Clint Eastwood

Sam Elliott
James Stewart
Robert Duvall
Ben Johnson
Walter Brennen
Randolph Scott
Clint Eastwood
Tommy Lee Jones
John Wayne
Joel McCrea
Tom Selleck
Audie Murphy
Robert Taylor
Gene Hackman
Andy Devine
Burt Lancaster
Gary Cooper
Alan Ladd
Kevin Costner
Kirk Douglas
Lee Marvin
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Clint Eastwood
Perhaps the icon of macho movie stars, Clint Eastwood has become a standard in international cinema. Born in San Francisco, he is the son of Clinton Eastwood Sr. and Ruth Wood (n�e Runner). The family frequently moved around Northern California when Clint was growing up before settling in Oregon. He moved to Seattle in 1951 and worked as a lifeguard and swim instructor for the military for two years, before returning to California.

In 1955 Clint began working as an actor with uncredited bit parts in B-movies. He almost gave up acting before getting his big break on the TV series "Rawhide" (1959), where he was a supporting cast member for six years. While still on the show, Eastwood was cast in his first substantial role, as "The Man with No Name" in the low-budget Italian western A Fistful of Dollars (1964). This was followed by For a Few Dollars More (1965) and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966); none of the three films were released in America until 1968. His next film was Hang 'Em High (1968). He took a co-starring role in the unconventional musical Paint Your Wagon (1969), then combined tough-guy action with offbeat humor in Kelly's Heroes (1970) and Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970).

1971 proved to be a turning point in his career. He directed his first movie, the thriller Play Misty for Me (1971), in which he played a man being stalked by a crazed female admirer whose obsession with him turns from sexual to violent. That same year, he played the hard edge police inspector in Dirty Harry (1971), which invented the loose-cannon cop genre that has been imitated even to this day, and made Eastwood a superstar at last. He subsequently found work in American revisionist westerns like High Plains Drifter (1973), which he also directed. Eastwood had a constant stream of quality films over the next few years, teaming up with Jeff Bridges in Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974), starring in the "Dirty Harry" sequels Magnum Force (1973) and The Enforcer (1976/I), the quintessential western The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), the shoot-'em-up road adventure The Gauntlet (1977), the hugely successful comedy Every Which Way But Loose (1978) with Clyde the orangutan, and the fact-based thriller Escape from Alcatraz (1979).

Clint kicked off the eighties with a sequel to "Every Which Way but Loose", Any Which Way You Can (1980), which was also a blockbuster despite negative reviews from critics. The fourth 'Dirty Harry' sequel, Sudden Impact (1983), became the highest grossing film of the series. Clint also starred in Firefox (1982), Tightrope (1984), Pale Rider (1985), and Heartbreak Ridge (1986), which were all big hits at the box office and got good reviews. His fifth and final "Dirty Harry" movie, The Dead Pool (1988), was a minor commercial hit but severely panned by critics. Shortly after his career declined with the outright bomb comedy Pink Cadillac (1989) and the disappointing cop film The Rookie (1990). It was fairly obvious that Eastwood's star was declining as it never had before.

But Eastwood quickly bounced back, first with his western Unforgiven (1992), which garnered him his first Oscar nomination as Best Actor, as well as wins as Best Director and producer of the Best Picture. Then he took on the secret service in In the Line of Fire (1993), another huge hit. He played against type in The Bridges of Madison County (1995), a surprisingly successful love story with Meryl Streep. Over the next few years, the quality of his films was up and down. He directed and starred in the well-received Absolute Power (1997) and Space Cowboys (2000), as well as the badly received True Crime (1999) and Blood Work (2002).

In what is arguably the finest film of his career, Eastwood directed and starred opposite Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby (2004). A critical and commercial triumph, the movie won the Academy Award for Best Picture, as well as earning Eastwood a second nomination for Best Actor and win for Best Director. After this he took a four-year acting hiatus before starring in Gran Torino (2008). This film grossed $30 million during its opening weekend in January 2009, making him the oldest leading man to reach #1 at the box office.

After starring in iconic movies for four decades, Clint Eastwood has proved himself to be the longest-running movie star. Although he is aging now and focusing more on directing, his career as a director continues to thrive with the award-winning films Mystic River (2003), Flags of Our Fathers (2006), Letters from Iwo Jima (2006), and Changeling (2008) which starred Angelina Jolie.

