Throughout his career, Clint Eastwood has been known for portraying cowboys in westerns and policemen in crime thrillers. However, he has taken it upon himself to also direct, produce, and score movies. Along the way, some of his works have been nominated for Academy Awards, including for best director, best picture, and the actors’ and actresses’ performances. Clint Eastwood will not only be remembered for his Best Actor award, but he will also be remembered for directing memorable films that fascinated critics and audiences.
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Early Life and Career
Before he was an actor, he was a soldier in the army during the Korean War. While he was stationed in California, he was discharged in 1953, which gave him the opportunity to move to Hollywood and to jumpstart his career as an actor. He appeared all across television during the 1950s. He received recognition as the character Rowdy Yates in the hit western show, ‘Rawhide.’ The show lasted from 1959 to 1965. Afterwards, he received the special opportunity of being cast in Sergio Leone’s film ‘A Fistful of Dollars’ as The Man with No Name. Two years later, Sergio Leone also directed ‘For a Few Dollars More.’ After the success of the sequel, Leone closed his ‘Dollars’ series with his third entry, ‘The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly’ (1967). The third film was considered one of the best sequels of all time and was glorified by no less than Quentin Tarantino.’ The three spaghetti western films received international success and made Clint Eastwood a superstar.
After the end of the ‘Dollars Trilogy,’ Clint Eastwood had the opportunity to star in his first American western called ‘Hang ‘Em High,’ which was released in 1968. In the same year, he worked with director Don Siegel on the crime movie ‘Coogan’s Bluff.’ After the film, he continued to collaborate with Don Siegel by starring in another western called ‘Two Mules for Sister Sara’ (1970). A year later, he appeared in two more movies, the Civil War drama ‘The Beguiled, ‘ and ‘Dirty Harry,’ which made him an icon for his portrayal of Harry Callahan, a merciless police officer. The success of ‘Dirty Harry’ had given Eastwood four other sequels for the Harry Callahan character. ‘Magnum Force,’ ‘The Enforcer,’ ‘Sudden Impact,’ and finally ‘The Dead Pool.’
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Clint Eastwood’s Directorial Pursuit
While Clint Eastwood was still acting in the 1970s, he also turned to directing films. In 1971, he directed ‘Play Misty for Me,’ a thriller that focused on a radio DJ (played by Eastwood) who gets stalked by an obsessive female fan (played by Jessica Walter) after they had their romantic encounter. Clint Eastwood returned to making western films such as ‘High Plains Drifter’ (1973) and ‘The Outlaw Josey Wales’ (1976). He even dabbled with the espionage genre by making ‘The Eiger Sanction’ (1975). The actor/director returned to the police detective genre as he released ‘The Gauntlet’ (1977), co-starring Sondra Locke.
1980s
Eastwood and Sondra Locke collaborated once again by making ‘Bronco Billy’ (1980). The film was very different from his previous westerns since it dabbled with comedy and drama. Two years later, he made ‘Firefox’ (1982), a Cold War story that focused on a pilot who steals a high-tech jet from the Soviets. In the same year, the musical drama film ‘Honkytonk Man’ was released. It features a western singer named Red Stoval, who is dying of tuberculosis. Eastwood’s son, Kyle Eastwood, plays as Witt, the nephew of the protagonist. Set during the Great Depression, the main character’s quest was to perform at the Grand Ole Opry before he died. Clint Eastwood returned once again to the western genre by producing, acting, and directing ‘Pale Rider’ (1985). The film became one of the most profitable westerns of the 1980s. The critics even praised Bruce Surtees’s cinematography. The following year, he released ‘The Heartbreak Ridge,’ a drama which concentrates on a retiring marine who helps a platoon of undisciplined marines prepare for the invasion of Grenada in 1983. Since Clint Eastwood himself has a talent for playing the piano and loves jazz, he directed the biographical movie ‘Bird’ (1988), which depicts the iconic saxophone player, Charlie “Bird” Parker (played by Forest Whitaker).
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1990s
Clint Eastwood began the decade by releasing ‘White Hunter, Black Heart’ (1990), an adaptation of Peter Viertel’s novel of the same name. The film is allegedly a thinly disguised account of the author’s collaboration with director John Huston and the making of ‘The African Queen’ (1951). Clint Eastwood plays John Wilson, who is based on John Huston. In the same year, Clint Eastwood released his buddy cop movie, ‘The Rookie’, which also stars Charlie Sheen as the fellow detective. The film received negative reviews and was considered to be formulaic and lacking depth. Two years later, Eastwood revisited the western genre by acting and directing ‘Unforgiven’ (1992). Clint Eastwood plays William Munny, a retired gunslinger who takes one last job of avenging a prostitute who was disfigured by a thug. The film received critical praise, and audiences all over the world enjoyed it. Clint Eastwood won for Best Picture and Best Director.
After the success of ‘Unforgiven,’ Clint Eastwood collaborated with Keven Costner in the movie, ‘A Perfect World’ (1993). Eastwood plays a Texas Ranger who tracks down an escaped convict (played by Kevin Costner) who takes a boy (played by T.J. Lowther) hostage. Both form an unlikely bond. Two years later, Eastwood made ‘The Bridges of Madison County,’ an adaptation of Robert James Waller’s novel. It gave the director a chance to work with Meryl Streep. Meryl plays a farmer’s wife who has an affair with a photojournalist (played by Eastwood). In 1997, Clint Eastwood made the mystery film ‘Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil’ (1997). It is an adaptation of the John Berendt novel about a murder that took place in Savannah, Georgia. In the same year, Eastwood released ‘Absolute Power’ and played a thief on the job who happens to see the Secret Service murder a woman who was sexually assaulted by the President of the United States (played by Gene Hackman).
