Clint Eastwood

Eastwood grew up in Depression-era California, where his parents were itinerant workers. After high school, he worked as a lumberjack in Oregon, played honky-tonk piano and was a swimming instructor in the US Army. On the GI Bill, he studied at Los Angeles City College, after which he was signed by Universal. One of his first experiences with the indignity actors must suffer was in a "Francis the Talking Mule" movie, "Francis in the Navy" (1955). Also that year, Eastwood made a brief appearance as a Lab Technician in “Revenge of the Creature”, the sequel to “Creature From the Black Lagoon” (1954). The movie was later lampooned on the popular cult television show, “Mystery Science Theater 3000” (1989-2000)—Eastwood did not escape the barbs hurled by Mike and the bots. Many B-movies later, he moved to New York and gained recognition as trail boss Rowdy Yates in the successful television series "Rawhide" (1959-66)—a role he got despite trouble remembering lines in his screen test.

A strong sensibility and understanding of the characters he played helped Eastwood develop the minimalist acting style for which he’s famous. It was first appreciated in Europe where he starred in a trilogy of popular spaghetti westerns directed by Sergio Leone in Spain. As the laconic and lethal Man With No Name, Eastwood embodied archetypal violent American whose philosophy in "A Fistful of Dollars" (1964) was "everybody gets rich or dead." The sequels, "For a Few Dollars More" (1965) and "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" (1966), became classic revisionist Westerns and made Eastwood an international star. He returned stateside and starred in "Coogan's Bluff" (1968), a smart urban Western that marked the beginning of a long and successful collaboration with director Don Siegel.

Eastwood's second famed screen incarnation was Harry Callahan, the rogue cop of Siegel's "Dirty Harry" (1971) who found it easier to shoot suspects than interrogate them—hence the immortal line in "Sudden Impact" (1983): "Go ahead, make my day.” Despite controversy about Dirty Harry’s penchant for violence over procedure, Eastwood and Siegel were more interested in making an exciting film than a political statement. Eastwood has stated "My characters are usually callused men with a sensitive spot for right and wrong." He has also noted that "My movies add up to a morality, not a politics." Even his friendship with Ronald Reagan has attracted criticism from some, but Eastwood's concern for the environment, he claims, would make him befriend any President.

Eastwood became a fixture of masculine action flicks, but he also did well in several popular comedies—"Every Which Way But Loose" (1978) and “Any Which Way You Can" (1980). Though he could have coasted on his established persona, Eastwood chose to take chances with his material and subjected his image to thoughtful, but not always flattering scrutiny. His portraits of tormented men with intense inner lives and little ability to communicate reached an apogee with his acclaimed directorial effort, "Bird" (1988), a moody look at troubled jazz musician Charlie Parker (Forest Whitaker). Over the years, Eastwood has attained virtual artistic control on his projects, which has enabled him to make unusual Westerns—"High Plains Drifter" (1973) and "Pale Rider" (1985)—and cop movies exploring feminist concerns—"Sudden Impact (1983) and "Tightrope" (1984).

Eastwood's commercial viability appeared to be in decline by the late 80s—the fifth Dirty Harry movie, "The Dead Pool" (1988), was less successful than its predecessors. In 1990, Eastwood saw two significant box-office failures: "The Rookie,” a formula cop outing, and "White Hunter, Black Heart", an interesting, semi-fictional account of the making of "The African Queen". Eastwood enjoyed a popular and critical rebirth, however, with "Unforgiven" (1992), a so-called anti-Western which earned Eastwood Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director as well as several other major awards. A spellbinding morality tale about the effects of killing on a man’s soul, "Unforgiven" took both an ironic and sentimental view of several of Eastwood's earlier gunfighter incarnations. Dedicated to his mentors—"Sergio" (Leone) and "Don" (Siegel)—the film was a solid commercial hit, grossing over $100 million over its long run.

