Lee van Cleef? - Underrated or one-trick pony?

Has the most suitable looks ever to play a villain, but was there more to him or was that all he had?

I have only seen him in High Noon and the movies with Eastwood and he seemed to have plenty of screen presence. Have any of you seen him elsewhere?

 

Only seen him play villains ... he had the best face ever for it... he definitely worked as a villain but I don't know if he was good in other capacities

 

I saw him in one of his first roles in Hang My Gallows High and he played a goon for the main villain (Kirk Douglas). He just had that great look for a movie bad guy.

 

You’ve never watched “for a few dollars more”? He wasn’t a villain in that one and he was excellent.

 

He was at best a neutral evil in the film ... there's no "good guys" in those Eastwood Leone films

 

I think he could have been a pretty good character actor, but he got typecast and kind of went with it. Might have had a resurgence of a career in 90's Indie Films if he had lived long enough.

 

He just had the perfect look for a bad guy

 

he must have done wonders for pipe sales...looked super cool

 

David Hess looked just as evil, but sleezier.

 

Nah, just a stupid looking dude... could just as easily be playing a harmless retard

 

Lee Van Cleef had a long career and played more than villains in Westerns (even though that became his iconic image). Any of you watched his coolest character in the 'Sabata' films?





Like I said he played different roles with his last one as a ninja master on that lame 80s tv series 'The Master'. Whoever had the brilliant idea of hiring a geriatric Van Cleef as a Ninjitsu expert deserved to have his balls as shuriken target practice.


'Commandos' was a decent war film.


He starred in the first kung fu western!


He wuss in the film noir 'Kansas City Confidential"



He send Snake Plissken to "Escape From New York"!