Clint Eastwood

Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the " Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "'' Dollars Trilogy''" of Spaghetti Westerns during the mid-1960s and as antihero cop Harry Callahan in the five '' Dirty Harry'' films throughout the 1970s and 1980s. These roles, among others, have made Eastwood an enduring cultural icon of masculinity. Elected in 1986, Eastwood served for two years as the mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California.

An Academy Award nominee for Best Actor, Eastwood won Best Director and Best Picture for his Western film '' Unforgiven'' (1992) and his sports drama '' Million Dollar Baby'' (2004). His greatest commercial successes are the adventure comedy '' Every Which Way but Loose'' (1978) and its action comedy sequel '' Any Which Way You Can'' (1980). Other popular Eastwood films include the Westerns ''Hang 'Em High'' (1968) and '' Pale Rider'' (1985), the action-war film '' Where Eagles Dare'' (1968), the prison film '' Escape from Alcatraz'' (1979), the war film ''Heartbreak Ridge'' (1986), the action film ''In the Line of Fire'' (1993), and the romantic drama ''The Bridges of Madison County'' (1995). More recent works are '' Gran Torino'' (2008), '' The Mule'' (2018), and '' Cry Macho'' (2021). Since 1967, Eastwood's company Malpaso Productions has produced all but four of his American films.

In addition to directing many of his own star vehicles, Eastwood has also directed films in which he did not appear, such as the mystery drama ''Mystic River'' (2003) and the war film '' Letters from Iwo Jima'' (2006), for which he received Academy Award nominations, the drama '' Changeling'' (2008), and the biographical sports drama ''Invictus'' (2009). The war drama biopic ''American Sniper'' (2014) set box-office records for the largest January release ever and was also the largest opening ever for an Eastwood film.

Eastwood's accolades include four Academy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, three César Awards, and an AFI Life Achievement Award. In 2000, he received the Italian Venice Film Festival's Golden Lion award, honoring his lifetime achievements. Bestowed two of France's highest civilian honors, he received the Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1994, and the Legion of Honour medal in 2007.

Early life

Eastwood was born on May 31, 1930, at Saint Francis Memorial Hospital in San Francisco, California, to Ruth (' Runner; 1909–2006) and Clinton Eastwood (1906–1970). During her son's fame, Ruth was known by the surname of her second husband, John Belden Wood (1913–2004), whom she married after the death of Clinton Sr. McGilligan, p. 231 Eastwood was nicknamed "Samson" by the hospital nurses because he weighed at birth. He has a younger sister, Jeanne Bernhardt (b. 1934). Eliot, p. 14 He is of English, Irish, Scottish, and Dutch ancestry. He is descended from ''Mayflower'' passenger William Bradford, and through this line is the 12th generation born in North America. Zmijewsky and Pfeiffer, p. 12 His family relocated three times during the 1930s as his father changed occupations, Eliot, p. 15 residing in Sacramento in 1935, according to census records. Contrary to what Eastwood has indicated in media interviews, they did not move between 1940 and 1949. McGilligan, p. 34 McGilligan, p. 40 Settling in Piedmont, California, the Eastwoods lived in an affluent area of the town, had a swimming pool, belonged to a country club, and each parent drove their own car. Eastwood's father was a manufacturing executive at Georgia-Pacific for most of his working life. McGilligan, p. 191 As Clint and Jeanne grew older, Ruth took a clerical job at IBM. McGilligan, p. 38

Eastwood attended Piedmont Middle School, Kapsis and Coblentz, p. 123 (interviewer Tim Cahill) where he was held back due to poor academic scores, and records indicated he also had to attend summer school. From January 1945 until at least January 1946, he attended Piedmont High School, but was asked to leave for writing an obscene suggestion to a school official on the athletic field scoreboard and for burning an effigy on the school lawn, on top of other school infractions. McGilligan, p. 36 He transferred to Oakland Technical High School and was scheduled to graduate mid-year in January 1949, although it is not clear if he did. "Clint graduated from the airplane shop. I think that was his major," joked classmate Don Kincade. Another high school friend, Don Loomis, echoed "I don't think he was spending that much time at school because he was having a pretty good time elsewhere." Fritz Manes, a boyhood friend two years younger than Eastwood, said "I think what happened is he just went off and started having a good time. I just don't think he finished high school." Biographer Patrick McGilligan notes that high school graduation records are a matter of strict legal confidentiality. According to the author, Eastwood's school principal had to call his management first before deciding whether to be interviewed, and "whoever answered the phone at Malpaso advised him against talking to me, and he didn’t."