Eastwood has managed to keep his scandalous personal life private and has rarely been featured in the tabloid press. He had a fourteen-year relationship with actress Sondra Locke and has seven children by five other women.

Trade Mark
His characters have a new "trademark expression" in each movie. The same character (e.g., Dirty Harry) will have a different one in each movie.
At the end of movies he directs, during the credits the camera will move around the location it was filmed in. then freezeframe for the rest of the credits.
Frequently uses shadow lighting in his films
The lead characters in his movie are often outsiders with a dark past they prefer not to remember
His movies usually begin and end with the death of a character
His films often deal with the gap between the truth and the mythologized version of the truth (White Hunter Black Heart, Unforgiven, Flags of our Fathers)
Often plays characters who are consumed by regrets over past mistakes and are given one chance to redeem themselves (Unforgiven, In the Line of Fire, Million Dollar Baby, Gran Torino)
Recurring pattern of his characters is having an unloaded gun or one that misfires.
Calm, raspy voice
Known on-set as a director for filming very few takes and having an easy shooting schedule. Tim Robbins once said that when working on Mystic River, Eastwood would usually ask for only one take, or two "if you were lucky", and that a day of filming would consist of starting "no earlier than 9 a.m. and you leave, usually, after lunch."
Deadpan deliveries of one-liners
His films are often in depth examinations of the devastating effects of violence, both on the victims and the perpetrators
His characters are often men struggling to overcome their past and atone for their crimes
His scowl
His characters are often outspoken and stubborn,expressing no interest in being liked
Often casts Morgan Freeman
His films often feature misguided but well meaning younger characters who are mentored by older characters

Trivia
Owns the Mission Ranch inn, in Carmel, California, the exclusive Tehama golf club in Carmel Valley, and is partial owner of the Pebble Beach Golf Country Club in nearby Monterey Peninsula.
Received an honorary C�sar Award in Paris, France, for his body of work. [1998]
Ranked #2 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [10/97]
He wore the same poncho, without ever having washed it, in all three of his "Man with No Name" Westerns.
Gained popularity with his first three major films, A Fistful of Dollars (1964), For a Few Dollars More (1965) and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly(1966) (which weren't released in America until 1967-68). Soon afterwards Jolly Films (which produced A Fistful of Dollars (1964)) came out with a film called "The Magnificent Stranger", which was actually two episodes of "Rawhide" (1959) edited together. Eastwood sued and the film was withdrawn.
Elected mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. It has often been claimed that he ran for office as a Republican. In fact, although he was registered as a Republican in California, the position of mayor is non-partisan. [1986]
Was apparently such an organized director that he finished Absolute Power (1997) days ahead of schedule.
When Don Siegel fell ill during production of Dirty Harry (1971), Eastwood stepped in as director during the attempted-suicide/jumper sequence.
Got his role in "Rawhide" (1959) while visiting a friend at the CBS lot when a studio exec spotted him because he "looked like a cowboy."
Worked as a lifeguard and swimming instructor for the US Army (1950-1954).
Lived with Sondra Locke for 14 years, although the couple never married.
It's interesting, given his penchant towards directing or starring in westerns, that his name, Clint Eastwood, is an anagram for 'old west action.'
His name is used as the title of the hit Gorillaz song and video "Clint Eastwood". [2001]
Mentioned in the theme song of the 1980s TV hit "The Fall Guy" (1981).
For many years he was the owner of the nation's largest known hardwood tree, a bluegum eucalyptus, until a larger version of the tree was discovered in 2002.
Sworn in as Parks Commissioner for the state of California at Big Basin Redwood Park, Santa Cruz. Holding up his new commissioner's badge, he told the crowd, "You're all under arrest.". [6/8/02]
Recipient of John F. Kennedy Center Honors. [2000]
Received the Career Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. [2000]
Is of a mixed heritage that includes Dutch, Scottish, Irish and English blood.
Redubbed his own dialogue for the American releases of A Fistful of Dollars (1964) ("A Fistful Of Dollars"), For a Few Dollars More (1965) ("For A Few Dollars More"), and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) ("The Good, The Bad and The Ugly").
