Eastwood grew up in Depression-era California, where his parents were itinerant workers. After high school, he worked as a lumberjack in Oregon, played honky-tonk piano and was a swimming instructor in the US Army. On the GI Bill, he studied at Los Angeles City College, after which he was signed by Universal. One of his first experiences with the indignity actors must suffer was in a "Francis the Talking Mule" movie, "Francis in the Navy" (1955). Also that year, Eastwood made a brief appearance as a Lab Technician in “Revenge of the Creature”, the sequel to “Creature From the Black Lagoon” (1954). The movie was later lampooned on the popular cult television show, “Mystery Science Theater 3000” (1989-2000)—Eastwood did not escape the barbs hurled by Mike and the bots. Many B-movies later, he moved to New York and gained recognition as trail boss Rowdy Yates in the successful television series "Rawhide" (1959-66)—a role he got despite trouble remembering lines in his screen test.

A strong sensibility and understanding of the characters he played helped Eastwood develop the minimalist acting style for which he’s famous. It was first appreciated in Europe where he starred in a trilogy of popular spaghetti westerns directed by Sergio Leone in Spain. As the laconic and lethal Man With No Name, Eastwood embodied archetypal violent American whose philosophy in "A Fistful of Dollars" (1964) was "everybody gets rich or dead." The sequels, "For a Few Dollars More" (1965) and "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" (1966), became classic revisionist Westerns and made Eastwood an international star. He returned stateside and starred in "Coogan's Bluff" (1968), a smart urban Western that marked the beginning of a long and successful collaboration with director Don Siegel.

Eastwood's second famed screen incarnation was Harry Callahan, the rogue cop of Siegel's "Dirty Harry" (1971) who found it easier to shoot suspects than interrogate them—hence the immortal line in "Sudden Impact" (1983): "Go ahead, make my day.” Despite controversy about Dirty Harry’s penchant for violence over procedure, Eastwood and Siegel were more interested in making an exciting film than a political statement. Eastwood has stated "My characters are usually callused men with a sensitive spot for right and wrong." He has also noted that "My movies add up to a morality, not a politics." Even his friendship with Ronald Reagan has attracted criticism from some, but Eastwood's concern for the environment, he claims, would make him befriend any President.

Eastwood became a fixture of masculine action flicks, but he also did well in several popular comedies—"Every Which Way But Loose" (1978) and “Any Which Way You Can" (1980). Though he could have coasted on his established persona, Eastwood chose to take chances with his material and subjected his image to thoughtful, but not always flattering scrutiny. His portraits of tormented men with intense inner lives and little ability to communicate reached an apogee with his acclaimed directorial effort, "Bird" (1988), a moody look at troubled jazz musician Charlie Parker (Forest Whitaker). Over the years, Eastwood has attained virtual artistic control on his projects, which has enabled him to make unusual Westerns—"High Plains Drifter" (1973) and "Pale Rider" (1985)—and cop movies exploring feminist concerns—"Sudden Impact (1983) and "Tightrope" (1984).

Eastwood's commercial viability appeared to be in decline by the late 80s—the fifth Dirty Harry movie, "The Dead Pool" (1988), was less successful than its predecessors. In 1990, Eastwood saw two significant box-office failures: "The Rookie", a formula cop outing, and "White Hunter, Black Heart", an interesting, semi-fictional account of the making of "The African Queen". Eastwood enjoyed a popular and critical rebirth, however, with "Unforgiven" (1992), a so-called anti-Western which earned Eastwood Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director as well as several other major awards. A spellbinding morality tale about the effects of killing on a man’s soul, "Unforgiven" took both an ironic and sentimental view of several of Eastwood's earlier gunfighter incarnations. Dedicated to his mentors—"Sergio" (Leone) and "Don" (Siegel)—the film was a solid commercial hit, grossing over $100 million over its long run.

Eastwood's next star vehicle, "In the Line of Fire" (1993), was an immediate hit. This taut political thriller—which pitted veteran a Secret Service agent (Eastwood) against a brilliant assassin (John Malkovich)—passed the $100 million mark in a few months. Eastwood directed his subsequent feature, "A Perfect World" (also 1993), wherein he portrayed an experienced law man tracking down a dangerous escaped convict (Kevin Costner) with a seven-year-old hostage-cum-companion.

Even the most jaded critics praised Eastwood's restrained adaptation of "The Bridges of Madison County" (1995), which took a treacly best-seller and turned it into a well-acted adult love story. A detailed, mature look at passion, the film not only exhibited Eastwood's directorial skill but also provided him with a romantic lead that he played with confidence and charm. Starring opposite Meryl Streep, he exuded sex in a low-key manner and revealed a soft, yet masculine side. Eastwood contributed compositions to the soundtrack, released on his newly-launched Malpaso Records. That same year, Eastwood made an uncredited cameo in the fantasy "Casper.”

With "Absolute Power" (1997), Eastwood began to address the issue of growing old. In this uneven thriller, he portrayed a thief out to commit one last crime before retiring, but witnesses a murder involving the President of the United States. Similarly, "True Crime" (1999) saw him portray a burnt-out reporter who finds a last shot at redemption when he becomes convinced a Death Row inmate is innocent. With "Space Cowboys" (2000), Eastwood made his most blatant attempt to deal with aging—he played the leader of a quartet of veteran astronauts called out of retirement to fix a satellite first sent into space forty years earlier.

In 2002, Eastwood was once again the director and star of a feature film, "Bloodwork," a competent, yet standard thriller with Eastwood as a detective taunted by a clever serial killer. Eastwood received high praise when he stepped behind the camera for "Mystic River" (2003), an adaptation of Dennis Lehane’s crime novel which explores the interwoven history of three men—played by Sean Penn, Tim Robbins and Kevin Bacon—and the terrible events from their boyhood that later force them to make irrevocable choices. Considered on of his best pictures since "Unforgiven," it earned six Oscar nominations, including Eastwood's second as Best Director.

Oscar buzz ignited anew with his follow up, “Million Dollar Baby” (2004), which was an even more effective than "Mystic River." Co-starring Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman, Eastwood played Frankie Dunn, an old-school boxing trainer afraid of intimacy after a painful rift with his daughter. Praised by a majority of critics as an exquisite and subtle film, “Million Dollar Baby” received wide acclaim after earning five Golden Globe nominations, including Best Director, the trophy that Eastwood ultimately claimed. He also beat out "The Aviator's" sentimental favorite Martin Scorsese at the Directors Guild Awards, and when Oscar nominations were announced in January 2005, “Million Dollar Baby” came away with seven nods, including Best Picture, Best Director and a surprising Best Actor nomination for Eastwood—only the second of his long career. Eastwood didn't win for acting, but he did take home two Oscars, one as Best Director and one as one of the producers of the film, which was named Best Picture.