Eastwood held a number of jobs, including lifeguard, paper carrier, grocery clerk, forest firefighter, and golf caddy. Eliot, p. 17 Eastwood said that he tried to enroll at Seattle University in 1951, but instead was drafted into the United States Army during the Korean War. Eliot, pp. 18–19 "He always dropped the Korean War reference, hoping everyone would conclude that he was in combat and might be some sort of hero. Actually, he'd been a lifeguard at Fort Ord in northern California for his entire stint in the military," said Eastwood's former longtime companion Sondra Locke. Don Loomis recalled hearing that Eastwood was romancing one of the daughters of a Fort Ord officer, who might have been entreated to watch out for him when names came up for postings. McGilligan, p. 49 While returning from a prearranged tryst in Seattle, Washington, he was a passenger on a Douglas AD bomber that ran out of fuel and crashed into the ocean near Point Reyes. Using a life raft, he and the pilot swam to safety. McGilligan, p. 50

Career

1950s

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According to a CBS press release for '' Rawhide'', the Universal-International film company was shooting in Fort Ord when an enterprising assistant spotted Eastwood and invited him to meet the director, McGilligan, p. 52 although this is disputed by Eastwood's unauthorized biographer, Patrick McGilligan. McGilligan, p. 53 According to Eastwood's official biography, the key figure was a man named Chuck Hill, who was stationed in Fort Ord and had contacts in Hollywood. While in Los Angeles, Hill became reacquainted with Eastwood and managed to sneak him into a Universal studio, where he introduced him to cameraman Irving Glassberg. Glassberg arranged for an audition under Arthur Lubin, who, although very impressed with Eastwood's appearance and stature, then 6'4" (193 cm), disapproved of his acting, remarking, "He was quite amateurish. He didn't know which way to turn or which way to go or do anything". McGilligan, p. 60 Lubin suggested that he attend drama classes and arranged for Eastwood's initial contract in April 1954, at $100 per week. After signing, Eastwood was initially criticized for his stiff manner and delivering his lines through his teeth, a lifelong trademark.

In May 1954, Eastwood made his first real audition for ''Six Bridges to Cross'' but was rejected by Joseph Pevney. McGilligan, p. 63 After many unsuccessful auditions, he was eventually given a minor role by director Jack Arnold in '' Revenge of the Creature'' (1955), a sequel to the recently released '' Creature from the Black Lagoon''. McGilligan, p. 64 In September 1954, Eastwood worked for three weeks on Arthur Lubin's ''Lady Godiva of Coventry'', won a role in February 1955, playing "Jonesy", a sailor in '' Francis in the Navy'' and appeared uncredited in another Jack Arnold film, ''Tarantula'', where he played a squadron pilot. In May 1955, Eastwood put four hours' work into the film '' Never Say Goodbye'' and had a minor uncredited role as a ranch hand (his first western film) in August 1955 with ''Law Man'', also known as '' Star in the Dust''. McGilligan, p. 81 Universal presented him with his first television role on July 2, 1955, on NBC's ''Allen in Movieland'', which starred comedian Steve Allen, actor Tony Curtis and swing musician Benny Goodman. McGilligan, p. 86 Although he continued to develop as an actor, Universal terminated his contract on October 23, 1955. Eliot, p. 36

Eastwood joined the Marsh Agency, and although Lubin landed him his biggest role to date in ''The First Traveling Saleslady'' (1956) and later hired him for '' Escapade in Japan'' (1957), without a formal contract Eastwood was struggling. McGilligan, p. 85 On his financial advisor Irving Leonard's advice, he switched to the Kumin-Olenick Agency in 1956 and Mitchell Gertz in 1957. He landed several small roles in 1956 as a temperamental army officer for a segment of ABC's ''Reader's Digest'' series, and as a motorcycle gang member on a '' Highway Patrol'' episode. In 1957, Eastwood played a cadet in '' West Point'' series and a suicidal gold prospector on '' Death Valley Days''. McGilligan, p. 87

In 1958, he played a Navy lieutenant in a segment of '' Navy Log'' and in early 1959 made a notable guest appearance as Red Hardigan on ''Maverick'' opposite James Garner as a cowardly villain intent on marrying a rich girl for money. Eastwood had a small part as an aviator in '' Lafayette Escadrille'' (1958) and played a major role as an ex-renegade of the Confederacy in '' Ambush at Cimarron Pass'' (also 1958), a film Eastwood considers the low point of his career. McGilligan, p. 93

In 1958, Eastwood was cast as Rowdy Yates for the CBS hour-long western series '' Rawhide'', the career breakthrough he had long sought. McGilligan, p. 95 Eliot, p. 45 Eastwood was not especially happy with his character; Eastwood was almost 30, and Rowdy was too young and cloddish for his comfort. Filming began in Arizona in the summer of 1958. It took just three weeks for ''Rawhide'' to reach the top 20 in TV ratings and although it never won an Emmy, it was a major success for several years, and peaked at number six in the ratings between October 1960 and April 1961. McGilligan, p. 110 The ''Rawhide'' years (1959–65) were some of the most grueling of Eastwood's career, often filming six days a week for an average of 12 hours a day, but some directors still criticized him for not working hard enough. McGilligan, p. 111 By late 1963, ''Rawhide'' was beginning to decline in the ratings and lacked freshness in the scripts; it was canceled in the middle of the 1965–66 season. Eastwood made his first attempt at directing when he filmed several trailers for the show, but was unable to convince producers to let him direct an episode. In the show's first season, Eastwood earned $750 an episode. At the time of ''Rawhide''s cancelation, he received $119,000 an episode as severance pay.

