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.For the next decade he played a string of memorably villainous characters, primarily in westerns but also in crime dramas such as The Big Combo (1955). Lee Van Cleef Meerschaum Pipe handcarved by CPW Meerschaum Pipes #3. His first marriage was to Patsy Ruth Kahle, in 1943. This led to a long string of supporting roles, usually playing menacing roles in westerns both in films and on television. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. Lee graduated high school early at the age of 17 from Somerville High School New Jersey[3] in order to enlist in the United States Navy in September 1942.[4]. One of his most famous descendants is Alfred van Cleef, who combined diamonds and sales by establishing the jeweller 'van Cleef & Arpels' in Paris. [2] 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. He was noticed by film director Stanley Kramer, who cast him in a nonspeaking role in "High Noon" (1952). since he had been out of the business for quite some time. [10] In 1954, Van Cleef appeared as Jesse James in the syndicated series Stories of the Century. His original name was Jacob. from cleaning up the local saloons in Tonino Valerii's western horse opera "Day of Anger." "I went out there one night the die was cast. There was a problem getting your location. Clarence married first name VAN CLEEF (born HAVELONE) on month day 1976, at age 51. Survivors include his wife of 62 years, Stella A., of Greenbelt; two sons, Louis, of Beltsville, and Carl, of Hyattsville; nine grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. He was then cast mostly in villainous roles, due to his sharp cheeks and chin, piercing eyes, and hawk-like nose,[1] from the part of Tony Romano in Kansas City Confidential (1952),[8] culminating 14 years later in Sergio Leone's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966).[9]. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. He is a member of famous Actor with the age 64 years old group. [19] His second marriage was to Joan Marjorie Drane, from 1960 to 1974. Born In: Somerville, New Jersey, United States. Learn more about merges. Failed to delete memorial. in the mid-seventies, combining with a new and upcoming genre, Sorry! Lee Van Cleef was born on January 9, 1925, in Somerville, New Jersey,[2] to Marion Lavinia Van Fleet and Clarence LeRoy Van Cleef. His first marriage was to Patsy Ruth Kahle, in 1943. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Van_Kleef-22, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001812/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K4YQ-3MW, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VPNL-SVB, USS Incredible (AM-249), United States Navy, World War II, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, Born January 9, 1925 in Somerville, New Jersey, USA, Died December 16, 1989 in Oxnard, California, USA (heart attack), Father: Clarence Leroy Van Cleef Sr; BIRTH 27 FEB. 1895 Belle Mead, Somerset, New Jersey, USA; DEATH 1948 Somerville, Somerset, New Jersey, USA, Mother: Marion Lavinia Van Fleet; BIRTH 6 AUG. 1897 Hillsborough, Somerset, New Jersey, USA; DEATH 28 OCT. 1987 Tarzana, Los Angeles, California, USA, First Wife: Patsy Ruth Kahle (from 10 December 1943 to 1960 - divorced - had 3 children together), Second Wife: Joan Marjorie Drane (from 9 April 1960 to 1974 - divorced - no known children together), "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (, "California Death Index, 1940-1997," database, FamilySearch (. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. Clarence Leroy Van Cleef Jr. was a famous yesteryear American actor best known for his negative roles in films like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and For a Few Dollars More. An audition for a professional role led to a touring company job in "Mr. Roberts". he honed his skill to a finely tuned art. 4. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/lee-van-cleef-35071.php, 20th Century Film & Theater Personalities, 20th Century American Film & Theater Personalities. But Kramer called him back After suffering serious injuries in a car crash, Van Cleef's acting career started to decline. An audition for a professional role led to a touring company job in "Mr. Roberts". A young Van Cleef also made an appearance on The Andy Griffith Show and as Frank Diamond in The Untouchables, in an episode entitled "The Unhired Assassin". Van Cleef appeared six times between 1953 and 1955 on the children's syndicated Western series The Adventures of Kit Carson, starring Bill Williams. In the 1980s, he moved easily into action and martial-arts movies and starred in The Master (1984), a TV series featuring almost non-stop martial arts action. Just one grandparent can lead you to many His other central roles includes Day of Anger (1967), Death Rides a Horse (1967) and The Grand Duel (1972). He was a member of Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Washington, the Knights of Columbus and the Holy Name Society. He described Dr ,oa Actor, Paradise (ln Stereo) g Gd Movie "Death Rides a Horse (1969), "will announce arrangements. the martial arts action films. Lee Van Cleefs income source is mostly from being a successful Actor. He appealed to that bit of villain in all of us. His wife Barbara called paramedics but they One of these scouts later took him to New York City talent agent Maynard Morris of the MCA agency, who then sent him to the Alvin Theater for an audition. He had heterochromatic eyes - one being green and the other blue. Serenity Section, Map #A17, Lot 156, Single Ground Interment Space 1, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/2175/lee-van_cleef. You can always change this later in your Account settings. He collapsed in his home He started as a low down supporting actor in films like High Noon. company in Clinton, New Jersey. Unfortunately, "The Magnificent Seven Ride!" Following his tenure with the USN, Cleef, who also worked for a while as an accountant, got associated with the entertainment industry. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. Foreign Language Film Outlaw Revisionist Western. for Spanish television after purchasing a cattle ranch in that During his time away Kramer's He divorced In 1966, he was noticed by Leone, who was searching for actors with distinctive facial features to star in Italian-made Westerns. short lived television series called "The Master", playing In 1959, Van Cleef appeared as Luke Clagg in the episode "Strange Request" of the NBC Western series Riverboat starring Darren McGavin, as Jumbo Kane in the episode "The Hostage" on the CBS Western series "Wanted Dead or Alive" starring Steve McQueen, and in an episode of Maverick titled "Red Dog" in 1961 starring Roger Moore and John Carradine. ], Despite suffering from heart disease from the late 1970s and having a pacemaker installed in the early 1980s,[24] Van Cleef continued to work in films until his death on December 16, 1989, at age 64. 1974), Patsy Ruth (m. 1943; div. MARY A. MOORE Army Employee Mary A. Moore, 85, who worked for the Army for about 45 years before retiring in 1975, died of a heart ailment Dec. 16 at Alexandria Hospital. The genre took a strange turn V > Van Cleef > Clarence Leroy Van Cleef Jr, Categories: USS Incredible (AM-249), United States Navy, World War II | Navy Good Conduct Medal | European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal | Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal | American Campaign Medal | World War II Victory Medal | Bronze Star Medal | Famous Actors of the 20th Century, WIKITREE HOME | ABOUT | G2G FORUM | HELP | SEARCH. During this time he became one In 1984 he had the lead in a Actually, Sergio Sollima's masterpiece about a bounty hunter who sets out to find a Mexican peasant accused of raping and killing a 12-year old girl was Lee Van Cleef's very first starring role. Married in 1943 to Patsy Ruth, Lee settled down to family life after the war. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. Verploegh - Aanen - Maat, Spartenburg Weekly Herald and Herald-Journal - Dec 17 1989. http://records.ancestry.com/clarence_leroy_van_cleef_records.ashx?p http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/l/u/b/Jacqueline--Lubins http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=2175, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Van_Cleef, http://ww2gravestone.com/people/cleef-lee-van/. Anna was the daughter of James Vanderveer Hoagland and Margaret Hammer. boss promptly fired him. One of Lee Van Cleef's later roles and perhaps his best as an outlaw framed for a murder that he didn't commit. After a stint there, he was inducted as a sonarman in the Admirable-class minesweeper USS Incredible. I have been told Van Cleef did", "Western Archivillain Lee Van Cleef Dies", "The Cinema Behind Star Wars: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly", "Primus Lee Van Cleef (Official Music Video)", "Jonathan Green, Author: N is for Nathan Creed", "Lee van Cleef by Tamas Cseh (amazon.com)", "Stargate SG-1 Easter Egg - Lee van Cleef", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lee_Van_Cleef&oldid=1133926540, Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills), Somerville High School (New Jersey) alumni, United States Navy personnel of World War II, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Pages using infobox person with multiple spouses, Pages using infobox military person with embed, Articles lacking reliable references from November 2021, Articles with self-published sources from February 2020, Articles with trivia sections from May 2018, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, 'El Latigo' / Joe 'Utah Joe' / Rocky Hatch, "Treasure of Santa Dolores"; "Outlaw's Double"; "Greed Rides the Range", Joe Singer / 'Bull' Harper / Henchman Jango, "Desperado at Large"; "The Brown Pony"; "Stage to Estacado", "Snowshoe Thompson"; "The Hat That Won the West", Dan Maury / 'Stinger' / Wicks / Johnny Drako, "The Deadly Wait"; "The Prodigal"; "The Clarence Bibs Story"; "Death Never Rides Alone", Wes Torrey / Dawson / 'Mac' Morgan / Caleb, ".45 Calibre"; "Killer Odds"; "Vengeance"; "The Stranger", Rad Meadows / Johnny Hooker / Ike Jeffords, "Old Flame"/"The Pariah"/"My Father, My Son", "Trouble Street"; "A Man Called Ragen"; "Man Alone", "The Richest Man in Boot Hill", "Call to Glory", Lee Van Cleef's characters in the Sergio Leone movies inspired the creation of the characters Elliot Belt of the, Van Cleef served as visual inspiration for the characters of, This page was last edited on 16 January 2023, at 04:24. This role was completely different from the Click to enlarge. But in 1964 Lee Van Cleef clawed a whole new career as the king of the Spaghetti Western. During one summer in the early 1950s he was a camp counselor in NYC for Marc Furstenberg. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. But there was an opportunity waiting for him that was to change just signed for the film Cat Ballou. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. Clarence Leroy (Lee) Van Cleef Jr Born 9 Jan 1925 in Somerville, New Jersey, United States Ancestors Son of Clarence Leroy Van Cleef Sr and Marion Lavinia (Van Fleet) Van Cleef [sibling (s) unknown] Husband of Patsy Ruth (Kahle) Van Cleef married 10 Dec 1943 (to before 9 Apr 1960) [location unknown] Lee Van Cleef and football legend Jim Brown co-starred as two adventurers out to take a fortune in gold from a French garrison in Mexico in the late 19th century. The film garnered him attention and proved to be a turning point in his career. Lee Van Cleef (Clarence Leroy Van Cleef Jr.) was born on 9 January, 1925 in Somerville, New Jersey, USA, is an Actor, Soundtrack. He also appeared in an episode of the ABC/Warner Brothers Western series The Alaskans.[14]. According to the book, "this telltale characteristic was corrected in the movies with colored contact lenses". If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. [27] He was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, Hollywood Hills, California, with an inscription on his grave marker referring to his many acting performances as a villain: "BEST OF THE BAD".[28]. He did not start out as an actor to support his family, but worked on farms and other outdoors jobs, then at a plant as a time study methods and motions analyst as well as dabbling in accounting. His wife, Marjory, died in 1969. and so he declined taking the role. The days of the Spaghetti Western may then have begun Birth of Lee (Clarence Leroy) Van Cleef, Jr. Death of Lee (Clarence Leroy) Van Cleef, Jr. at Oxna Burial of Lee (Clarence Leroy) Van Cleef, Jr. The Gianfranco Parolini directed 1969 Italian Spaghetti Western film Sabata and its second sequel Return of Sabata (1971) featured Cleef in the titular role. Antonio Margheriti's Kung fu western. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. Picture 1 of 12. [15] His film characters died in many of his Westerns and gangster portrayals. We have estimated Lee Van Cleefs net worth, money, salary, income, and assets. Free shipping. This would later become rather a trademark for him. by. The youngster grows up to become John Philip Law, and he sets out to find the murderers of his family. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. Edit Search New Search Filters (1). 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. "". In For a Few Dollars More Cleef starred opposite Clint Eastwood. girl and two boys. Born and raised in New Jersey, Van Cleef served in the United States Navy during World War II aboard a minesweeper, earning a Bronze Star for his actions. His first roles were the villain Jack Colby in the western classic High Noon (1952) with Gary Cooper, and the sci fi movie The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953) as Corp. Stone. Lee's paternal grandfather was Clarence V. Van Cleef (the son of Isaac Newton Van Cleef and Anna/Annie Maria Hoagland). Try again later. career, he played in many action/adventure films, such as, The He was a member of Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Washington, the Knights of Columbus and the Holy Name Society. We encourage you to research and examine these . wife Joanie, as well as pursuing his talent for painting, primarily Free shipping for many products! His first big break came in an audition Free shipping. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. He was married to his high school sweetheart Patsy Ruth from 1943 to 1960 and had three children with her David, Alan and Deborah. On December 10, 1943, Lee married Patsy Ruth Kahle. [21], He lost the last joint of the middle finger of his right hand while building a playhouse for his daughter. In 1952, he won his first film role as the sardonic killer who died in the showdown gunfight with Gary Cooper in the Western classic "High Noon." Survivors include her husband, Mark W., of Venice; two sons, Andy, of Somerset, N.J., and Wes, of Columbus, Ohio; and a daughter, Sherri Reed of Fairfax. Family, Parents, Siblings, Education . Lee Van Cleef took over the role originated by Yul Brynner in John Sturges' classic horse opera "The Magnificent Seven" and Burt Kennedy's vintage sequel "Return of the Seven." Cleef was sent for an audition at the Alvin Theater by Morris where he landed up with the play Mister Roberts. We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 9 January. BRUNELLO A. LANDI Printing Executive Brunello A. Landi, 87, who worked for the old Judd & Detweiler printing company in Washington for 50 years before retiring in 1967 as its bindery supervisor, died of cardiac arrest Dec. 17 at the Greater Laurel Beltsville Hospital in Laurel. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. Mr. Van Cleef, who had a long history of heart trouble, was stricken about 11:40 p.m. Friday at his Oxnard home and was pronounced dead at St. John's Regional Medical Center shortly after midnight, according to a spokesman for the county coroner. Lee Van Cleef reprised his role as the swift-shooting, elegantly-clad trouble-shooter in Gianfranco Parolini's witty Spaghetti western. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. an American Ninja now in the United States searching for his long In 1961, he played a role on episode 7 ("The Grave") of the third season of The Twilight Zone starring Lee Marvin. By the time of his discharge in March 1946, he had achieved the rank of Sonarman First Class (SO1) and had earned his mine sweeper patch. In January 1945, Incredible moved to the Black Sea, and performed sweeping duties out of the Soviet Navy base at Sevastopol, Crimea. Billiard vineyard meerschaum pipe handcarved by CPW Pipes #14. Raised in Somerville, New Jersey, he graduated from high school early, with the intention of enlisting in the US Navy. Cleefs net worth, money, salary, income, and one or more numbers or special characters Free... 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