CLINT EASTWOOD (Frank Corvin)'s career as an actor is linked to some of Hollywood's most notorious characters, from the Man With No Name, to Dirty Harry Callahan, to the infamous William Munny, all of whom brought to the screen a commanding presence. a taciturn style and an unwavering credibility, regardless of context. If Clint Eastwood said it. you could take it to the bank, which is exactly what his films have done.
The man from Malpaso has appeared in 54 features, starring in 46. His Malpaso production company, formed in 1971, expanded his creative efforts into directing and producing, but acting has always been the baseline and, in the early years, often a requirement for his directing assignments.
Recent characterizations have included dispassionate investigative reporter Steve Everett from the hard-hitting 1999 drama "True Crime"; cat burglar Luther Whitney from the 1996 hit "Absolute Power": National Geographic photographer Robert Kincaid from the 1995 blockbuster "The Bridges of Madison County"; Texas Ranger Red Garnett from the critically praised "A Perfect World" in 1994; and Secret Service agent Frank Horrigan in 1993's $100-million hit "In The Line of Fire."
In 1992, Eastwood's career as a filmmaker took an unprecedented turn. "Unforgiven," his 10th western and 36th starring role, was released to rave reviews and enormous box-office grosses, culminating in nine Academy Award nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Set Design, Best Sound and Best Editing.
Eastwood's portrayal of an alcoholic, anti-heroic gunman brought him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and helped catapult "Unforgiven" into the spotlight for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Gene Hackman), and Best Sound Editing Oscars.
The road to this esteemed point in Eastwood's career as an actor was not always as clear nor as defined as it might seem. His first break from his days as a contract player at Universal Studios came in the well-documented move to the "Rawhide" television series in 1958, where he played sodbuster Rowdy Yates. This led to the starring role in Italian director Sergio Leone's "Man With No Name" trilogy, including "A Fistful of Dollars," (1964), "For A Few Dollars More" (1965) and "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" (1966).
Films such as "The Witches" (1967), "Hang "Em High" (1968), "Coogan's Bluff' (1968), "Where Eagles Dare" (1969), "Paint Your Wagon" (1969), "Two Mules For Sister Sarah" (1970), "Kelly's Heroes" (1970) and "The Beguiled" (1971) quickly followed, with Eastwood making his directorial debut in 1971 with "Play Misty For Me," and following with the legendary "Dirty Harry" that same year.
Directed by Eastwood mentor Don Siegel, "Dirty Harry" created another public persona, homicide detective Harry Callahan. preceding films such as "Joe Kidd" (1972), "High Plains Drifter" (1972), "Magnum Force" (1973), "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot" (1974), "The Figer Sanction" (1975), "The Outlaw Josey Wales" (1976), "The Enforcer" (1976). "The Gauntlet" (1977), "Every Which Way But Loose" (1978), "Escape From Alcatraz" (1978), "Bronco Billy" (1979), "Any Which Way You Can" (1980), "Firefox" (1982), "Honkytonk Man" (1982) and "Sudden Impact" (1983).
Credits such as "Tightrope" (1984), "City Heat" (1984), "Pale Rider" (1985), "Heartbreak Ridge" (1987), "The Dead Pool" (1988), "Pink Cadillac" (1989), "White Hunter, Black Heart" (1989) and "The Rookie" (1990) continued to expand the Eastwood resume of diverse, interesting and often contradictory or even playful characters, all of which brought him to his classic, revisionist Western "Unforgiven."
CLINT EASTWOOD is the producer and director of "Space Cowboys," which is his 22nd film as a director and his 15th as a producer.
Eastwood formed his Malpaso Productions company in 1971, at which time he directed his first film "Play Misty For Me." Since that time he has also directed "High Plains Drifter" (1972). "Breezy" (1973), "The Eiger Sanction" (1975). "The Outlaw Josey Wales" (1976). "The Gauntlet" (1977). "Bronco Billy" (1979). "Firefox" (1982), "Honkytonk Man" (1982), "Sudden impact" (1983), "Pale Rider" (1985), "Heartbreak Ridge" (1987), "Bird" (1988), "White Hunter, Black Heart" (1989), "The Rookie" (1990), "Unforgiven" (1992), "A Perfect World" (1994), "The Bridges of Madison County" (1995), "Absolute Power" (1996), "Midnight In The Garden of Good and Evil" (1997), and "True Crime" (1998).
"Space Cowboys" is also the fifteenth film which Eastwood has produced ("Firefox," "Honkytonk Man," "Sudden Impact," "Pale Rider," "Heartbreak Ridge," "Bird," "White Hunter, Black Heart," "The Rookie," "Unforgiven," "A Perfect World," "The Bridges of Madison County," "Absolute Power," "Midnight In The Garden of Good and Evil," and "True Crime").
Eastwood is unique in the film industry for the ability to often take on the responsibilities of starring in a film while simultaneously directing and producing. At no time was this situation more in evidence and more acknowledged than with "Unforgiven" in 1992.
Eastwood's revisionist Western opened to critical acclaim and huge box office grosses, culminating in nine Academy Award nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, and Best Editing; and four Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Gene Hackman) and Best Editor (Joel Cox).
Academy recognition also came for Eastwood's "Bird," which won a best sound Oscar (and a Best Director Golden Globe) in 1989, while his adaptation of "The Bridges of Madison County" helped earn Meryl Streep a Best Actress nomination.
Equally imposing are the filmmaking accolades that Eastwood has accumulated over the years, having most recently been given a Lifetime Achievement Award from New York's National Board of Review in January, 2000. Likewise, he received a Cesar Honorary Award from the French Film Society for Career Achievement in 1998 and a Golden Laurel Lifetime Achievement Award from the Producer's Guild of America that same year.
In 1996, Eastwood received the Life Achievement Awards from the American Film Institute and the Film Society at Lincoln Center and in 1995 he was given the prestigious Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
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