1960s

In late 1963, Eastwood's ''Rawhide'' co-star Eric Fleming rejected an offer to star in an Italian-made western called ''A Fistful of Dollars'' (1964), filmed in a remote region of Spain by a relatively unknown director, Sergio Leone. McGilligan, p. 126 Richard Harrison suggested Eastwood to Leone because Harrison knew Eastwood could play a cowboy convincingly. Eastwood thought the film would be an opportunity to escape from his ''Rawhide'' image. He signed a contract for $15,000 in wages for eleven weeks' work, with a bonus of a Mercedes-Benz automobile upon completion. Eliot, p. 59 McGilligan, p. 128 Eastwood later said of the transition from a TV western to ''A Fistful of Dollars'': "In ''Rawhide'' I did get awfully tired of playing the conventional white hat. The hero who kisses old ladies and dogs and was kind to everybody. I decided it was time to be an antihero." Eastwood was instrumental in creating the Man with No Name character's distinctive visual style and, although a non-smoker, Leone insisted Eastwood smoke cigars as an essential ingredient of the "mask" he was attempting to create for the character. McGilligan, p. 131

''A Fistful of Dollars'' proved a landmark in the development of Spaghetti Westerns, with Leone depicting a more lawless and desolate world than traditional westerns, and challenging American stereotypes of a western hero with a morally ambiguous antihero. The film's success made Eastwood a major star in Italy and he was rehired to star in '' For a Few Dollars More'' (1965), the second of the trilogy. Through the efforts of screenwriter Luciano Vincenzoni, the rights to ''For a Few Dollars More'' and the trilogy's final film, '' The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'' (1966), were sold to United Artists for about $900,000. McGilligan, p. 148

In January 1966, Eastwood met producer Dino De Laurentiis in New York City and agreed to star in a non-Western five-part anthology production, '' The Witches'' (''Le Streghe'', 1967), opposite De Laurentiis's wife, Silvana Mangano. McGilligan, p. 150 Eastwood's 19-minute installment took only a few days to shoot, but his performance did not please critics; one wrote, "no other performance of his is quite so 'un-Clintlike'." McGilligan, p. 151

Two months later Eastwood began work on ''The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'', again playing the mysterious Man with No Name. Lee Van Cleef returned as a ruthless fortune seeker, with Eli Wallach portraying the Mexican bandit Tuco Ramirez. The storyline involved the search for a cache of Confederate gold buried in a cemetery. During the filming of a scene in which a bridge was blown up, Eastwood urged Wallach to retreat to a hilltop. "I know about these things," he said. "Stay as far away from special effects and explosives as you can."McGillagan, p. 156 Minutes later confusion among the crew over the word "Vaya!" resulted in a premature explosion that could have killed Wallach.

The ''Dollars'' trilogy was not released in the United States until 1967, when ''A Fistful of Dollars'' opened on January 18, followed by ''For a Few Dollars More'' on May 10, and ''The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'' on December 29. McGilligan, p. 157 All three were commercially successful, particularly ''The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'', which eventually earned $8 million in rental earnings and turned Eastwood into a major film star being ranked for the first time on Quigley's Top Ten Money Making Stars Poll in 1968 in fifth place. All three received poor reviews, and marked the beginning of a battle for Eastwood to win American film critics' respect. McGilligan, p. 158 Judith Crist described ''A Fistful of Dollars'' as "cheapjack", while ''Newsweek'' called ''For a Few Dollars More'' "excruciatingly dopey". Renata Adler of ''The New York Times'' said ''The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'' was "the most expensive, pious and repellent movie in the history of its peculiar genre." ''Time'' magazine drew attention to the film's wooden acting, especially Eastwood's, though a few critics such as Vincent Canby and Bosley Crowther of ''The New York Times'' praised his coolness. Leone's cinematography was widely acclaimed, even by critics who disparaged the acting.