Eastwood's next star vehicle, "In the Line of Fire" (1993), was an immediate hit. This taut political thriller—which pitted veteran a Secret Service agent (Eastwood) against a brilliant assassin (John Malkovich)—passed the $100 million mark in a few months. Eastwood directed his subsequent feature, "A Perfect World" (also 1993), wherein he portrayed an experienced law man tracking down a dangerous escaped convict (Kevin Costner) with a seven-year-old hostage-cum-companion.

Even the most jaded critics praised Eastwood's restrained adaptation of "The Bridges of Madison County" (1995), which took a treacly best-seller and turned it into a well-acted adult love story. A detailed, mature look at passion, the film not only exhibited Eastwood's directorial skill but also provided him with a romantic lead that he played with confidence and charm. Starring opposite Meryl Streep, he exuded sex in a low-key manner and revealed a soft, yet masculine side. Eastwood contributed compositions to the soundtrack, released on his newly-launched Malpaso Records. That same year, Eastwood made an uncredited cameo in the fantasy "Casper.”

With "Absolute Power" (1997), Eastwood began to address the issue of growing old. In this uneven thriller, he portrayed a thief out to commit one last crime before retiring, but witnesses a murder involving the President of the United States. Similarly, "True Crime" (1999) saw him portray a burnt-out reporter who finds a last shot at redemption when he becomes convinced a Death Row inmate is innocent. With "Space Cowboys" (2000), Eastwood made his most blatant attempt to deal with aging—he played the leader of a quartet of veteran astronauts called out of retirement to fix a satellite first sent into space forty years earlier.

In 2002, Eastwood was once again the director and star of a feature film, "Bloodwork," a competent, yet standard thriller with Eastwood as a detective taunted by a clever serial killer. Eastwood received high praise when he stepped behind the camera for "Mystic River" (2003), an adaptation of Dennis Lehane’s crime novel which explores the interwoven history of three men—played by Sean Penn, Tim Robbins and Kevin Bacon—and the terrible events from their boyhood that later force them to make irrevocable choices. Considered on of his best pictures since "Unforgiven," it earned six Oscar nominations, including Eastwood's second as Best Director.

Oscar buzz ignited anew with his follow up, “Million Dollar Baby” (2004), which was an even more effective than "Mystic River." Co-starring Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman, Eastwood played Frankie Dunn, an old-school boxing trainer afraid of intimacy after a painful rift with his daughter. Praised by a majority of critics as an exquisite and subtle film, “Million Dollar Baby” received wide acclaim after earning five Golden Globe nominations, including Best Director, the trophy that Eastwood ultimately claimed. He also beat out "The Aviator's" sentimental favorite Martin Scorsese at the Directors Guild Awards, and when Oscar nominations were announced in January 2005, “Million Dollar Baby” came away with seven nods, including Best Picture, Best Director and a surprising Best Actor nomination for Eastwood—only the second of his long career. Eastwood didn't win for acting, but he did take home two Oscars, one as Best Director and one as one of the producers of the film, which was named Best Picture.

As he mellowed with age, Eastwood became more ruminative and thought-provoking on a variety of themes—echoes were seen in his examination of violence in “Unforgiven.” With “Flags of Our Fathers” (2006), an epic World War II drama that focused on the three surviving U.S. servicemen who raised the American flag during the hellacious battle for Iwo Jima, Eastwood used the war genre to explore how a single image can rally a nation in a time of great need while cynical politicians callously disregard the truth and the people being propped up as gods among men. Leapfrogging from the violence of the black sand beaches to the war bond campaign back home, “Flags of Our Fathers” focused on two Marines (Adam Beach and Jesse Bradford) and a Navy corpsman (Ryan Phillippe) being shuttled across the nation by the government to raise money as they cope with the official sanitized version of events in contrast to the nightmare of battle that continually haunts them.

