BIOGRAPHY:

The name of Clint Eastwood is firmly associated with Westerns, but the American’s acting talent was not limited to this genre. Over the long years of his career, the artist has managed to try on many bright images – from a criminal to a romantic. The audience fell in love with the charismatic, brutal and organic nature of the performer on screen. The master’s directorial works were no less memorable.

Childhood and youth:

Clint Eastwood was born in San Francisco on May 31, 1930. His father, Clinton Eastwood Sr., worked at a steel mill, and his mother, Margaret Ruth Runner, worked as an engineer. Clint’s parents were devout people, although they attended different churches. His father was a Presbyterian, and his mother was a Mormon.

Since America was in the throes of the Great Depression at the time, the family frequently moved along the West Coast in hopes of finding better-paying jobs. Clint went to elementary and high school in the city of Piedmont. Here he first appeared on the stage of the school theater.

He attended high school at Oakland Technical School, graduating in 1948. After receiving his matriculation certificate, the young man got a job at a gas station, later became a fireman and played the piano in various bars and clubs in California.

In 1950, Eastwood Jr. was drafted into the US Armed Forces. He was assigned to the air force unit in which Clint underwent flight training. He was supposed to go to fight in Korea, but during one of his training flights, Eastwood’s plane crashed. The young pilot was saved and was able to swim about 5 km to the shore. After this, it was decided to leave the guy in the training camp as a swimming instructor.

After demobilization, Clint entered the local Los Angeles college, but studied there for only a year, as he decided to follow the advice of his colleagues Martin Milner and David Jansen, who recommended that a respectable-looking young man (Clint’s height is 193 cm, weight – 86 kg) try himself in acting craft.

Acting career:

In his youth, Clint appeared in low-budget horror films, thrillers and westerns. In 1959, Eastwood played the lead role in the television series Rawhide. The film project itself did not become particularly popular, but it was here that the actor was noticed by Italian film director Sergio Leone, who invited the American in 1964 to play the role of cowboy Joe in his film “A Fistful of Dollars.”

This film became popular in Europe and the USA, so two sequels were released at once – “For a Few Dollars More” and “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.” The latter film also became famous for the fact that in 2001, the quote from the leading actor “I’ve got sunshine in a bag” (“I carry happiness in my bag”) was used to create the single Clint Eastwood by the virtual British group Gorillaz. Subsequently, they enjoyed success more often those movies with Clint in which he played the brave and determined “good guy with a gun.” The actor continued to play leading roles in westerns and police action films, gradually becoming an icon of these genres. Such films included “High Plains Rider”, “Kelly’s Heroes”, “Dirty Harry” and others.

The role of recidivist Frank Morris in the drama-thriller “Escape from Alcatraz” was somewhat different from similar images. The film told the story of the first escape from the impregnable Alcatraz prison fortress, from which it was considered impossible to escape for 30 years after its construction. It was built on an island and isolated from the outside world. The film is based on the biography of bank robber Frank Morris, who was the first to escape from this prison.

Director:

Almost until the end of the 80s, Clint Eastwood remained a kind of cinema icon and was on the list of the most popular actors in Hollywood. But then his popularity subsided. Later, the artist began to play mainly in films in which he himself acted as a director. In 1992, the exciting western “Unforgiven” was released, bringing Clint the long-awaited Oscar for directing, as well as other awards.

Eastwood himself said that he dedicated the film to Sergio Leone and Don Siegel, who gave him the path to the world of big cinema, and also became his main teachers who influenced the further work of the American. The work went easily – it took 39 days to shoot; before that, work on building the scenery had been going on for a month. Clint had been nurturing the idea of creating this film for a long time – having already bought the script, the actor waited another 10 years to reach the age of his hero, William Munny. The film about the search for justice also stars Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman.

The latter also appeared in Eastwood’s other Oscar-winning film, Million Dollar Baby, released in 2004, playing an old boxer. The director himself chose the role of a coach and promoter, and the image of the main character Maggie was embodied on the screen by Hilary Swank. In order for the actress to look believable on camera, professional boxers trained her, in particular Lucia Rijker, who appeared in the film as Billy, Meg’s main rival.

And Gene Hackman, who starred in Unforgiven, appeared in another Eastwood film in 1998 – the crime drama Absolute Power. He got the image of the US President involved in a scandalous murder, and the director himself appeared before the public as a professional thief and, by coincidence, a witness to the crime.

The American managed to demonstrate that he can shoot not only action films and detective stories: in 1995, Clint delighted viewers with the heartfelt melodrama “The Bridges of Madison County,” where he played the main role with the brilliant Meryl Streep.

No less striking in Clint’s directorial filmography was the thriller “The Changeling,” which was based on real events that occurred in the late 1920s in the States and involved the kidnapping and murder of children. The director planned to cast Hilary Swank or Reese Witherspoon for the role of the main character, Christine Collins, but later gave preference to Angelina Jolie. Film critics highly appreciated this work by Eastwood – the film became a nominee for a number of prestigious film awards.

In 2014, the historical drama “Sniper” became a landmark directorial work. This film was nominated for Oscars in 6 categories and won the award for Best Sound Editing. The film is based on the biography of SEAL Team 3 sniper Chris Kyle from Texas, who became the record holder for the most enemy kills while serving in Iraq and was nicknamed the Devil of Ramadi by the Iraqis.

Two years later, Clint acted as director and producer of the drama “Miracle on the Hudson.” The film was an adaptation of the autobiography of Chesley Sully Sullenberger and Jeffrey Sasslow, A Higher Duty: My Search for What Really Matters, and was about the 2009 incident with US Airways Flight 1549. The pilot, Sullenberger, made an emergency landing on a river in New York. At the same time, 155 people – passengers and crew members – remained alive.

