One of Hollywood's Coldest Killers Was Once a World War II Hero

In the golden age of Western movies in American cinema, Lee Van Cleef rose to considerable fame. His singular look and commanding presence made him ideal for playing villainous roles. However, in stark contrast to his screen image, he was far from a villain in real life. In fact, he displayed genuine heroism by courageously serving his country during World War II.

Lee Van Cleef enlisted in the US Navy

Clarence LeRoy "Lee" Van Cleef, Jr. was born on January 9, 1925. Raised in the town of 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 looking to do his part.

Van Cleef underwent basic training in late 1942 and subsequently attended Sonarman School. He was given the rank of sonarman third class upon completing this portion of his training and assigned to the submarine chaser USS SC-681 . Over the course of this 10-month assignment, the vessel was sent 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'd been promoted to sonarman second class.

Participating in the Allied landings of France

After completing his training at Fleet Sound School, Lee Van Cleef was assigned to Savannah, Georgia, to join the pre-commissioning crew of the minesweeper USS Incredible (AM-249). Following the vessel's shakedown cruise along the East Coast and the Caribbean, the ship and its crew were deployed to Europe to participate in the Allied invasion of southern France .

During their time in the Mediterranean, the Incredible's mission was to detect enemy mines along the French coast. In September 1944, the minesweeper famously played a crucial role in thwarting an attack by German human torpedoes on Allied ships.

During this period, Van Cleef was recognized for his dilligence and dedication to his role, striving to enhance his skills in both operating the sonar equipment and interpreting the data it provided.

Operations in the Pacific Theater

Six months later, the USS Incredible journeyed to the Black Sea, where she continued her minesweeping duties from the Soviet naval base in Sevastopol, Crimea. The crew also carried out air-sea rescue missions before making their way to Palermo, Italy, and eventually returning to their home port in Norfolk, Virginia.

In July 1945, the Incredible was reassigned to the Pacific Theater. The ship and her crew took part in Operation Skagway post-war, clearing mines in the Ryukyu Islands and the East China Sea. After completing this assignment, Lee Van Cleef came back to the United States and was honorably discharged on February 20, 1946, holding the rank of sonarman first class.

For his service during World War II, 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, where he participated in community theater. He worked his way up and eventually found himself in Manhattan, at the behest of a talent scout. His big break came in the 1952 Western, High Noon , starring Gary Cooper . Van Cleef had actually been offered a more prominent role if he'd gotten a nose job , but he declined and, instead, played the villainous Jack Colby.

His role in High Noon greatly influenced Van Cleef's career trajectory. Over the following decade, he appeared in many Westerns , usually playing the villain, and noir films. He also made a number of television appearances, acting on such shows as Annie Oakley (1954-57), The Rifleman (1958-63) and Gunsmoke (1955-75). Similar to his film career, the majority of these small screen productions 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 work opposite Clint Eastwood was so good that he was subsequently cast as the villain in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966).

It was the latter role that made Van Cleef a star and much sought-after actor. He continued to appear in movies directed by Leone throughout the remainder of the 1960s, and also starred in such features 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 kept on acting throughout the 1970s and '80s. Some of his most notable movie appearances during this time included as Police Commissioner Bob Hauk in Escape from New York (1981) and as US 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 remained active in his career until his passing, appearing in 90 films and receiving 109 television credits. On December 16, 1989, he suffered a fatal heart attack at his residence in California. Van Cleef had been managing heart disease since the late 1970s and had undergone a pacemaker implantation. The autopsy indicated throat cancer as a contributing factor to his demise.

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Acknowledging his influence on the Western genre, numerous attendees at Van Cleef's funeral donned period-authentic attire and cowboy hats. His final resting place is at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Hollywood Hills, California.