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With his movie version of stage hit ‘The Jersey Boys’ out this weekend, Clint has directed his 33rd film.
Here are some things you might not know about the Hollywood legend.
The name’s Eastwood, Clint Eastwood
When Sean Connery wanted to leave the Bond franchise after ‘You Only Live Twice’, Clint was a frontrunner to take over. He turned it down, not wanting to follow Connery and also because he felt it should be played by a British actor.
Could have played Superman
When the producers were putting together the 1977 film, Eastwood was one of the actors considered for the lead role. It eventually went to the unknown Christopher Reeve.
He directed some of ‘Dirty Harry’
Clint had been desperate to direct an episode of ‘Rawhide’ when he starred on that show, but hadn’t been allowed. He grabbed his opportunity when Don Siegel got ill on the set of the 1971 cop classic and helmed a couple of scenes.
Is good mates with Burt Reynolds
Reynolds told chat show host Larry King, “We were fired [from Universal] the same year. And he was fired because his Adam’s apple stuck out too far. He talked too slow. And he had a chipped tooth and he wouldn’t get it fixed.”
A monkey was one of his favourite co-stars
He co-starred with an orangutan in 1978’s ‘Every Which Way But Loose’ and ‘Every Which Way You Can’ in 1980. According to Clint, Manis (who played Clyde) “was one of the most natural actors I ever worked with! But you had to get him on the first take because his boredom level was very limited.”
The French love him
In 2009, he was made a commander in the country’s prestigious Legion D’Honneur. He is also a recipient of an honorary César – France’s Oscars – in 1998.
He had a stalker in real life
He directed the stalker drama ‘Play Misty For Me’ but has suffered from a similar plight in real life. Eric James Chisum claimed to be Eastwood’s son and broke into Clint’s California home.
Political career
The star’s love affair with the small town of Carmel-by-the-sea in Northern California reached maximum wattage in 1986 when he was elected mayor. His two-year term was a distinguished one, helping to build new public toilets and a library annexe.
He’s actually saved someone’s life
At a party before a golf tournament earlier this year, Clint witnessed Steve John choking on a piece of cheese and performed the Heimlich maneuvre. “I was looking at him and couldn’t breathe,” said John. “He recognized it immediately and saved my life.”
Junior
The actor’s dad was also called Clint, meaning that officially, the star is Clint Eastwood Jr.
He has a really, really big tree
Clint owns a bunch of hardwood trees on his property in Northern California and one such blue gum eucalyptus was named America’s largest on the National Register of Big Trees in 2000. His glory didn’t last long - another 200 miles further up the west coast stole the title in 2002. No word on how Clint reacted.
He’s played at legendary venue Carnegie Hall
An accomplished piano player who loves jazz and has scored many of his more recent films, Clint played a concert at New York’s famed venue in 1996.
Pop star?
And that’s not the end of his musical talents. He’s released several albums as a singer, including 1959’s ‘Rawhide’s Clint Eastwood Sings Cowboy Favourites’ and ‘No Sweeter Cheater Than You’ from his 1982 movie ‘Honkytonk Man’. The latter was unfortunately nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Original Song.
Complicated private life
Despite seeming like a quiet, unassuming family man, his personal life is actually pretty complex. That is no better illustrated than by his very public feud with former girlfriend Sondra Locke, who starred with Eastwood in ‘The Outlaw Josey Wales’. Locke eventually sued Clint multiple times for various infractions, with the claims settled quietly out of court.
Reality show stardom – kind of
Mrs Eastwood & Company was a reality show which premiered on the E! channel in 2012. It actually focused on Clint’s then-wife Dina as she looked after his kids and managed a South African group called Overtone (no, we’ve never heard of them either). Clint did appear, but only in three of the 10 episodes. Not surprising really considering she filed for divorce in 2013.
Still going strong
Despite a successful career spanning six decades, Clint’s most successful film came in 2008 with ‘Gran Torino’. He was 78.
ref:yahoo
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