Ask American Profile 5/13/2007

Q I’m a fan of Westerns and was wondering if you could tell me more about actor Lee Van Cleef.
—J.P. Fritts, Wilmar, Ariz.

Van Cleef, who appeared in numerous Westerns and TV series during the 1960s and ’70s, died of a heart attack in 1989 at the age of 64. Considered one of Hollywood’s greatest movie villains, the Somerville, N.J., native worked as an accountant and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II before making his memorable movie debut as a dialogue-less henchman in the 1952 classic High Noon. Sharp-eyed viewers may have noticed, in later roles, that the tip of his right-hand middle finger is missing. He lost it building a playhouse for his daughter.

Q Is Dick Van Dyke still acting?
—Roberta D., Cassville, N.Y.

“I retired five years ago and it hasn’t worked out,” Van Dyke, 81, jokes. The Diagnosis: Murder star recently appeared in an original TV movie for the Hallmark Channel, Murder 101: College Can Be Murder, which also featured his 55-year-old son, Barry. Van Dyke also appeared in last year’s movie comedy Night at the Museum.

Q What’s going on with Norah Jones? It’s been awhile since we’ve heard from her. And is it true that her father also is a famous musician?
—Adam A., State College, Pa.

The Grammy-winning, piano-playing singer-songwriter, 28, is touring to promote her third album, Not Too Late. You also can see her later this year making her Hollywood debut in the movie My Blueberry Nights, in which she’ll star alongside Natalie Portman, Jude Law and Ed Harris—pretty good company for someone who’d never acted previously! Jones’ father is Ravi Shankar, world-famous for his music on the sitar, a stringed South Asian instrument resembling a guitar.

Q Does Steve Valentine of the television show Crossing Jordan have a small part in the new Hannibal Rising movie? Can you give us more information on him?
—Julie Mitchell, Clinton, Miss.

Valentine, 40, hails from London and worked as a disc jockey in Yugoslavia as a teenager before coming to the United States. The actor played small parts in a variety of TV shows, including Will & Grace, Dharma & Greg and Just Shoot Me, before landing the role of Nigel on Crossing Jordan. (If you’re a real Valentine fan, you might recall that he’s played characters also named Nigel on episodes of two other shows, Silk Stalkings and Martial Law.) He’s divorced and lives in Los Angeles. And while he has appeared in numerous films, Hannibal Rising is not one of them.

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