
Clarence LeRoy "Lee" Van Cleef Jr. (9 January 1925-16 December 1989) was an American Western film actor. Born in Somerville, Somerset County, New Jersey in 1925, he served in the US Navy in the Caribbean, Mediterranean, and Black Sea during World War II before being discharged in 1946 after four years of service. He went on to become a film actor, debuting in High Noon in 1952 and going on to star in several Spaghetti Western films from the 1950s to 1970s; he appeared in 90 movies and 109 television episodes during his 38-year career. He died of throat cancer in 1989. Van Cleef was a Republican, like most other Western film actors.