Lee Van Cleef was a regular fixture during the boom-time of Western films in American cinema. His sharp features and stoicism made him the ideal villain. In real life, though, he wasn’t a bad guy. In fact, he was a hero who bravely served his country during the Second World War.
Lee Van Cleef enlisted in the US Navy and contributed significantly to the war effort.
Clarence LeRoy “Lee” Van Cleef, Jr. was born on January 9, 1925. Raised in Somerville, New Jersey, he graduated from high school early with the intention of enlisting in the US Navy. By that time, the United States had entered the Second World War, and the future Western star was eager to do his part.
Van Cleef underwent basic training in late 1942 and subsequently attended Sonarman School. Upon completing this portion of his training, he was given the rank of sonarman third class and assigned to the submarine chaser USS SC-681. During his 10-month assignment, the vessel was deployed to the Caribbean to search for German U-boats in the region.
By the time Van Cleef was told to leave the ship and attend the Fleet Sound School in Key West, Florida, he had been promoted to sonarman second class.
Van Cleef also participated in the Allied landings in France
Following his time at Fleet Sound School, Lee Van Cleef was sent to Savannah, Georgia, to serve as part of the pre-commissioning crew for the minesweeper USS Incredible (AM-249). After the vessel’s shakedown cruise along the East Coast and in the Caribbean, she and her crew were deployed to Europe to participate in the Allied invasion of southern France.
Stationed in the Mediterranean during this time, the USS Incredible was tasked with searching for enemy mines along the French coast. In September 1944, the minesweeper played a crucial role in neutralizing an attack by German human torpedoes on Allied vessels.
During this period, Van Cleef was noted for his diligence and dedication to his position. He continually worked to improve his ability to operate the sonar equipment and interpret the data these tools provided.
Operations in the Pacific Theater
After half a year, the USS Incredible journeyed to the Black Sea, where she continued her minesweeping duties while stationed at the Soviet naval base in Sevastopol, Crimea. Her crew also performed air-sea rescue patrols before heading to Palermo, Italy, and then back to her home base in Norfolk, Virginia. By July 1945, the Incredible was deployed again, this time to the Pacific Theater. The ship and her crew participated in the post-war Operation Skagway, clearing mines around the Ryukyu Islands and in the East China Sea. Once this mission was complete, Lee Van Cleef returned to the United States and was discharged on February 20, 1946, with the rank of sonarman first class.
For his service during the Second World War, Van Cleef was awarded the Bronze Star, the World War II Victory Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, and the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal.
Lee Van Cleef decided to give acting a try
Following his military service, Lee Van Cleef returned to New Jersey and became involved in community theater. His talent soon caught the attention of a talent scout, leading him to Manhattan. Van Cleef’s big break came in the 1952 Western “High Noon,” starring Gary Cooper. Although he was offered a more prominent role if he agreed to get a nose job, he declined and instead played the villainous Jack Colby.
His role in “High Noon” greatly influenced Van Cleef’s career trajectory. Over the next decade, he appeared in numerous Westerns, typically portraying the villain, as well as in noir films. He also made several television appearances on shows such as “Annie Oakley” (1954-57), “The Rifleman” (1958-63), and “Gunsmoke” (1955-75). Like his film career, many of these television roles were in the American Western genre.
Becoming a sought-after actor
In 1965, Sergio Leone cast Lee Van Cleef as the villain in “For a Few Dollars More.” His performance opposite Clint Eastwood was so impressive that he was subsequently cast as the villain in “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” (1966). This role catapulted Van Cleef to stardom and made him a highly sought-after actor. He continued to appear in movies directed by Leone throughout the remainder of the 1960s and also starred in notable films such as “Death Rides a Horse” (1967), “Day of Anger” (1967), and “Sabata” (1969).
While Van Cleef arguably made his biggest films in the 1960s, he continued acting throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Some of his most notable movie appearances during this time included his role as Police Commissioner Bob Hauk in “Escape from New York” (1981) and as U.S. Marshal Chris Adams in “The Magnificent Seven Ride!” (1972). He even appeared alongside famed action star Chuck Norris in 1980’s “The Octagon.”
Lee Van Cleef worked up until his death
Lee Van Cleef continued working up until his death, appearing in 90 films and receiving 109 television credits. On December 16, 1989, the famed actor suffered a heart attack at his California home and passed away. He had been diagnosed with heart disease in the late 1970s and had a pacemaker installed. The autopsy report listed throat cancer as a secondary cause of death.
