Sunday, May 31, 2020

May 31 - Clint Eastwood


Happy 90th Birthday, Clint Eastwood! Born today in 1930, this American politician, businessman, composer, actor, producer and filmmaker had taken on roles, among others, that made him an enduring cultural icon of masculinity. 

At the start of his career, Eastwood achieved success in the one-hour American Western black and white television series Rawhide (1959–1965). 
  
Afterwards, Eastwood rose to international fame with his role as the Man with No Name in Italian film director, producer and screenwriter Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy of spaghetti Westerns during the 1960s. 
  
Of Leone's Dollars trilogy, Eastwood is best known as playing Blondie (The Good) in the third and final installment. This was the 1966 Italian/Spanish/West German epic Spaghetti Western film 'Il buonoil bruttoil cattivo' ('The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'). 
  
Due to general disapproval of the Spaghetti Western genre at the time, 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly' is now seen as one of the greatest and most influential Western movies ever made. 
  
As an actor, Eastwood is best known for portraying the antihero cop Harry Callahan in the five Dirty Harry films throughout the 1970s and 1980s. 
  
Of these, Eastwood is best known for starring in the first installment, being American film director and produce Don Siegel's ('Invasion of the Body Snatchers') titular 1971 American neo-noir action-thriller. 
  
As an actor and director, Eastwood is best known for his 1973 American Western/mystery film 'High Plains Drifter'. The film had been influenced by the work of Eastwood's two major collaborators, being Leone and Siegel. 
  
Eastwood is also best known for acting in and directing the 1976 American revisionist Western DeLuxe Color and Panavision film 'The Outlaw Josey Wales'. 

The film had been co-written by American film director and screenwriter Philip Kaufman ('The Right Stuff'). 
  
The film had been adapted from the 1972 American Western fiction novel The Rebel Outlaw: Josey Wales

This was by American 1950s Ku Klux Klan leader, segregationist speech writer, and later western novelist Asa Earl Carter. He had written the book under the alias of supposedly-Cherokee writer Forrest Carter. 
  
In the early 1990s, Eastwood produced, directed and starred in his first Best Picture-winning film. This was the 1992 American revisionist Western/drama film 'Unforgiven'. Eastwood had dedicated the film to directors and mentors Leone and Siegel. 
  
The following year, 'Unforgiven' won four Oscars. This was for Best Film Editing (Joel Cox), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Gene Hackman), Best Director (Eastwood) and Best Picture (Eastwood). This occurred at the 65th Academy Awards in late March 1993.

In France 1994, Eastwood received considerable critical praise for several films. He was awarded two of France's highest civilian honor.

The first accolade was given to him in where he became a recipient of the Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.  
  
In the early 2000s, Eastwood composed, co-produced, directed and starred in his second Best Picture-winning film. This was the 2004 American sports/drama film 'Million Dollar Baby'.  
  
The film had been based off of F.X. Toole's short stories Rope Burns: Stories from the Corner. Toole was the pen name of American boxing trainer Jerry Boyd. 

The film had been written and co-produced by Canadian screenwriterfilm producer, and director of film and television Paul Haggis ('Crash'). 
  
The following year, 'Million Dollar Baby' won four Oscars. This was for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Morgan Freeman), Best Actress (Hilary Swank), Best Director (Eastwood) and Best Picture (Eastwood). This occurred at the 77th Academy Awards in late February 2005. 
  
Among Eastwood's other known acting and directorial credits, these include 'A Fistful of Dollars', 'For a Few Dollars More', 'Hang 'Em High', 'Play Misty for Me', 'Escape from Alcatraz', 'The Bridges of Madison County', 'Mystic River', 'Letters from Iwo Jima', 'Gran Torino', 'Changeling' and 'American Sniper'. 
  
In 1996, 'The Outlaw Josey Wales' was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress for being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". 
  
In 2004, 'Unforgiven' was added to the United States National Film Registry of the Library of Congress as being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". 

In 2000, Eastwood was awarded the Italian Venice Film Festival Golden Lion for lifetime achievement. This occurred at the 57th annual event.

In 2007 France, the second accolade was given to him in where he received the Legion of Honour medal. 
  
Eastwood has been active from 1955–present. 
  
#borntoact 
#borntodirect 
@ClintEastwood 
@ClintEa14308916 
@tcm 
@librarycongress 
@RollingStone 
@jakpost 
@AARP 

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