When he directs, he insists that his actors wear as little makeup as possible and he likes to print first takes. As a result, his films consistently finish on schedule and on budget.
When directing, he simply says "okay" instead of "action" and "cut." (source: "Sunday Morning Shootout").
Weighed 11 lbs 6 oz at birth.
He was a contract player at Universal International. He and another young actor named Burt Reynolds were released from their contracts and left the studio on the same day. They were both fired by the same director. Eastwood was fired when the director didn't want to use him in a movie because "his Adam's Apple was too big." Reynolds, who was serving as a stunt man, was fired after he shoved the director into a water tank during an argument over how to do a stunt fall.
Mentioned on T.G. Sheppard's hit single "Make My Day," which in the first half of 1984 reached #12 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart and also reached #62 on that magazine's Hot 100 singles survey.
Biography in: John Wakeman, editor. "World Film Directors, Volume Two, 1945- 1985". Pages 294-302. New York: The H.W. Wilson Company, 1988.
He was voted the 16th "Greatest Movie Star of All Time" by Entertainment Weekly. Eastwood was only two rankings behind his own all-time favorite film actor, James Cagney.
Has 7 children by 5 different women: Kimber Eastwood (born 17 June 1964) with Roxanne Tunis, Kyle Eastwood (born 19 May 1968) and Alison Eastwood (born 22 May 1972) with Maggie Johnson, Scott Eastwood (born 21 March 1986) and Kathryn Eastwood (born 2 February 1988) with Jacelyn Reeves, Francesca Fisher-Eastwood (born 7 August 1993) with Frances Fisher, and Morgan Eastwood (born 12 December 1996) with Dina Eastwood.
Former father-in-law of Kirk Fox, Anthony Gaddie, and Laura Gomez.
Was reluctant to have children with ex-wife Maggie Johnson due to marital problems. During one of their separations, Eastwood had an affair with dancer Roxanne Tunis, with whom he had his first child (a daughter named Kimber whom he took years to acknowledge). Although he reportedly asked Johnson for a divorce after fathering a child with Tunis, they reconciled when Johnson became very ill with hepatitis. Following her recovery, and fifteen years after they married, their first child Kyle Eastwood was born. Following the birth of their second child, Alison Eastwood (Clint was not present at either birth), they separated again and eventually divorced after a decade of legal separation.
Although he has been associated with violence throughout his career, he personally detests it and has carefully shown the horrific consequences of violence in his more recent films, such as Unforgiven (1992), A Perfect World (1993), Absolute Power (1997), Mystic River(2003) Million Dollar Baby (2004) and Gran Torino (2008).
He has always disliked the reading of political and social agendas in his films, which has occurred from Dirty Harry (1971) to Million Dollar Baby(2004). He has always maintained that all of his films are apolitical and what he has in mind when making a film is whether it's going to be entertaining and compelling.
Has been named to Quigley Publications' annual Top 10 Poll of Money-Making Stars 21 times, making him #2 all-time for appearances in the top 10 list. Only John Wayne, with 25 appearances in the Top 10, has more. Eastwood, who first appeared in the Top Ten at #5 in 1968, finished #2 to Wayne at the box office in 1971 after finishing #2 to Paul Newman in 1970. After his first two consecutive #1 appearances in 1972 and 1973, he dropped back to #2 in 1974, trailing Robert Redford at the box office. Clint was again #2 in 1979, 1981 and 1982 (topped by Burt Reynolds all three years), before leading the charts in 1983 and '84. He last topped the poll in 1993.
Was named the top box-office star of 1972 and again in 1973 by the Motion Picture Herald, based on an annual poll of exhibitors as to the drawing power of movie stars at the box-office, conducted by Quigley Publications.
He was the only nominee for the Best Actor Oscar in 2004 (for Million Dollar Baby (2004)) to play a fictitious character. All four other nominees portrayed real people in their respective films.
A sample of his whistling can be heard on the track "Big Noise" from his son Kyle Eastwood's jazz CD "Paris Blue" (2004).
At the The 45th Annual Academy Awards (1973) (TV), he presented the 1972 Best Picture Oscar to Albert S. Ruddy, the producer of The Godfather (1972). Thirty-two years later, they would jointly accept the 2004 Best Picture Oscar at the The 77th Annual Academy Awards (2005) (TV), along with fellow Million Dollar Baby (2004) co-producer Tom Rosenberg.