The landing was called the “miracle on the Hudson,” but instead of gratitude, Sullenberger became involved in legal proceedings. The drama tells the story of the events after landing and the doubts about the actions of the hero pilot. The role of Chesley Sullenberger was played by Tom Hanks. Other main roles were played by Aaron Eckhart and Laura Linney.

On the eve of his 90th birthday, the actor once again surprised fans of his work. Clint directed the crime drama Drug Courier, in which he played the main character. As the artist explained in an interview, he is disgusted by the very idea of participating in fantasy films, where there are still big roles for older actors. Otherwise, modern cinema does not provide the opportunity to reveal one’s potential at such an advanced age.

The script of the film seemed worthy of film adaptation to the director. An elderly American, mired in debt, decides to earn extra money by transporting cargo. The old man does not suspect that the goods will be drugs.

Film critics saw in the plot echoes of another Eastwood film – “Gran Torino”, only, unlike its hero, who died defending a friend, the main character of “Drug Courier” made a mistake for which he had to pay dearly. The premiere of Eastwood’s new work took place in the United States at the end of 2018; in Russia, viewers saw the film in February 2019.

The director’s outstanding works were the films “The Richard Jewell Case,” based on real events related to the explosion during the Atlanta Olympics in the summer of 1996, as well as “Tears of Men,” where Clint himself played the role of Mike Milo.

Personal life:

In 1953, before becoming a famous actor, Clint Eastwood married actress Maggie Johnson. They had two children: a son, Kyle Clinton, and a daughter, Alison. Clint and Maggie officially divorced in 1984, although they separated much earlier. Back in 1964, the actor had a daughter, Kimber, from a short-term affair with dancer Roxanne Tunis, and starting in 1978, for 4 years, Clint lived in a civil marriage with actress Sondra Locke.

In 1985, Eastwood met flight attendant Jacqueline Reeves, with whom he lived in a de facto marriage for about 3 years. They had two children: son Scott and daughter Katherine. In the early 90s, the actor began dating actress Frances Fisher, who gave birth to his daughter Francesca. In 1995, the couple separated.

In 1996, Eastwood officially married TV presenter Dina Ruiz, who was 35 years younger than the actor. Another daughter was born in this marriage, Morgan. It seemed that there was peace in the actor’s personal life. Clint and Dina lived together until 2013, when the wife filed for divorce due to the fact that her husband began to cheat on her. After the divorce, the 83-year-old artist began dating actress Erica Fisher.

Celebrity children have chosen creative professions. Eastwood’s eldest son Kyle became interested in music and is now an established jazz musician with an extensive discography. Alison Eastwood became famous as an actress and producer.

The youngest son Scott began his professional career as a model. At one time he collaborated with the Hugo Boss brand, and later began appearing on screens. He has roles in the films “Suicide Squad”, “Snowden”, “Fast and Furious 8”. Francesca Eastwood also gained media fame when she became a participant in the reality show “Mrs. Eastwood and Company.” In 2013, she was awarded the Miss Golden Globe Award.

Hobby:

Clint, in addition to directing and acting, is also interested in jazz. He even composed several compositions himself that are featured in some of his films. In addition, the man is a successful businessman and owns a restaurant and hotel in the city of Carmel. By the way, Eastwood was the mayor of this town from 1986 to 1988.

The actor’s main hobbies are golf and transcendental meditation. The celebrity carefully monitors his health; his excellent condition can be judged from the latest photos. Unlike his heroes, he does not smoke, and he also trains in the gym every day. On each film set, Eastwood sets up a small training area with exercise equipment. The fact that the director is in excellent shape was also evidenced by a photo posted by Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2019 – the picture captured “Iron Arnie” and 89-year-old Eastwood while skiing in the mountains.

Despite his on-screen tough guy persona, in real life Eastwood is afraid of insects. The artist is famous for his conservatism; for transportation he prefers not a premium car, but an old Cadillac.

Clint Eastwood now:

In 2023, the artist continued his creative activity. In the spring it became known that Eastwood plans to begin work on a new film. At the center of the plot of the crime thriller (the working title of the project is “Juror No. 2”) is the dilemma faced by the hero, who has been appointed as a juror. Detailed information about the project is still kept secret, but the very fact that Eastwood is now full of energy pleases the celebrity’s fans.

Filmography:

1964 – “For a Fistful of Dollars”
1965 – “For a Few Dollars More”
1966 — “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”
1971 — “Dirty Harry”
1976 — “Josie Wales – Outlaw”
1978 – “No matter how you look at it, you’ll lose”
1979 — “Escape from Alcatraz”
1980 – “Any Way You Can”
1982 — “The Man from the Brothel”
1992 — “Unforgiven”
1993 — “Ideal World”
1995 — “The Bridges of Madison County”
2000 — “Space Cowboys”
2004 — “Million Dollar Baby”
2012 — “Curve Ball”
2018 — “Drug courier”
2021 — “Men’s Tears”

Interesting Facts:

Eastwood fans regularly find physical similarities between other actors and their idol. In particular, they compare photos of Hugh Jackman and Clint in their youth.
Alison Eastwood managed to star in a number of her father’s films. In particular, in the film “Drug Courier” the actress played the daughter of the hero, whose image was embodied on the screen by Clint.
Clint’s statement about how the actor visited a waterfall in Iceland became popular. Comparing the mentality of people in the States and in this European country, the director noted that Icelanders are more sensible than his compatriots.