Clint Eastwood closed 1999 with his film ‘True Crime,’ a tale about a journalist who covers the execution of a prisoner (played by Isaiah Washington) and discovers that the man might be innocent. The movie didn’t perform well at the box office since it only made 16 million dollars against its 55 million dollar budget. However, it received positive reviews.
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2000s
Eastwood continues to be proficient well into the new millennium. He begins the new decade by making ‘Space Cowboys’, in which he stars as the lead of a team of old test pilots (played by Tommy Lee Jones, James Garner, and Donald Sutherland) who came out of retirement to help NASA by repairing a Soviet satellite. Two years later, he made a mystery thriller called ‘Blood Work.’ It focused on a retired FBI profiler who believes that he can find the serial killer. The following year, he made the critically acclaimed Mystic River (2003). The film stars Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon, and Tim Robbins as childhood friends who live separate lives while still residing in the working-class neighborhoods of Boston, where they all grew up. When a family tragedy happens, the lives of the three men are complicated. Eastwood might not have won for best director or best picture. However, Sean Penn and Tim Robbins took home the Oscar for their performances in the film. In 2004, Clint Eastwood released his 2004 film ‘Million Dollar Baby.’ The film tells a tale of a boxing trainer who is haunted by his diminished relationship with his own daughter. He takes an aspiring female boxer under his wing in order to fill that void. The film won the Oscar for best picture and Eastwood’s second win for best director. Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman won Oscars for their performances, too.
Two years later, Clint Eastwood directed his World War II films, ‘Flags of Our Fathers’ (2006), and ‘Letters from Iwo Jima’ (2006). Both films took place in the Battle of Iwo Jima. The first film tells the war from the Americans’ side, while the other was told from the Japanese perspective. ‘Letters from Iwo Jima’ was nominated for four Oscars, including best director, best picture, and best original screenplay, and won for sound editing. In 2008, the director’s new project was ‘Changeling,’ a historical piece that tells the true story of the mother, Cristine Collins (played by Angelina Jolie), who had her son “found” until she realized that the found boy was an impostor. It took place in Los Angeles in 1928. In the same year, Eastwood released the film ‘Gran Torino.’ Eastwood here played the role of Walt Kowalski, a war veteran living in the suburbs who learns to ignore his prejudice against minorities as well as protect a neighbor of a Hmong family. The film was a favorite among critics and audiences that year.
In 2009, Clint Eastwood made the film ‘Invictus,’ which took place in Cape Town, South Africa. Morgan Freeman plays as Nelson Mandela, who planned to use the 1995 Rugby World Cup to unite his racially-divided country. Matt Damon also stars as Francois Pienaar, a rugby player. In 2011, Eastwood directed ‘ J.Edgar,’ a biopic of J. Edgar Hoover (played by Leonardo DiCaprio), who stars as an FBI director who looks back at his career and personal life and his relationship with Clyde Tompson (Armie Hammer), his right-hand man and love interest. In 2014, he adapted the Tony Award-winning musical ‘Jersey Boys,’ another biopic about the rock group The Four Seasons. In the same year, he released ‘American Sniper,’ starring Bradley Cooper as the heroic Navy S.E.A.L sniper who returns home to the U.S with his family but has trouble adjusting to everyday American life.
Two years later, Eastwood worked with Tom Hanks on Sully (2016), telling the story of Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, who landed a damaged plane on the Hudson River. In 2018, he directed The 15:17 to Paris, about three Americans who prevented a terrorist attack on a train bound for Paris; that same year, he released The Mule, a drama in which an aging horticulturist and war veteran becomes a drug courier for a cartel, earning praise for both Eastwood’s direction and his performance. In 2019, he made the biopic Richard Jewell, which recounts the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games bombing. Then, in 2021, he both starred in and directed Cry Macho, the story of an ex-rodeo star who rescues a young boy from his alcoholic mother and teaches him what it means to be a responsible man. Most recently, in 2024, Eastwood directed Juror #2, a taut legal thriller about a juror who realizes he may have played a role in the death of the trial’s victim and wrestles with whether to sway the verdict or reveal the truth.
Clint Eastwood’s career has spanned more than six decades, leaving behind a body of work that has shaped Hollywood history. Whether in front of the camera or behind it, his dedication to storytelling ensures that his legacy will endure for generations to come.
By Marco Castaneda
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Marco Castaneda is a graduate student at the California State University, Los Angeles. He is currently pursuing his Master of Fine Arts Degree in Television, Film, and Theatre, and expects to graduate in the Spring of 2023. He has a strong passion for creating stories as well as reading them. Marco believes that art helps people to give a unique perspective of our lives and the lives of others. He is also currently a substitute teacher for K-12th grade and hopes to teach students how to use their creativity through all aspects and subjects of their lives and not to be afraid of using their talents.
Marco Castaneda is a graduate student at the California State University, Los Angeles. He is currently pursuing his Master of Fine Arts Degree in Television, Film, and Theatre, and expects to graduate in the Spring of 2023. He has a strong passion for creating stories as well as reading them. Marco believes that art helps people to give a unique perspective of our lives and the lives of others. He is also currently a substitute teacher for K-12th grade and hopes to teach students how to use their creativity through all aspects and subjects of their lives and not to be afraid of using their talents.