At the The 72nd Annual Academy Awards (2000) (TV) in 2000, presented the Best Picture statuette to American Beauty (1999).
Was named the #1 top money-making star at the box office in Quigley Publications' annual poll of movie exhibitors five times between 1972 and 1993. Bing Crosby, Burt Reynolds and Tom Hanks also have been named #1 five times, while Tom Cruise holds the record for being named #1 six times.
Wife Dina Ruiz (Dina Eastwood) is a former local television news anchor/reporter in California.
On February 27, 2005, at age 74, he became the oldest person to win the Best Director Oscar for Million Dollar Baby (2004). His 96-year old mother was in attendance at the ceremony.
He directed 10 different actors in Oscar-nominated performances: Gene Hackman, Meryl Streep, Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Marcia Gay Harden,Hilary Swank, Morgan Freeman, Angelina Jolie, Matt Damon, and himself (in Unforgiven (1992) and Million Dollar Baby (2004)). Hackman, Penn, Robbins, Freeman and Swank won Oscars for their performances in one of Eastwood's movies.
For two consecutive years he directed two out of the four actors who won Oscars for their performances: Sean Penn (Best Actor) and Tim Robbins (Best Supporting Actor) in Mystic River (2003)) in 2004, and Hilary Swank (Best Actress) and Morgan Freeman (Best Supporting Actor) for Million Dollar Baby (2004)) in 2005.
Received an honorary Doctorate from Wesleyan University in Connecticut. Wesleyan is also home to his personal archives. [2000]
Every year the PGA tour comes to Pebble Beach, California, to host a celebrity golf tournament where celebrities team up with the professionals. Clint has participated in this every year from 1962-2002 and has been the longest running participant. He now serves as Host.
Announced that he would supply the voice for a "Dirty Harry" video game. [2005]
Premiere Magazine ranked him as #43 on a list of the Greatest Movie Stars of All Time in their Stars in Our Constellation feature. [2005]
Favorite actor is James Cagney.
Some of his favorite movies are, The 39 Steps (1935), Sergeant York (1941), The Ox-Bow Incident (1943) and Chariots of Fire (1981).
Some of his favorite actors are Gary Cooper, Humphrey Bogart, Robert Mitchum and James Stewart.
In the late 1990s he said that Play Misty for Me (1971), The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), Bronco Billy (1980),Honkytonk Man (1982), Unforgiven(1992) and A Perfect World (1993) are the favorites of the films he had done.
Has his look-alike puppet in the French show "Les guignols de l'info" (1988).
He stood at 6'4" at his peak, but due to recent back problems, he can only stretch up to 6'2".
He, Warren Beatty, Robert Redford, Mel Gibson, Richard Attenborough and Kevin Costner are the only directors best known as actors who have won an Academy Award as Best Director.
President of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival. [1994]
Claimed that the trait he most despised in others was racism.
The boots that he wore in Unforgiven (1992) are the same ones he wore in the TV series "Rawhide" (1959). They are now a part of his private collection and were on loan to the 2005 Sergio Leone exhibit at the Gene Autry Museum of Western Heritage in Los Angeles, California. In essence these boots have book-ended his career in the Western genre.
He and former partner Sondra Locke made six films together: The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), The Gauntlet (1977), Every Which Way But Loose (1978), Bronco Billy (1980), Any Which Way You Can (1980), and Sudden Impact (1983).
As a director, he has always refused, and refuses to this day, to test screen his films before their release.
He objected to the end of Dirty Harry (1971) when Harry throws his badge away after killing the Scorpio Killer, arguing with director Don Siegel that Harry knew that being a policeman was the only work for which he was suited. Siegel eventually convinced Eastwood that Harry threw his badge away as a symbol that he had lost faith in the justice system.
His production company is Malpaso Productions, which he formed in 1968. The company's first feature release was, Hang 'Em High (1968).
