big Combo]]'' (1955), and ''The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'' (1966).<ref>''The Good, the Bad and the Ugly''</ref><ref>''Kansas City Confidential''</ref>

===Supporting actor=== 
[[File:Lee Van Cleef in Kansas City Confidential.jpg|thumb|upright|Van Cleef in ''[[Kansas City Confidential]]'' (1952)]]In 1952, he made his television debut when he was cast in the episode "Formula for Fear" of the Western aviation series ''[[Sky King]]''. Van Cleef appeared six times between 1953 and 1955 on the children's [[Broadcast syndication|syndicated]] Western series ''[[The Adventures of Kit Carson]]''. He was cast three times in syndicated Western series, ''[[The Range Rider]]''. He appeared in episode 82 of the television series ''[[The Lone Ranger (TV series)|The Lone Ranger]]'' in 1952.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nj.com/entertainment/2013/06/johnny_depp_the_lone_ranger.html |title='The Lone Ranger' on DVD: Hi-yo, Silver! |date= June 20, 2013 |website=NJ.com |access-date= September 8, 2020}}</ref> In 1954, he appeared as [[Jesse James]] in the syndicated series ''Stories of the Century''.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Boggs|first1=Johnny D.|title=Jesse James and the movies|date=2011|publisher=McFarland & Co., Publishers|isbn=978-0-7864-8496-6|page=239}}</ref>

In 1955, he was cast twice on the syndicated Western series, ''[[Annie Oakley (TV series)|Annie Oakley]]'' and guest-starred on the [[CBS]] Western series ''[[Brave Eagle]]''. Van Cleef played a villain in an episode of ''[[The Adventures of Champion (TV series)|The Adventures of Champion]]'' the Wonder Horse in 1955. He played Cherokee Bob in the [[NBC]] Western series ''[[Tales of Wells Fargo]]'' in 1957.<ref>{{Citation |last=Miner |first=Allen H. |title=Alder Gulch |date=1957-04-08 |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0717107/ |series=Tales of Wells Fargo |access-date=2022-07-06}}</ref> In 1958, he was cast as Ed Murdock, a rodeo performer trying to reclaim the title in the event at [[Madison Square Garden (1925)|Madison Square Garden]] in New York City, on ''[[Richard Diamond, Private Detective]]''.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://jcurtmanshow.weebly.com/uploads/9/0/8/5/908502/the_nickel_pop_gazette_vol_i_issue_1.pdf| title = ''The Nickel Pop Gazette''|website=Jcurtmanshow.weebly.com}}</ref>

Van Cleef played different characters on four episodes of [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s ''[[The Rifleman]]'', with [[Chuck Connors]], between 1959 and 1962 (as Stinger in S2 E31 "The Prodigal" 1960), and twice on ABC's ''[[Tombstone Territory]]''. In 1958, he was cast as Deputy Sid Carver in the episode "The Great Stagecoach Robbery" of another syndicated Western series, ''[[Frontier Doctor]]'', starring [[Rex Allen]]. In 1959, Van Cleef appeared as Luke Clagg in the episode "Strange Request" of the [[NBC]] Western series ''[[Riverboat (TV series)|Riverboat]]'', as Jumbo Kane in the episode "The Hostage" on the [[CBS]] Western series "[[Wanted Dead or Alive (TV series)|Wanted Dead or Alive]]", and in an episode of ''[[Maverick (TV series)|Maverick]]'' titled "Red Dog" in 1961.
[[File:Fante and Mingo.jpg|thumb|right|Van Cleef (l.), [[Jean Wallace]] and [[Earl Holliman]] in ''[[The Big Combo]]'' (1955)]]
Van Cleef played a sentry on an episode of the [[ABC News (United States)|ABC]] sitcom ''[[The Real McCoys]]''. Van Cleef was cast with [[Pippa Scott]] and again with Chuck Connors in the 1960 episode "Trial by Fear" of the CBS [[anthology series]] ''[[The DuPont Show with June Allyson]]''. A young Van Cleef also made an appearance on ''[[The Andy Griffith Show]]'' and as Frank Diamond in ''[[The Untouchables (1959 TV series)|The Untouchables]]'', in an episode entitled "The Unhired Assassin". He also appeared in an episode of the ABC/[[Warner Brothers]] Western series ''[[The Alaskans]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/the-alaskans/episodes-season-1/199665/ |title=The Alaskans |website=TV Guide |access-date=September 8, 2020}}</ref>