Even before the film was released, “Flags of Our Fathers” was considered to be a top contender for Oscar consideration, including Eastwood, whose rich and deeply engaging direction seemed to poise him for a third straight nomination. But it was his companion film, “Letters from Iwo Jima” (2006), which focused the oft-told tale on the unique perspective of the Japanese defenders of the black-sanded island, that earned Eastwood major award recognition. After winning Best Film from the National Board of Review and Best Picture of the Year from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, “Letters from Iwo Jima” earned to Golden Globe Award nominations in 2006, including one for Best Director – Motion Picture for Eastwood. But he wasn’t finished—Eastwood earned a second Best Director nod for his work on “Flags of Our Fathers.” He took one out of three nominations, winning a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film for “Letters from Iwo Jima." He went on to earn yet another Best Director nomination at the Academy Awards, setting the stage for a potential third win.

Family

• Daughter: Alison Eastwood. Born May 22, 1972; mother, Maggie Eastwood
• Daughter: Francesca Ruth Fisher Eastwood. Born August 7, 1993; mother Frances Fisher
• Daughter: Kathryn Ann Reeves. Born Feb. 2, 1988; mother, Jacelyn Reeves
• Daughter: Kimber L Eastwood. Born June 17, 1964; mother, Roxanne Tunis, an actress who appeared in "Rawhide" (CBS) with Eastwood
• Daughter: Morgan Eastwood. Born Dec. 12, 1996; mother, Dina Ruiz
• Father: Clinton Eastwood Sr. Born June 11, 1906; died in 1990
• Granddaughter: Graylen Spencer Eastwood. Born March 28, 1994; father, Kyle Eastwood
• Grandson: Clinton Eastwood. Born c. 1984; mother, Kimber Eastwood
• Mother: Ruth Eastwood. Born c. 1909; died February 2006 at the age of 97
• Sister: Jean Eastwood. Older
• Son: Kyle C Eastwood. Born May 19, 1968; mother, Maggie Eastwood; co-starred in "Honkytonk Man" (1982)
• Son: Scott C Reeves. Born March 21, 1986; mother, Jacelyn Reeves

Significant Others

• Companion: Frances Fisher. appeared in Eastwood's film "Unforgiven" (1992); mother of Francesca Ruth Fisher Eastwood; no longer together
• Companion: Jacelyn Reeves. mother of Scott and Kathryn
• Companion: Roxanne Tunis. had relationship when both appeared on "Rawhide" in the early 1960s; mother of Eastwood's daughter Kimber
• Companion: Sondra Locke. born in 1947; together from 1977-89; after breakup she sued him in 1990, claiming that he made her have two abortions and undergo sterilization, charges Eastwood denies

Education

• Oakland Technical High School, Oakland, California, 1948
• Los Angeles City College, Los Angeles, California, business