At the National Board of Review awards dinner in New York City, Eastwood joked that he would kill filmmaker Michael Moore if Moore ever showed up at his home with a camera (an evident reference to Moore's controversial interview with Eastwood's friend, actor and conservative activist Charlton Heston, for the movie Bowling for Columbine (2002)). After the crowd laughed, Eastwood said, "I mean it." Moore's spokesman said, "Michael laughed along with everyone else, and took Mr. Eastwood's comments in the lighthearted spirit in which they were given." Publicly, Eastwood has not commented further. [2005]
Took acting class from Michael Chekhov in Hollywood.
He attended President Richard Nixon's landslide victory celebration in Los Angeles, along with John Wayne, Charlton Heston, and Glenn Ford. [1972]
Was appointed to serve on the National Council of the Arts by President Richard Nixon. [1972]
Voted for Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952 and 1956, Richard Nixon in 1968 and 1972, Ronald Reagan in 1980 and 1984, Ross Perot in 1992, andJohn McCain in 2008.
Has ruled out the possibility of playing Dirty Harry again, saying he has "outgrown him age-wise."
His performance as "Dirty" Harry Callahan in Dirty Harry (1971) is ranked #92 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time. [2006]
At a press conference for his movie Mystic River (2003), Eastwood condemned the Iraq war as a "big mistake" and defended Sean Penn's visit to Baghdad, saying he might have done the same thing but for his age.
He declined an offer from President George Bush to campaign for him in the Presidential election. He told an interviewer the next year, "I think what the ultra-right wing conservatives did to the Republicans is really self-destructive, absolutely stupid". [1992]
His performance as Blondie in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) is ranked #50 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.
His performance as "Dirty" Harry Callahan in Dirty Harry (1971) is ranked #42 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.
Was friends with Robert Donner.
He claims that he wound up getting the role in Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars (1964) because James Coburn, to whom the role was originally offered, wanted $25,000. Eastwood accepted the role for $15,000.
Was offered Al Pacino's role in Any Given Sunday (1999), but turned it down because Warner Bros. wouldn't let him direct it also.
Is a patron of the arts, notably as an avid collector of western art.
Presented the Golden Globe Award for Best Director to Ang Lee for Brokeback Mountain (2005).
His A Fistful of Dollars (1964) mannerisms were imitated in Canada, by the Tim Horton's restaurant chain, to promote the Southwest chicken sub. [2005]
Worked as a lifeguard and occasional swimming instructor for the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He was stationed at Ft. Ord, California, across from Monterey (over the hill from where he now lives and has served as mayor, Carmel-by-the-Sea).
Whenever asked if he would do a Dirty Harry 6, he often joked that he can imagined Dirty Harry now longed retired, and fly-fishing with his .44 magnum.
Cited as America's Favorite Movie Star by the Harris Polls conducted in 1993, 1994 and 1997. Tom Hanks and Harrison Ford are the only other actors to be cited as the #1 Movie Star as many times.
His favorite movie is John Ford's How Green Was My Valley (1941).
Met John Wayne for the first time at the Republican National Convention. [1968]
He was awarded the rank of "Chevalier de la L�gion d'Honneur" by French President Jacques Chirac as a tribute to his career as an actor and a filmmaker. [2/17/07]
Voted for Arnold Schwarzenegger as Governor of California in 2003 and 2006.
Son of Clinton Eastwood Sr. (1906-1970) and Ruth Runner (1909-2006). After her Clinton's death, Ruth remarried to John Belden Wood (1913-2004) from 1972 until his death.
Attended a celebration of John Wayne's 40-year career at Paramount Studios, along with Lee Marvin, Rock Hudson, Fred MacMurray, James Stewart, Ernest Borgnine, Michael Caine and Laurence Harvey. [1969]
Fluent in Italian.
Had to fill in for Charlton Heston at The 44th Annual Academy Awards (1972) (TV) until Heston arrived. [1972]
Was offered Gregory Peck's role in Mackenna's Gold (1969), but turned it down to make Hang 'Em High (1968) instead.
The producers of Dirty Harry (1971) originally didn't want Eastwood, since they felt he was too young at 41. After older stars like John Wayne,Frank Sinatra and Robert Mitchum turned the film down, Eastwood was cast. He last played Harry Callahan aged 57 in The Dead Pool (1988), which was the age the character was supposed to be in the first film according to the original screenplay.
