Upon his return to the United States, Eastwood set up his own production company, which had a hit right out of the box with the revenge western Hang 'Em High (1967). He expanded his relatively limited acting range in a succession of roles -- most notably with the hit Dirty Harry (1971) -- during the late 60's and early 70s, and directed several of his most popular movies, including 1971's Play Misty for Me (a forerunner to Fatal Attraction), High Plains Drifter (1973), and The Outlaw
As a filmmaker, Eastwood learned his lessions from the best of his previous directors, Don Siegel and Sergio Leone, who knew just when to add some stylistic and visual flourish to an otherwise straightforward scene, and also understood the effect of small nuances on the big screen. Their approaches perfectly suited Eastwood's restrained acting technique with startling results, culminating in 1993 with his Best Director Oscar for Unforgiven (1992). The same year, Eastwood had another hit on his hands with In the Line of Fire. In 1995, Eastwood scored yet again with his film adaptation of the best-selling book The Bridges of Madison County, in which he starred opposite Meryl Streep: in addition to serving as one of the film's stars, he also acted as its director and producer.
Aside from producing the critical and financial misstep The Stars Fell on Henrietta in 1995, Eastwood's subsequent efforts have proven to be largely successful. In 1997, he produced and directed the film adaptation of John Berendt's tale of Southern murder and mayhem, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, and followed this as the director, producer, and star of 1997's Absolute Power, 1999's True Crime, and 2000's Space Cowboys. With Eastwood's next film Blood Work (2002), many fans were pondering whether the longtime actor / director still had what it took to craft a compelling film. Though some saw the mystery thriller as a fair notch in Eastwood's belt, many complained that the film was simply too routine and the elegiac film quickly faded at the box office. If any had voiced doubt as to Eastwood's abilities as a filmmaker in the wake of Blood Work, they were in for quite a surprise when his adaptation of the popular novel Mystic River hit screens in late 2003. Featuring a stellar cast which included Sean Penn, Tim Robbins and Kevin Bacon, Mystic River was the film that many critics and audiences sited as one of the director's finest. A downbeat meditation on violence and the nature of revenge, the film benefited not only from Eastwood's assured eye as a director, but from a screenplay that remained fairly faithful to Dennis Lehane's novel and severly affecting performances by its three stars. In 2004, Mystic River earned an impressive six Academy Award nominations, including one for Eastwood for his directing, and ultimately ended up taking home two acting Oscars for Penn and Robbins. With his rugged looks and icon status, Clint Eastwood is one of the few actors whose name on a movie marquee can still guarantee a hit. (A majority of this biography was taken from Yahoo! Movies)
ADDITIONAL CREDITS: THELONIOUS MONK: STRAIGHT, NO CHASER (1989; executive producer), AMBUSH AT CIMARRON PASS (1958), LAFAYETTE ESCADRILLE (1958), ESCAPADE IN JAPAN (1957; uncredited), FIRST TRAVELING SALESLADY (1956), AWAY ALL BOATS (1956; uncredited), STAR IN THE DUST (1956; uncredited), NEVER SAY GOODBYE (1956; uncredited), TARANTULA (1955; uncredited), LADY GODIVA (1955; uncredited), FRANCIS IN THE NAVY (1955), REVENGE OF THE CREATURE (1955; uncredited).
HEIGHT: 6'4" (1.93m)
SPOUSE: Dina Ruiz (1996 -- Present); 1 child. Maggie Johnson (1953 -- 1978 - DIVORCED); 2 children
- His characters have a new "trademark expression" in each movie. The same character (eg. 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 and then freeze frame for the rest of the credits.
- Frequently uses shadow lighting in his films.
- Is a partial owner of the Pebbles Beach Golf Country Club in Monterey Peninsula, California.
- He wore the same poncho, without ever having washed it, in all three of his "man with no name" Westerns.
- Clint was apparently such an organised director that he finished his movie Absolute Power days ahead of schedule.
- Got his first acting role in Rawhide while visiting a friend at the CBS lot when a studio exec spotted him because he "looked like a cowboy."
- Is of a mixed heritage that includes Dutch, Scottish, Irish and English blood.
- 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".
- Weighed 11 lbs 6 oz at birth.
