Clint Eastwood's First Acting Job Surprised Us

Aug 18, 2021 by apost team

Clint Eastwood is one of the most recognized and acclaimed actors and directors of all time. He is known as being America's beloved cowboy actor, having featured in iconic films that solidified the impact of the Spaghetti Western genre in America and across the world. He has been a pinnacle figure in the movie industry for well over 65 years, with many achievements as an actor, film director, producer, and even as a musical composer.

Eastwood found his claim to fame during the 1950s, and the rest is history. Since then, the Hollywood icon has starred in a plethora of films and television series and has even played a part in directing and producing some of his most notable roles. When he is not in front of the screen stealing the spotlight, Eastwood has made sure to make his voice and opinions heard in his work behind the scenes as a producer and director. As a producer, he began his own production company called Malpaso Productions, which has produced all but four of his American films.

With productions such as "Rawhide, "Dirty Harry," "Gran Torino," and "American Sniper" in his repertoire, it's easy to see why Eastwood has become Hollywood royalty in his own way. However, Eastwood wasn't always the distinguished icon he is today. While many people know Eastwood for his breakthrough in the TV series "Rawhide," some may be surprised to find out that the show wasn't actually Eastwood's first acting job. In fact, Eastwood wasn't even credited for his very first movie role.

While Eastwood is a Hollywood mainstay, his roots are rather humble. This self-made movie star was born on May 31, 1930, in San Francisco, California. His family grew up in a wealthy area of town in a house that had a swimming pool, while each parent had their own car, and the family elongated to a country club. His father was a manufacturing executive at Georgia-Pacific, while his mother worked in a clerical role at IBM.

Eastwood was not always a shining star amongst others. During his school years, he struggled to keep up with classmates and received poor grades. He was held back a year and even had to attend summer school. While it's unclear whether Eastwood ever graduated from high school, it has not stood in his way of making a name for himself and becoming an extremely popular figure in the entertainment industry. 

During his teenage years and early adulthood, he picked up jobs here and there to make some extra money. Some of the positions he held included lifeguard, grocery clerk, golf caddy, and paper carrier. After attempting to enroll at Seattle University in 1951, Eastwood's ambitions to continue his education were left unfulfilled as he was instead drafted into the United States Army during the Korean War. 

During his time in the military, he had been positioned as a lifeguard at Fort Ord in northern California. The Universal-International film company, now known as Universal Pictures, had been filming in Fort Ord during the time Eastwood was stationed there, which is what led to him eventually finding his way into the acting industry. 

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After impressing executives with his tall stance and intimidating demeanor, he, unfortunately, failed to impress with his acting skills but was arranged to enroll in acting classes after signing a contract with Universal Pictures. Delivering lines through gritted teeth while holding a stiff manner was something not every talent agent was a fan of, but it went on to become Eastwood's lifelong trademark.

Struggling to make it big, Eastwood managed to pick up a few small roles here and there, but his contract eventually ran out and wasn't renewed. However, that didn't stop the budding actor, and he continued to put in the work with minor roles. After years of trying to make it, Eastwood eventually landed a breakthrough role in the 1958 Western series "Rawhide." The series aired for five years before being canceled.

The rising actor was being nominated and winning awards from as early on as 1961 when he won the Bronze Wrangler Award for the TV drama "Rawhide" at the Western Heritage Awards. From his role as John Lucas in the TV Western series "Death Valley Days" to his poncho-wearing days in a popular movie trilogy, Eastwood has been known as the tough guy with a heart of gold in a long list of Westerns. He portrayed a gunslinging hero in "A Fistful of Dollars," "For A Few Dollars More," and "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly." The three movies formed a trilogy written and directed by Sergio Leone. Eastwood's character as "the Good" was one of the most popular and influential roles throughout his career. 

In an interview with Empire back in 2017, Eastwood reflected on his days acting in "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly," and working with director Leone. He said, "Sergio was terrific for me… I was a big fan of John Ford, and Sergio was too, but his approach was so different: he had no restrictions, he'd kind of go off and do what he wanted even if it was somewhat satirical. It was certainly different from me." When looking back on his earlier Hollywood days, Eastwood spoke with Empire with full clarity. "I was the young guy who didn't have to worry too much," he said.

Throughout his impressive career, Eastwood has showcased his talents as an actor, director, and producer. One of his most notable acting roles came from "Dirty Harry," with fans to this day still quoting one of the most iconic lines from the film: "Go ahead, make my day." Other accomplished films from the actor include "Million Dollar Baby," "Every Which Way but Loose," and "Escape from Alcatraz." Each of these projects has been listed as one out of Eastwood's 25 most essential movies by Rolling Stone. Some others on the list include "The Bridges of Madison County," "Letters from Iwo Jima," and "Mystic River."

Considered a long-shot project, "Million Dollar Baby" was a true underdog in both its storytelling throughout the film and its success at the box office. It even went on to win multiple Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Rolling Stone has considered the film to be "the very best" of Eastwood's late-career work.

Stepping behind the camera, Eastwood has proven to be just as successful as he is in front of it. One of his most acclaimed directorial films is "American Sniper," a war drama biopic from 2014 that starred Bradley Cooper. Rolling Stone reported that the film went on to be Eastwood's most popular film to date, despite garnering plenty of controversy.

