The prolific actor and director Clint Eastwood was born on this day, May 31, 1930, in San Francisco, California.
He and his family moved several times before settling in Piedmont, California, Britannica reports.
Eastwood was drafted during the Korean War and stationed in California, and after his discharge from the Army in 1953, Eastwood moved to Hollywood.
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Probably best known for playing police inspector “Dirty” Harry Callahan, the Oscar-winning actor and filmmaker began his notable career with a screen test with Universal in 1954, which earned him a 40-week contract.
But after a renewal and a series of small roles in films such as “Tarantula” (1955) and “Revenge of the Creature” (1955), his option was dropped, according to Britannica.
Actor Clint Eastwood and his then-wife, Maggie Johnson, are shown playing with two parakeets at their home on October 1, 1959. (CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images)
He appeared in several television series before getting his big break in 1959, when he was cast as Rowdy Yates in the popular television western “Rawhide” (1959-1965), according to Britannica.
Eastwood also enjoyed international stardom during the 1960s when he played The Man with No Name, a fearless gunslinger whose stoicism masked his brutality. The character appeared in Italian westerns, popularly known as “spaghetti westerns”, directed by Sergio Leone.
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Those films include 1964's “Per un pugno di dollar”; “Per qualche dollari in più” from 1965, or “For a Few Dollars More”, and “Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo” from 1966, or “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”, according to Turner Classic Movies.
Eastwood made his mark on “Dirty Harry” in 1971.
In 1967, all three films were shown in the United States and were immediate commercial successes, making Eastwood a box office star, the same source noted.
While he continued to appear in Western films throughout the 1970s, Eastwood made his mark in “Dirty Harry” in 1971, in which he first played police inspector Harry Callahan, Britannica says.
Eastwood in disguise and pointing a gun on horseback in a publicity portrait published for the film “Two Mules for Sister Sara”, Mexico, 1970. Directed by Don Siegel (1912-1991), the film starred Eastwood as Hogan. (Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)
“The film turned out to be one of Eastwood's most successful, spawning four sequels and establishing the no-nonsense character Dirty Harry, known for lines like 'Go ahead and make my day,' as a movie icon,” the source said.
Over the next few years, some career highlights included his directorial debut with “Play Misty for Me” (1971), as well as starring in “Every Which Way But Loose” (1978), “Escape From Alcatraz” (1979) and “Any Which Way.” You can” in 1980.
Eastwood continued to expand into both directing, producing and acting roles.
But Eastwood reached his peak as a filmmaker with his Oscar-winning western, “Unforgiven” (1992), says Turner Classic Movies.
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Off-screen, Eastwood became interested in politics and served as mayor of Carmel, California, from 1986 to 1988, History.com noted.
American actor Clint Eastwood as filmmaker John Wilson in the film “White Hunter Black Heart”, 1990. (Murray Close/Getty Images)
In 1995 he starred alongside Meryl Streep in the romantic drama “The Bridges of Madison County”, based on the novel of the same name; She introduced her talents to a new generation of fans.
Eastwood continued to branch out into directing, producing and acting roles in blockbuster films such as “Mystic River” (2003), “Million Dollar Baby” (2004) and “Letters From Iwo Jima” (2006).
At 74, Eastwood was the oldest person to receive the Best Director Oscar for “Million Dollar Baby” in 2004.
All of them gained considerable recognition and at the same time established Eastwood as one of the truly great creative talents in the history of cinema, says the same source.
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At 74, Eastwood was the oldest person to receive the Best Director Oscar for “Million Dollar Baby” in 2004, according to TV Guide.
Clint Eastwood, winner of the Best Director award for “Million Dollar Baby.” The film also won the Oscar for Best Picture. In total, the boxing drama won four Academy Awards. (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
In 2006, Eastwood became the 31st filmmaker in 70 years to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Directors Guild of America, notes History.com.
That year, Eastwood directed a pair of World War II-themed films, “Flags of Our Fathers” (2006) and “Letters from Iwo Jima” (2006).
This last film earned an Oscar nomination for Best Picture and a fourth nomination for Best Director for Eastwood, the same source reported.
Next, Eastwood directed “Invictus” (2009), the “inspiring story of rugby captain Francois Pienaar, who led his team to an improbable World Cup championship in 1995,” says Turner Classic Movies.
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Eastwood's most recent films include “J. Edgar” (2011), “American Sniper” (2014), “Sully” (2016), “The Mule” (2018), “Richard Jewell” (2019) and “Cry Macho ” (2021), according to History.com.
Eastwood has eight children: six daughters and two sons.
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