William Friedkin offered him the lead in Sorcerer (1977), but Eastwood didn't want to travel anywhere at that time. Jack Nicholson turned the film down for the same reason.
Used to shop at Market Basket a lot when it was still open.
Mentioned in theme song in The Adventures of George the Projectionist (2006).
Received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of Southern California. [5/11/07]
Learned mountain climbing for The Eiger Sanction (1975) because he felt the scenes were too dangerous for him to pay a stuntman to do for him. He was the last climber up The Totem Pole in Monument Valley, and as part of the contract, the movie crew removed the pitons left by decades of other climbers. The scene where he was hanging off the mountain by a single rope was actually Eastwood, and not a stuntman.
An accomplished jazz pianist, he performs much of the music for his movies, including the scene in the bar in In the Line of Fire (1993).
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver inducted Eastwood into the California Hall of Fame located at The California Museum for History, Women, and the Arts. [12/6/06]
Along with John Travolta and Tom Selleck, he attended the formal state dinner at the White House held by President Ronald Reagan to welcome Prince Charles and Princess Diana to the United States in 1985.
In the late 1980s he discussed remaking the classic Sam Peckinpah western Ride the High Country (1962) with Charlton Heston.
He was made a Fellow of the British Film Institute in recognition of his outstanding contribution to film culture.
William Goldman said of Eastwood that he was the only person to be a star in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. By "star" Goldman means Variety's list of top ten actors of the decade.
Sondra Locke wrote an autobiography titled "The Good, the Bad, and the Very Ugly", which included details about her 14-year relationship with him. In the book, Locke states that she had 2 abortions during the early years of their relationship, and later, a tubal ligation at his request.
His partner of fourteen years, Sondra Locke, filed a palimony lawsuit against him after their messy break-up in 1989. In exchange for dropping the suit, Eastwood set up a directing contract between Locke and Warner Bros. as a settlement. She sued him a second time for fraud in 1996, alleging that Eastwood had compensated Warner Bros. for the contract, and that the studio had absolutely no intention of ever making any films with her. The case was left in the jurors' hands in 1996, with analysts predicting that Locke would win. In response, Eastwood's lawyers suggested a settlement. The case is used in some modern law school contracts textbooks to illustrate the legal concept of good faith.
Though he often smokes in his movies, he is a lifelong non-smoker offscreen.
Although he can handle pistols with either hand equally well, he is left-eye dominant, evident when he shoots a rifle as in Joe Kidd (1972) orUnforgiven (1992), but is right handed, as seen when he wears or handles one pistol.
He and Burt Reynolds both had major influences on their respective careers. It was he who sent a copy of "Sharky's Machine" to Reynolds, which gave Reynolds the idea to turn the novel into a movie, Sharky's Machine (1981), which went on to garner excellent reviews. On the other hand, it was Reynolds who sent Clint a copy of "The Outlaw Josey Wales", later made into a film by Eastwood (The Outlaw Josey Wales(1976)). Years later, Reynolds told him about "this great novel" called "The Bridges of Madison County", and some time later it was shot by Eastwood (The Bridges of Madison County (1995)).
Served as mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, for one term for the nominal salary of $300.
Former partner of Frances Fisher (1990-1995). They appeared together in Pink Cadillac (1989), Unforgiven (1992) and True Crime (1999), the latter which featured their daughter Francesca Fisher-Eastwood.
Turned down the title role in Dick Tracy (1990) that went to Warren Beatty.
Has a younger sister, Jean, and three nieces.
Attended the The 65th Annual Academy Awards (1993) (TV) with Frances Fisher, mother Ruth Wood, and stepfather John Belden Wood.
Has been extremely health-conscious ever since his father, Clinton Sr., died of a stroke at age 64 on July 22, 1970.
Though he has lapsed out of organized religion, he practices meditation twice a day.
Dislikes hunting, saying that he doesn't enjoy killing an animal for no reason.
Stepfather, John Belden Wood (born: November 24, 1913 - died: February 18, 2004 at age 90.) He was married to Clint's mother from 1972 until his death.
While serving in the Army during the Korean War, he survived a plane crash landing into the Pacific, north of San Francisco, and swam two miles to shore. Because he had to testify about the incident, he was not sent to Korea with his unit.
He was awarded the American National Medal of the Arts on February 25, 2010 for his services and contributions to the arts.