Milestones

• 1948 Worked as a steelworker in Seattle
• 1955 Film acting debut in "Revenge of the Creature"
• 1956 Dug swimming pools in Beverly Hills
• 1964 Breakthrough screen role as the man with no name in "A Fistful of Dollars," directed by Sergio Leone
• 1966 Reteamed with Leone for the sequel "For a Few Dollars More"
• 1968 First film with director Don Siegel, "Coogan's Bluff"
• 1969 Made singing debut in the film musical "Paint Your Wagon"
• 1970 Directed first film, a documentary short about the filming of "The Beguiled" (1971)
• 1970 Starred opposite Shirley MacLaine in "Two Mules for Sister Sara," directed by Siegel
• 1971 Feature film directorial debut, the thriller "Play Misty For Me"; also starred
• 1971 First played the role of detective Harry Callahan in "Dirty Harry" after Frank Sinatra turned down the part
• 1972 Starred in title role of "Joe Kidd"
• 1973 Helmed the May-December romance "Breezy," starring William Holden and Kay Lenz; first directing assignment in which he did not also act
• 1973 Reprised Harry Callahan in "Magnum Force"
• 1975 First of six films with off-screen companion Sondra Locke, "The Outlaw Josey Wales"
• 1975 Moved production company, Malapaso Co. to Warner Bros. on a 'handshake deal'
• 1976 Third outing as Callahan in "The Enforcer"
• 1978 Teamed with an orangutan in the comedy "Every Which Way But Loose"
• 1980 Sang on the soundtrack to "Bronco Billy"; also directed and starred
• 1982 Producing debut, "Firefox"; also starred in and directed
• 1983 Last feature with with Sondra Locke, "Sudden Impact"
• 1984 Earned critical praise for playing a troubled police detective in "Tightrope"; also produced
• 1985 TV directorial debut, "Vanessa in the Garden," an episode of NBC's "Amazing Stories" starring Harvey Keitel, Sondra Locke and Beau Bridges; story by Steven Spielberg
• 1988 First credit as an executive producer, "Thelonius Monk: Straight, No Chaser"
• 1988 Helmed "Bird" the biopic of jazz legend Charlie Parker
• 1990 Portrayed a John Huston-like film director in "White Hunter, Black Heart"; also produced and directed
• 1992 Re-established his superstar status and won widespread acclaim with "Unforgiven"; film won the Best Picture and Best Director Oscar
• 1993 Documentary "Clint Eastwood - The Man From Malpaso" aired on Cinemax
• 1993 Had the Clint Eastwood Scholarship Award named after him by Warner Bros.
• 1993 Played an aging Secret Service agent in "In the Line of Fire"
• 1993 Teamed with Kevin Costner in the taut "A Perfect World"; also directed and composed a song for the soundtrack
• 1994 Filed suit against The National Enquirer for fabricating an interview between Eastwood and the tabloid; awarded $150,000 in damages by jury in October 1995
• 1995 Launched new record label, Malpaso Records; first project the soundtrack to "The Bridges of Madison County"; also directed and starred opposite Meryl Streep in the film
• 1995 Produced "The Stars Fell on Henrietta" featuring Frances Fisher and Robert Duvall
• 1996 Honored by Film Society of Lincoln Center
• 1997 Directed the uneven film adaptation of the popular non-fiction bestseller "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil"
• 1997 Documentary "Eastwood on Eastwood" aired on TNT
• 1997 Portrayed a thief who becomes embroiled in a murder with political overtones in "Absolute Power"
• 1999 Produced, directed and starred in "True Crime" about a journalist who becomes convinced a man on Death Row is innocent
• 2000 Teamed with James Garner, Tommy Lee Jones and Donald Sutherland for the sci-fi adventure "Space Cowboys"; also produced and directed
• 2000 Was subject of documentary "Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows," directed by David Ricker; screened at Venice Film Festival
• 2002 Starred in and directed "Blood Work"
• 2003 Helmed "Mystic River", which starred Sean Penn and Kevin Bacon; received Golden Globe nominations for Best Dramatic Picture and Best Director; was nominated by the Directors Guild of America for Outstanding Directorial Achievement; received Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Director
• 2003 Received nomination for a People's Choice award, for "Favorite all-time entertainer"
• 2004 Produced, directed, starred and composed the music for "Million Dollar Baby" starring Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman; film was nominated for Golden Globes for Best Picture (Drama) and Best Original Score; earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actor
• 2006 Directed "Letters from Iwo Jima," the companion piece to the Iwo Jima drama "Flags of Our Fathers" told from the Japanese viewpoint; received Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for Best Director and an Oscar nomination for Best Picture
• 2006 Helmed the WWII drama, "Flags of Our Fathers," which centers around the six men that raised the American flag at the Battle of Iwo Jima; received one of two Golden Globe nominations for Best Director
• 2007 Composed the score for "Grace is Gone" starring John Cusack; earned Golden Globe nominations for Best Original Score and Best Original Song for a Motion Picture
• Made several appearances on the anthology series "The West Point Story" (CBS 1956-1957; ABC 1957-1958)
• Starred as Rowdy Yates in the popular TV Western, "Rawhide" (CBS)
• Won a landslide victory as mayor of Carmel, California; served for two years
• Worked as a lumberjack and forest firefighter in Oregon