Stardom brought Eastwood more roles. He signed to star in the American revisionist western ''Hang 'Em High'' (1968) alongside Inger Stevens, Pat Hingle, Dennis Hopper, Ed Begley, Alan Hale Jr., Ben Johnson, Bruce Dern, and James MacArthur, McGilligan, p. 159 playing a man who takes up a Marshal's badge and seeks revenge as a lawman after being lynched by vigilantes and left for dead. McGilligan, p. 160 The film earned Eastwood $400,000 and 25% of its net box office. Using money earned from the ''Dollars'' trilogy, Eastwood's advisor Irving Leonard helped establish Eastwood's own production company, Malpaso Productions, named after Malpaso Creek on Eastwood's property in Monterey County, California. The 38-year-old actor was still relatively unknown as late as a month prior to the film's release, as evidenced by a July 1968 news item by syndicated columnist Dorothy Manners: "The proverbial man in the street is still asking, 'Who's Clint Eastwood?'" Leonard arranged for ''Hang 'Em High'' to be a joint production with United Artists; McGilligan, p. 162 when it opened in August 1968, it had the largest opening weekend in United Artists' history. ''Hang 'Em High'' was widely praised by critics, including Archer Winsten of the ''New York Post'', who called it "a western of quality, courage, danger and excitement."

Before ''Hang 'Em High''s release, Eastwood had already begun working on ''Coogan's Bluff'' (1968), about an Arizona deputy sheriff tracking a wanted psychopathic criminal ( Don Stroud) through New York City. He was reunited with Universal Studios for it after receiving an offer of $1 millionmore than double his previous salary. McGilligan, p. 165 Jennings Lang arranged for Eastwood to meet Don Siegel, a Universal contract director who later became Eastwood's close friend, forming a partnership that would last more than ten years and produce five films. McGilligan, p. 167 Shooting began in November 1967, before the script had been finalized. McGilligan, p. 169 The film was controversial for its portrayal of violence. ''Coogan's Bluff'' also became the first collaboration with Argentine composer Lalo Schifrin, who scored several Eastwood films in the 1970s and 1980s, including the ''Dirty Harry'' films.

Eastwood was paid $750,000 for the war epic '' Where Eagles Dare'' (1968), McGilligan, p. 172 about a World War II squad parachuting into a Gestapo stronghold in the alpine mountains. Richard Burton played the squad's commander, with Eastwood as his right-hand man. Eastwood was also cast as Two-Face in the ''Batman'' television show, but the series was canceled before filming began. Eliot, p. 83

Eastwood then branched out to star in the only musical of his career, '' Paint Your Wagon'' (1969). Eastwood and Lee Marvin play gold miners who buy a Mormon settler's less favored wife ( Jean Seberg) at an auction. Bad weather and delays plagued the production, and the film's budget eventually exceeded $20 million, which was high for the time. McGilligan, p. 173 The film was not a critical or commercial success, but was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.

1970s

Eastwood starred with Shirley MacLaine in the western ''Two Mules for Sister Sara'' (1970), directed by Don Siegel. The film follows an American mercenary, who becomes mixed up with a prostitute disguised as a nun, and ends up helping a group of Juarista rebels during the reign of Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico. Eastwood again played a mysterious strangerunshaven, wearing a serape-like vest, and smoking a cigar. Although it received moderate reviews, McGilligan, p. 182 the film is listed in ''The New York Times Guide to the Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made''. Around the same time, Eastwood starred as one of a group of Americans who steals a fortune in gold from the Nazis, in the World War II film '' Kelly's Heroes'' (also 1970), with Donald Sutherland and Telly Savalas. ''Kelly's Heroes'' was the last film Eastwood appeared in that was not produced by his own Malpaso Productions. McGilligan, p. 184 Filming commenced in July 1969 on location in Yugoslavia and in London. McGilligan, p. 183 The film received mostly a positive reception and its anti-war sentiments were recognized. In the winter of 1969–70, Eastwood and Siegel began planning his next film, '' The Beguiled'' (1971), a tale of a wounded Union soldier, held captive by the sexually repressed matron (played by Geraldine Page) of a Southern girls' school. McGilligan, p. 185 Upon release the film received major recognition in France and is considered one of Eastwood's finest works by French critics. McGilligan, p. 190 However, it grossed less than $1 million and, according to Eastwood and Lang, flopped due to poor publicity and the "emasculated" role of Eastwood. McGilligan, p. 189

Eastwood's career reached a turning point in 1971. McGilligan, p. 196 Before Irving Leonard died, he and Eastwood had discussed the idea of Malpaso producing '' Play Misty for Me'', a film that was to give Eastwood the artistic control he desired, and his debut as a director. McGilligan, p. 192 The script was about a jazz disc jockey named Dave (Eastwood), who has a casual affair with Evelyn ( Jessica Walter), a listener who had been calling the radio station repeatedly at night, asking him to play her favorite song – Erroll Garner's " Misty". When Dave ends their relationship, the unhinged Evelyn becomes a murderous stalker. McGilligan, p. 193 Filming commenced in Monterey in September 1970 and included footage of that year's Monterey Jazz Festival. McGilligan, p. 194 The film was highly acclaimed with critics, such as Jay Cocks