Contrary to rumors, he is not a vegetarian. However, he does keep to a strict lowfat diet.
Profiled in "Directors Close Up" by Jeremy Kagan. [2005]
Declined to have a party for his 80th birthday, explaining that at his age he doesn't like birthday parties for himself. He said his only plans to celebrate the occasion would be to go out for a drink with his wife.
The genesis of his production company - Malpaso - had a curious origin. When Italian director Sergio Leone approached Eastwood about appearing in what would become the "Spaghetti Western" trilogy: A Fistful of Dollars (1964) (Fistful of Dollars), For a Few Dollars More (1965) (For a Few Dollars More) and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly), Eastwood was eager for a plum part but was advised against it by his agent, suggesting it would be a "bad move" (mal paso). Against all odds, the actor went ahead and accepted the "man with no name" role and his decision turned out to be a "good move". Eastwood never forgot the irony of the situation and thereafter adopted "Malpaso" as his production company name.
Was considered for the role of Harmonica in Once Upon a Time in the West (1968).
Sergio Leone asked him and his The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) co-stars Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef to appear in _Once Upon A Time in the West (1972)_ (qvA). They all declined when they heard that their characters were going to be killed off in the first five minutes.
Six of his children have appeared in his films. Son Kyle Eastwood had brief parts as his son in The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) and as an orphan in Bronco Billy (1980), as well as a much larger role as his nephew in Honkytonk Man (1982). Daughter Alison Eastwood had brief parts as an orphan in Bronco Billy (1980) and as an art student in Absolute Power (1997), as well as larger roles as his daughter in Tightrope (1984) and as the love interest of John Cusack's character in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997). Daughter Francesca Fisher-Eastwood played his daughter in True Crime (1999). In smaller roles, daughter Kimber Eastwood appeared in Absolute Power (1997); son Scott Eastwood appeared in Flags of Our Fathers (2006), Gran Torino (2008), and Invictus (2009); daughter Morgan Eastwood appeared in Million Dollar Baby(2004) and Changeling (2008). In addition, his wife Dina Eastwood briefly appeared in True Crime (1999) and Blood Work (2002), both times playing a reporter.
Eastwood's parents settled in Piedmont, California, where he attended Piedmont Jr. High School, then Piedmont High School from January 1945 to January 1946. Later, Eastwood enrolled at Oakland Technical HS; he was held back a year due to poor academic scores and graduated in 1949.
Served as President of the Cannes Jury when Pulp Fiction (1994) won but the film was not his personal choice: "On the jury here when 'Pulp Fiction' won, somebody said, 'Oh, Clint Eastwood was on the jury, so he voted for the American film.' But my sensibilities are European, here is where my success started. Actually, 'Zhang Yimou''s To Live (1994) was my favorite piece, but most of the European jurors seemed to like 'Pulp Fiction'.".
Five of his movies were nominated for AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies: Dirty Harry (1971), The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), Unforgiven (1992),Mystic River (2003) and Million Dollar Baby (2004). "Unforgiven" made the list at #68, 30 places up from its original rank at #98.
Turned down Tommy Lee Jones's roles in Men in Black (1997) and In the Valley of Elah (2007), the latter of which earned Jones a Best Actor Oscar nomination.
Daughter Kathryn Eastwood served as Miss Golden Globe at The 62nd Annual Golden Globe Awards (2005) (TV), where she presented him with the Best Director award for Million Dollar Baby (2004).
Had affairs with actresses Catherine Deneuve, Peggy Lipton, Jill Banner, Kay Lenz, Jamie Rose, Inger Stevens, Jo Ann Harris, Rebecca Perle, casting director Jane Brolin (n�e Agee), script analyst Megan Rose, and former swimming champion Anita Lhoest, according to the biography "Clint: the Life and Legend" (published 1999, updated 2002) by Patrick McGilligan.
His 2 children by flight attendant Jacelyn Reeves (Scott Eastwood and Kathryn Eastwood) were raised by their mother in Hawaii and not publicly acknowledged by Eastwood until the end of the 1990s; their birth certificates state "father declined" and list both their surnames as Reeves. Both have since changed their surnames to Eastwood.
