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Quick Facts
- NAME: Clint Eastwood
- OCCUPATION: Actor, Director
- BIRTH DATE: May 31, 1930 (Age: 82)
- EDUCATION: Piedmont Junior and Senior High School, Oakland Technical High School, Seattle University
- PLACE OF BIRTH: San Francisco, California
- AKA: Clint Eastwood
- ZODIAC SIGN: Gemini
Best Known For
Clint Eastwood has made his name as a popular TV and film actor. He went on to become a famed director, working on several Academy Award-winning films.
Videos see all videos
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Actors Turned Politicians (2:48)
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Sean Penn - Full Episode (45:27)
Clint Eastwood - Mini Biography
Clint Eastwood starred on the TV western "Rawhide" before transitioning to film as "the Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's films. Eastwood has won the Academy Award for Best Director twice, for "Unforgiven" and "Million Dollar Baby."
Actors Turned Politicians
As Ronald Reagan asked, "How can a President NOT be an actor?" Since Reagan, Celebrities such as Jesse Ventura and Arnold Schwarzenegger have entered the political arena and run for elected office.
Angelina Jolie - Mini Biography
A short biography of Angelina Jolie, who went from troubled child to overnight superstar with the movie "Gia." Aside from acting, she's known for her humanitarian efforts and her relationship with Brad Pitt.
Sean Penn - Full Episode
Sean Penn's performance in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" made him a Hollywood star and his performances in "Mystic River" and "Milk" made him an Oscar winner.
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Play NowClint Eastwood. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 09:24, May 18, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/clint-eastwood-9283502.
Clint Eastwood. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/clint-eastwood-9283502 [Accessed 18 May 2013].
"Clint Eastwood." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 18 2013, 09:24 http://www.biography.com/people/clint-eastwood-9283502.
"Clint Eastwood," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/clint-eastwood-9283502 [accessed May 18, 2013].
"Clint Eastwood," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/clint-eastwood-9283502 (accessed May 18, 2013).
Clint Eastwood [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 18] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/clint-eastwood-9283502.
Clint Eastwood, http://www.biography.com/people/clint-eastwood-9283502 (last visited May 18, 2013).
Clint Eastwood. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/clint-eastwood-9283502. Accessed May 18, 2013.
Synopsis
Born on May 31, 1930 in San Francisco, California, Clint Eastwood got his big break starring on the TV western Rawhide. He then became immensely popular via a string of Sergio Leone movie westerns and the Dirty Harry franchise. In recent years, Eastwood has directed many films, including the Academy Award-winning projects Unforgiven, Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby and The Changeling. He's also known as a big supporter of the Republican Party,
Quotes
"If you want a guarantee, buy a toaster."
and made headlines when he spoke at the Republican National Convention in 2012.
Early Career
Actor, director and producer Clint Eastwood was born Clinton Eastwood Jr. on May 31, 1930, to Clinton Sr. and Ruth Eastwood. He has one older sister, Jean. After traveling and looking for work throughout California during the Depression, the family settled in Oakland, where Eastwood graduated from Oakland Technical High School in 1948.
Eastwood worked odd jobs as a hay bailer, logger, truck driver, and steel-furnace stoker. In 1950, he was called to military duty with the Army Special Services, based at Ford Ord in Monterey, California. While in the Army, Eastwood met actors David Janssen and Martin Milner, who convinced him to move to Los Angeles in 1954 after he finished his military duty. Eastwood took a screen test and signed a contract with Universal for seventy-five dollars a week. His first roles were in the science fiction films Revenge of the Creature and Tarantula, both released in 1955. Eastwood's rugged looks landed him the role of Rowdy Yates on the CBS TV series Rawhide (1959), which ran for eight seasons.
In 1964, Eastwood went to Italy to star in a trio of westerns directed by Sergio Leone. The role Eastwood took—the cool, laconic "Man with No Name"—had been turned down by James Coburn and Charles Bronson. The films included 1964's A Fistful Of Dollars (a remake of the classic Yojimbo), For a Few Dollars More (1965) and The Good the Bad and the Ugly (1966). Nicknamed "spaghetti westerns" due to their Italian production, these films gained worldwide popularity, and Eastwood became internationally known.
Acclaimed Director
Back in the United States, Eastwood directed his first film, the thriller Play Misty For Me (1971), and starred in the leading role. His next important project was a series of violent action movies portraying Harry Callahan, a contentious San Francisco cop. The Dirty Harry series proved immensely popular with the public and included five films over a period of 17 years, including Dirty Harry (1971), Magnum Force (1973), The Enforcer (1976), Sudden Impact (1983) and The Dead Pool (1988).
Eastwood went on to direct the Charlie Parker biopic Bird (1988), for which he won wide critical acclaim. He also earned accolades for directing and producing the 1992 Western Unforgiven, which won an Academy Award (best picture). The following year, he directed and starred in 1993's A Perfect World, and went on to star in and direct 1994's The Bridges of Madison County (with Meryl Streep) and 1997's Absolute Power.
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Actors Turned Politicians
View groupLot of actors play politicians on the big and small screens, but few have made the transition in real life. At every level of government, there are actors who have used their charisma, good looks, and personalities to get the policies they support enacted. Though Hollywood has a reputation as a city of liberals, many conservative actors have been members of the Republican party. From Ronald Reagan to Sonny Bono, here's a look at famous actors who went on to careers in politics.
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Actors Turned Directors
View groupAfter years of on-screen success, many talented actors decide to take their chances on the other side of the camera—often to even greater acclaim. Here's our collection of performers who have made a new name for themselves as film and television directors.
Actors Turned Directors 56 people in this group
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Best Director Oscar Winners
View groupExplore Biography.com's collection of Best Director Oscar winners, including Ang Lee, Anthony Minghella, Barry Levinson, Bernardo Bertolucci, Carol Reed, Elia Kazan, Ethan Coen and Francis Ford Coppola.
Best Director Oscar Winners 49 people in this group
