Clint Eastwood - 1970s Hollywood Legend

In a career spanning 50 years, Eastwood has been an enduring cinematic icon as both actor and director.  Star of over 60 movies, Clint Eastwood’s movie career began with 1955 B-movie ‘Revenge of the Creature’ and a string of minor character roles followed until his breakthrough role as Rowdy Yates in Western TV serial ‘Rawhide’ in 217 episodes between 1959 and 1965.  From this, he went on to star in Sergio Leone’s trio of “Spaghetti Westerns”: ‘For a Fistful of Dollars’ (1964), ‘For a Few Dollars More’ (1965) and ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (1966).  The 1970s saw the former fireman and gas station attendant cast in a succession of memorable film roles, a pattern that has continued through to the present day.

Born May 3^rd, 1930, Clinton Eastwood Jr. was named after his father, and brought up in San Francisco, California.  Alongside his appearances in cowboy and Western-themed movies, Eastwood is probably best known for his portrayal as Inspector “Dirty” Harry Callaghan in the ‘Dirty Harry’ series of movies.  Filmed against the evocative backdrop of San Francisco, the first movie in the series was a huge hit in 1971, and cemented Eastwood’s place as an international movie star.  Prior to this he had starred alongside Richard Burton in the 1968 wartime adventure ‘Where Eagles Dare’ before starring in the unusual Western/musical ‘Paint Your Wagon’; Eastwood performed the song ‘I Talk to the Trees’ which resulted in a UK Top Twenty hit in February 1970.

While not obviously a star of charisma and charm, Eastwood nevertheless has the magnetism to carry a movie and the ‘Dirty Harry’ films saw him surrounded by a solid cast of character actors allowing the leading man to shine.  ‘Dirty Harry’ was a hit and its follow up ‘Magnum Force’ in 1973 pitted the cop against a gang of renegade motorcycle cops, headed by David Soul, who would later star in ‘Starsky and Hutch’.

Eastwood’s most memorable screen performance of the 1970s was as DJ Dave Graver who found himself stalked by a deranged ex-lover in ‘Play Misty for Me’, also his directorial debut.  He also made a return to the Wild West this time as director and star of 1976’s ‘The Outlaw Josey Wales’; his co-star in this was Sondra Locke, who would later star with him again fighting for his attentions with chimpanzee Clyde in 1978’s ‘Every Which Way but Loose’ and become his partner for 15 years until 1990.  Following their split, Locke alleged adultery and physical abuse by Eastwood, but these rumours were unable to affect Eastwood’s standing as a legend of Hollywood.

As a director, Eastwood has helmed more than 25 movies, and has won a total of four Oscars for both Best Director and Best Picture, on 1992’s ‘Unforgiven’ in which he starred and 2004’s ‘Million Dollar Baby’ in which he appeared alongside Morgan Freeman and Hilary Swank. Both Swank and Freeman were successful at the Academy Awards, winning Best Female Actress and Best Supporting Actor.

Known as reserved and quiet, Eastwood is a lover of jazz music. He is currently married to Dina Ruiz (March 31^st, 1996) with whom he has a daughter – in total Clint Eastwood has five daughters and two sons by five different partners, as well as two grandchildren.