With his own production company called Malpaso Productions, Eastwood has been able to hold a leadership role in the majority of his films, whether it's as an actor, director, or producer. He has even been credited as a composer for a handful of films and their soundtracks. Eastwood has mostly partnered with Universal Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, and Paramount Pictures to distribute the films his own production company creates.

At the age of 91, Eastwood is still working in the entertainment industry and even has a new movie coming out in September 2021. Eastwood not only worked as the leading star of the upcoming film "Cry Macho," but has also been credited as a director and producer. "Cry Macho," tells the story of a one-time rodeo star and washed-up horse breeder who accepts a job to bring a man's young son home and away from his alcoholic mother, as per IMDB. 

Eastwood's strong work across many fields in the entertainment industry has led him to great success, and he has been nominated and won plenty of prestigious awards. Some awards he's won from major associations include four Academy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards. Eastwood was also honored with an AFI Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996.

With such a high status in the industry, it's no surprise that Eastwood has been able to live in some beautiful places and has a huge car collection. In fact, being an actor and director even led him to finding some of the cars he owns today. According to GQ, Eastwood owns a 1937 Lincoln K-Series Convertible, the same one from his 1982 film "Honkytonk Man." Eastwood had enjoyed driving it so much while shooting the movie that he ended up buying it after production wrapped. 

In 2008, Eastwood starred in and directed the film "Gran Torino." Before filming started, his production company sourced a 1972 Gran Torino to be used for the movie. According to GQ, Warner Bros. bought the car and cleaned it up, with Eastwood eventually buying it for himself after filming wrapped.

Throughout his life, Eastwood has had the pleasure of seeing and living in some beautiful locations. His romantic Spanish farmhouse, located in Pebble Beach, California, was on the market during 2016 and 2017. Full of rustic beauty, each room in the estate flows elegantly into the next, creating a lavish yet comfortable feeling. The 6,900 square foot single-level Spanish home is located in a gated property that stretches across 4.7 acres.

While his work life has been incredibly productive and successful, Eastwood's personal life has been just as bountiful, and at times has even been seen as a movie with all of the twists and turns he has encountered along the way. In December 2020, Outsider reported that Eastwood and his eight children were able to come together for an iconic picture at the premiere of "The Mule" in 2018, a movie for which Eastwood starred and worked as a director. 

The star's dating history is complicated and publicly began when he got engaged with his first wife, Maggie Johnson, in 1953. Outsider reported that he had an affair with an unnamed woman from Seattle during his marriage to Johnson, and it wasn't the only one. He also impregnated actress and stunt woman Roxanne Tunis. She gave birth to Eastwood's second daughter, Kimber Eastwood, in 1964. A few years later, Eastwood and Johnson finally had a child of their own when Kyle Eastwood was born in 1968, followed by Alison Eastwood in 1972. Unsurprisingly, the couple's marriage didn't last, and they divorced in 1984. 

Following this, Eastwood quickly moved on and had two children with flight attendant Jacelyn Reeves. Their children include Scott Eastwood, who was born in 1986, and Kathryn Eastwood, who was born in 1988. The star continued dating and had another child, Francesca Eastwood, in 1993 with actress Frances Fisher. Finally, it seemed like Eastwood had found his match, and he settled down with Dina Ruiz in 1996, and she gave birth to Morgan Eastwood later that year. Eastwood was 72 at the time. The pair later divorced in 2014.

Eastwood has since found love with Christina Sandra but revealed that he "doesn't see the point" in getting married again, according to a source's conversation with Closer Weekly. The couple has been together since 2014 when they met at Sandra's place of work at Eastwood's Mission Ranch Hotel. Their relationship moved quickly, and they moved in together relatively soon. Luckily, their relationship is still going strong, and the entire Eastwood clan has gotten to meet and get to know Sandra. According to Closer Weekly, the whole crew likes her.

Before Eastwood became recognizable in Hollywood, he landed a few minor roles in projects here and there. His first credited role was in "Francis in the Navy" in 1955. However, Eastwood's film debut was in 1955 in an uncredited job. Landing a bit-role in the movie "Revenge of the Creature," Eastwood earned his very first paycheck as an actor when he was just 25 years old. After serving as a boot camp swimming instructor in the US Army, he signed a contract with Universal Studios for $75 a week, as per the Telegraph. 

In "Revenge of the Creature," Eastwood portrayed a lab technician named Jennings during a brief scene. The Telegraph reported that the scene played out with Eastwood's character telling the character by the name of Professor Ferguson that a cat has eaten a lab rat but later finds that that the rat is in his lab coat pocket.

Even though his role was minor, it helped Eastwood get a jump in the industry and make some connections. However, not everyone was thrilled to have him on board, and the actor's first job almost didn't happen. Jack Arnold, the film's director, originally did not want to include the scene and was even less inclined to do so upon seeing an unrecognizable actor, as per the Telegraph. "It was a hell of a way to start your acting career: walk on a set and you know that the director hates the scene," Eastwood said. "Therefore you know he hates you."

Luckily, the scene stayed in the film, and Eastwood stayed on as the actor who portrayed Jennings. Even though the film received poor ratings, it still gave Eastwood his start in the entertainment industry.

What do you think about Clint Eastwood's very first acting job? Let us know, and be sure to send this to any Clint Eastwood fan you know!