According to Robert Daley, the head of Warner Bros. when Eastwood made 15 pictures there, none of these 15 films ever included preview screenings because Clint 'doesn't believe in the preview process'.
He and Warren Beatty are the only actor-directors to earn Best Actor and Best Director Oscar nominations for the same film two times.

Personal Quotes
My father used to say to me, "Show 'em what you can do, and don't worry about what you're gonna get. Say you'll work for free and make yourself invaluable."
[to Eli Wallach prior to starting work on The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) ("The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly")] Never trust anyone on an Italian movie. I know about these things. Stay away from special effects and explosives.
[what he says after a take, instead of "Cut!"] That's enough of that shit.
I like the libertarian view, which is to leave everyone alone. Even as a kid, I was annoyed by people who wanted to tell everyone how to live.
I love every aspect of the creation of motion pictures and I guess I am committed to it for life.
Right now, the state of the movies in America, there's an awful lot of people hanging on wires and floating across things and comic book characters and what have you. There seems to be a lot of big business in that, a nice return on some of those.
Nowadays you'd have many battles before you blow it up, but eventually you'd take it down. And that's okay, I don't heavily quarrel with that, but for me personally, having made films for years and directed for 33 years, it just seems to me that I long for people who want to see a story and see character development. Maybe we've dug it out and there's not really an audience for that, but that's not for me to really worry about.
And I like to direct the same way that I like to be directed.
[on directing] Most people like the magic of having it take a long time and be difficult . . . but I like to move along, I like to keep the actors feeling like they're going somewhere, I like the feeling of coming home after every day and feeling like you've done something and you've progressed somewhere. And to go in and do one shot after lunch and another one maybe at six o'clock and then go home is not my idea of something to do.
I think kids are natural actors. You watch most kids; if they don't have a toy they'll pick up a stick and make a toy out of it. Kids will daydream all the time.
There's really no way to teach you how to act, but there is a way to teach you how to teach yourself to act. That's kind of what it is; once you learn the little tricks that work for you, pretty soon you find yourself doing that.
Again, after you've gone through all the various processes and the film comes out and is very successful, you're almost afraid to revisit it. You want to save it for a rainy day.
...in America, instead of making the audience come to the film, the idea seems to be for you to go to the audience. They come up with the demographics for the film and then the film is made and sold strictly to that audience. Not to say that it's all bad, but it leaves a lot of the rest of us out of it. To me cinema can be a much more friendly world if there's a lot of things to choose from.
You know when you think of a particular director, you think you would have liked to be with them on one particular film and not necessarily on some other one.
At the studios, everybody's into sequels or remakes or adaptations of old TV shows. I don't know if it's because of the corporate environment or they're just out of ideas. Pretty soon, they're going to be wanting to do one of "Rawhide" (1959).
I think I'm on a track of doing pictures nobody wants to do, that they're all afraid of. I guess it's the era we live in, where they're doing remakes of"The Dukes of Hazzard" (1979) and other old television shows. I must say, I'm not a negative person, but sometimes I wonder what kind of movies people are going to be making 10 years from now if they follow this trajectory. When I grew up there was such a variety of movies being made. You could go see Sergeant York (1941) or Sitting Pretty (1948) or Sullivan's Travels (1941), dozens of pictures, not to mention all the great B movies. Now, they're looking for whatever the last hit was. If it's The Incredibles (2004), they want 'The Double Incredibles.' My theory is they ought to corral writers into writers' buildings like they used to and start out with fresh material.
I liked the Million Dollar Baby (2004)' script a lot. Warner Bros. said the project had been submitted to them and they'd passed on it. I said, "But I like it." They said, "Well, it's a boxing movie." And I said, "It's not a boxing movie in my opinion. It's a father-daughter love story, and it's a lot of other things besides a boxing movie." They hemmed and hawed and finally said that if I wanted to take it, maybe they'd pay for the domestic rights only. After that, I'd be on my own. We took it to a couple of other studios, and they turned it down, much like Mystic River (2003) was turned down, the exact same pattern. People who kept calling and saying, "Come on, work with us on stuff." I'd give it to them, and they'd go, "Uh, we were thinking more in terms of Dirty Harry coming out of retirement." And who knows? Maybe when it comes out they'll be proven right.          Continued...

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