Soundman First Class Clarence Leroy Van Cleef Jr, A Sailor's Story
Soundman First Class Clarence Leroy Van Cleef Jr, A Sailor's Story
Soundman First Class Clarence Leroy Van Cleef Jr. was born on January 9, 1925, in Somerville, New Jersey. He attended Somerville High School and graduated early, choosing to enlist in the military at a young age. On October 16, 1942, during the height of World War II, he enlisted in the United States Navy.
Van Cleef trained as a sonarman and was assigned to the USS Incredible, a minesweeper tasked with some of the Navy’s most hazardous duties. His early service took him to the Caribbean before he was deployed to the Mediterranean, where he supported Allied operations, including preparations for the landings in southern France. The Incredible later operated in the Black Sea, conducting mine-clearing operations before continuing on to Palermo, Sicily. His service placed him in active theaters where vigilance and precision were essential to protecting Allied naval movements.
Soundman First Class Van Cleef was honorably discharged from the Navy on March 18, 1946, shortly after the conclusion of the war.
After returning home to Somerville, New Jersey, he turned to the performing arts, making his stage debut under the name Lee Van Cleef in a local production of Our Town. Over the next several years, he appeared in stage productions across New Jersey and New York, including Heaven Can Wait and Mister Roberts, steadily building a professional acting career.
Van Cleef made his film debut in High Noon, portraying the villain Jack Colby. His angular features and commanding screen presence soon made him a fixture in Westerns, science fiction, and film noir, often cast as hardened antagonists. Over the decades, he appeared in more than 90 films and over 100 television roles.
He gained international recognition for his role in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, directed by Sergio Leone, cementing his legacy as one of cinema’s most recognizable Western actors. His television work included appearances on classic series such as Gunsmoke, Bonanza, and The Twilight Zone. His influence extended beyond film and television, inspiring later fictional characters in other media.
Despite his long and prolific entertainment career, Van Cleef’s life began in service. He was a sailor during a global war, trained for dangerous technical work, and deployed to active combat regions before ever stepping onto a stage or screen.
Soundman First Class Clarence Leroy Van Cleef Jr. died on December 16, 1989. He is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles, California. His legacy endures as both a World War II veteran and a lasting figure in American film history.
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