Clint Eastwood

Background

Clinton Eastwood is a well-revered name in Hollywood. His talent on screen and behind the scenes has generated a worldwide fanbase for him. He is a heavily decorated actor, director, producer, and military veteran born on May 31, 1930, in San Francisco. Eastwood was born to an affluent family. His mother’s name was Ruth Runner, his father was Clint Eastwood Sr., and he is of English, Irish, Dutch, and Scottish descent. During his childhood, his family moved three times before finally settling in California, where they had access to cars, country clubs, and a swimming pool. Eastwood attended Piedmont Middle School but was expelled because of his troublemaking ways. He held multiple jobs, including a golf caddy, lifeguard, and forest firefighter. In 1951, he was drafted into the U.S. Army during the Korean War and served at Fort Ord in California.

Eastwood’s career in film began in 1952 when, after multiple failed auditions and minor roles, he was cast in July 1954 for the T.V. role “Allen in Movieland.” While he initially had a contract with Universal, it was terminated in 1955. In 1956, he landed “The First Traveling Saleslady.” By 1958, Eastwood was cast in the T.V. series “Rawhide,” and by January 1959, the show premiered, airing for eight seasons. He earned $750 an episode in its first season and then $119,000 per episode at the time of its cancellation. He starred in “A Fistful of Dollars” (1964), making him a star in Italy. He was rehired for the sequel “For a Few Dollars More” (1965), and the final film of the trilogy, “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” (1966). The movies were box office successes, which earned Eastwood more fame and roles. The actor made his directorial debut in 1971 with “Play Misty for Me.”

Eastwood turned down the role of James Bond and went on to star in and direct more movies like “Sudden Impact” (1983), “Tightrope” (1984), ”Heartbreak Ridge” (1986), “The Dead Pool” (1988), and many others.

During his impressive career, Eastwood has been nominated and awarded many times. He won the Oscars for both “Best Director” and “Best Picture” for “Unforgiven” (1992) and “Million Dollar Baby” (2004) respectively. Some of his accolades include four Academy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, three César Awards, and an AFI Life Achievement Award. He was also recognized by the Venice Film Festival when he received the Golden Lion award in 2000 and was awarded two of France’s highest civilian honors, the “Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres” in 1994, and the “Legion of Honour” in 2007.

As a very successful film star and director, Eastwood’s love life has been a point of speculation. He has eight children by six women, he’s been married twice and has had multiple partners since then.