Clint Eastwood has contributed to over 50 movies as an actor, director, producer, and composer, and has a string of awards to his name.
As the oldest recipient of an Academy Award for best director at the age of 74 and fast approaching his 90th birthday this screen legend is showing no signs of slowing down.
“I like doing it, it’s nice to be able to have a paying job,” Clint told This Morning.
“I like being in films, I like making films and I started directing films because I thought, One day I’m going to look up on screen and say, ‘That’s enough Eastwood, you’d better do something else.’ So I thought, If I direct, I can let other people be on screen.”
The five-time Oscar winner says he would have retired if he hadn’t found anything interesting to do. Eastwood has starred in 42 films and started directing in 1971.
Eastwood is one of only two people to have been twice nominated for best actor and best director for the same film Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby as well as being one of only a handful of A-list actors to win an Academy Award for directing.
Star parts haven’t always landed in Eastwood’s lap, he fought hard to get to the top after initially being dumped by Universal, and turned down by Warner Bros, Fox and Paramount. He almost quit acting but instead turned to TV starring in the hugely popular western series “Rawhide.”
The longest running movie star in Hollywood was born in 1930 in San Francisco during the Great Depression. He has one younger sister.
His father was a steel worker and the family moved around a lot during his youth.
At 21 years old, Eastwood was a passenger on a World War II-era Naval aircraft that crashed in the Pacific and he had to swim to shore.
His personal life has been almost as busy as his movie career, he has eight children with six different women, including his two past wives swimsuit model Maggie Johnson and TV reporter Dina Ruiz.
Despite his relentless zest for life Eastwood, who is also a grandfather, says: “Ageing can be fun if you lay back and enjoy it.
“When you’re young, you’re very reckless. Then you get conservative. Then you get reckless again. As you get older, you’re not afraid of doubt.”
With his latest movie Richard Jewell released in December 2019, which Eastwood produced, there is no sign of this legend slowing down. Neither is his success after the movie won four awards with an Academy Award nomination.
It seems Eastwood has never even entertained the notion of retiring recalling the fate of his father: “All he ever dreamed about was retiring. And so he did, around 60. He didn’t last very long.”
‘He hates birthdays’
But on his upcoming 90th birthday there isn’t likely to be a huge celebration as he hates birthdays, according to his daughter Alison.
I think he just wants to work and enjoy his life but I don’t think he wants to celebrate it. He hates his birthday for some reason. We’ve all tried to get him into it but he won’t do it. So we’ll see,” Alison told Closer Weekly.
Let’s hope he relaxes and enjoys his special day at some point. Please share to pay tribute to this legend of a man and to wish him a very Happy Birthday.