Van Cleef guest-starred on the CBS Western series ''[[Have Gun – Will Travel]]'', on the ABC/[[Warner Bros.]] series ''[[Colt .45 (TV series)|Colt .45]]'', on the NBC Western series ''[[Cimarron City (TV series)|Cimarron City]]'' and ''[[Laramie (TV series)|Laramie]]'', and on [[Rod Cameron (actor)|Rod Cameron's]] syndicated [[Crime film|crime dramas]] ''[[City Detective]]'' and ''[[State Trooper (TV series)|State Trooper]]''. He guest-starred in an episode of [[John Bromfield]]'s syndicated crime drama ''[[Sheriff of Cochise]]''. Van Cleef starred as minor villains and henchmen in various Westerns, including ''[[The Tin Star]]'' and ''[[Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (film)|Gunfight at the O.K. Corral]]''.<ref name="IMDB-tt0050468">{{cite web |title=Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957) |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050468/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm |website=Internet Movie Database |publisher=IMDB |access-date=July 26, 2020}}</ref>

In 1960, he appeared as a villainous swindler in the ''[[Bonanza]]'' episode, "The Bloodline" (December 31, 1960), and also made an appearance on ''[[Gunsmoke]]''. In 1961, he played a role on episode seven ("[[The Grave (The Twilight Zone)|The Grave]]") of the third season of ''[[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]'' starring [[Lee Marvin]]. He played a villainous henchman of Lee Marvin's titular character in the 1962 [[John Ford]] movie ''[[The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance]]'' starring [[John Wayne]] and [[James Stewart]]. In 1963, he appeared on ''[[Perry Mason (1957 TV series)|Perry Mason]]'' (episode: "The Case of the Golden Oranges"). That same year, he appeared in "The Day of the Misfits" on ''[[The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters (TV series)|The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters]]''.

=== Stardom with ''For a Few  Dollars More'' and ''The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'' ===
[[File:LeeVanCleefDeathridesahorse.gif|thumb|Van Cleef in ''[[Death Rides a Horse]]'' (1967)]]
In 1965, [[Sergio Leone|Leone]] cast Van Cleef, whose career had yet to take off, as a main protagonist alongside [[Clint Eastwood]] in ''For a Few Dollars More''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://eu.poughkeepsiejournal.com/story/entertainment/2018/10/17/lee-van-cleef-iconic-presence-spaghetti-western-genre/1663603002/ |title=Lee Van Cleef was an iconic presence in the veteran villain category of film |last=Robinson |first=Larry |date=December 12, 2019 |website=Poughkeepsie Journal |access-date=September 8, 2020}}</ref> Leone then chose Van Cleef to appear again with Eastwood, this time as the primary antagonist, Angel Eyes, in the now seminal Western ''The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'' (1966). 

With his roles in Leone's films, Van Cleef became a major star of spaghetti Westerns, playing central, and often surprisingly heroic, roles in films such as ''[[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 (film)|Sabata]]'' (1969) and ''[[Return of Sabata]]'' (1971). Van Cleef starred in the Kung fu Spaghetti Western ''[[The Stranger and the Gunfighter]]'' and co-starred with [[Jim Brown]] in an Italian-American co-production, ''[[Take a Hard Ride]]'' (1975). In two of his final Westerns, he co-starred with [[Leif Garrett]] in ''[[God's Gun]]'' (1976) and ''Kid Vengeance'' (1977), both of which were filmed mainly in Israel. During the 1970s, Van Cleef also had leading roles in American Westerns, such as ''[[Barquero]]'' (1970), ''[[El Condor (film)|El Condor]]'' (1970) and ''[[The Magnificent Seven Ride!]]'' (1972). Van Cleef would later star alongside [[Patrick McGoohan]] in the [[John Boorman]] produced crime thriller ''[[The Hard Way (1980 film)|The Hard Way]]'' (1980). 

Van Cleef starred alongside [[Chuck Norris]] in the martial-arts film ''[[The Octagon (film)|The Octagon]]'' (1980). Van Cleef later had a supporting role in [[John Carpenter]]'s [[cult film]] ''[[Escape from New York]]'' (1981).<ref>{{cite news |url=https://eu.democratandchronicle.com/story/lifestyle/entertainment/2015/05/27/jacks-plan-escape-new-york/27957439/ |title=Jack's Plan B: 'Escape from New York' |last=Garner |first=Jack |date=May 27, 2015 |access-date=August 20, 2018 |newspaper=[[Rochester Democrat and Chronicle]] |publisher=[[Gannett]]}}</ref> He slipped out of the limelight in his later years.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-12-17-mn-1417-story.html|title=Cowboy Film Villain Lee Van Cleef Dies|date=December 17, 1989|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=February 15, 2022}}</ref> In 1984, he was cast as a [[ninja]] master in the NBC adventure series ''[[The Master (American TV series)|The Master]]'', but it was canceled after 13 episodes. Van Cleef also appeared alongside [[David Carradine]] in ''[[Armed Response (1986 film)|Armed Response]] '' (1986). In all, Van Cleef is credited with 90 movie roles and 109 television appearances over a 38-year span.