This is a very long book, but it's fascinating and well-worth the time. It's an interesting biography that touches on personal aspects of Eastwood's life but goes into more detail about his career and professional life. I was surprised to realize how many movies he's been in - either acting or directing or producing. I think I've seen and enjoyed all of them! Clint Eastwood is a real treasure

Clint by Shawn Levy is a well researched, fascinating look back on the wild ride that is the life of Clint Eastwood. While I was mainly familiar with the movies he made as he got older, I really enjoyed hearing about the early part of his career, before he became the man so well known today. What a life he has lived! I also can't imagine how his wife was so accepting of his lifestyle, but "different strokes for different folks" as they say.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this free advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

To say Clint Eastwood (b. 1930) is an American actor and movie director hardly does justice to the icon. In his biography of Eastwood, film critic and writer Shawn Levy observes, 'C-L-I-N-T. In that short, sharp syllable, there is an emblem of American manhood and morality and sheer bloody-minded will, for better and worse, on-screen and off, for more than sixty years....He is a genuine box office superstar, tall and lean and handsome, with a glint in his eye and a record of hit films spanning more than five decades.'

There are other biographies of Clint Eastwood, including the laudatory book by Richard Schickel and the censorious tome by Patrick McGilligan. Levy takes the middle ground, extolling Eastwood's accomplishments while detailing his affairs and one night stands. Clint was a notorious philanderer who fathered eight children with six women, two of whom were his wives. While Eastwood's personal life was messy, his professional accomplishments were (and continue to be) legion.

Levy's 550+ page book seems to recount every detail of Eastwood's life and work, but I'll just give a brief overview. Starting with Eastwood's early years, Levy covers Clint's birth in San Francisco during the Great Depression and his peripatetic childhood as the family moved around for work. Levy goes on to write about Clint's mediocre performance in school; his attraction to girls, hot rods, and music; his early interest in movies and who made them; his passion for cars and engines; his work as a paperboy, lawn mower, grocery bagger, caddy, and pool digger to keep himself afloat; and his conscription into the U.S Army in 1950, where he became an army lifeguard at Fort Ord in California. Levy writes, 'Among the other grunts hanging around the pool at Fort Ord were a few fellows with nascent careers in Hollywood: guys like Richard Long (The Big Valley), Martin Milner (Route 66), and David Janssen (The Fugitive), who gave Clint the idea there might be some potential for him in that line of work.'

When Eastwood got out of the army he took a few college classes, and in 1953 Clint married Maggie Johnson, who shared his passion for music, fitness, and surfing. At this time, Universal Studios had a Universal Talent School (UTS) for actors, with courses in elocution, poise, fitness, horsemanship, singing, dancing, stage fighting, fencing and acting. After one semester in college, Clint enrolled in UTS, and this is where Clint's seventy-year career in movies began.

It seems Levy watched every movie and TV episode Eastwood was connected with as an actor, producer, or director, and the critic writes extensively about every aspect of Clint's work. Eastwood's early performances were amateurish - 'he didn't know how to stand on a mark, where to aim his glance, how to inhabit his body, how to read a line' - but Clint learned. By the time Clint had a small role in 'Francis in the Navy' (1955), about an army lieutenant and a talking mule, he was getting the hang of acting, but not everything was rosy. For instance, in 'Ambush at Cimarron Pass' (1958) - which has been called the worst western ever made - 'Clint is as stiff and mumble-mouthed and emotionally shallow as in any of his least convincing TV work.' Eastwood pressed on nevertheless, and with excellent foresight, he made good use of his downtime on movie and TV sets, 'wandering through sound stages and various post-production facilities and learning about more than just the acting side of filmmaking.'

Clint got a big break when he was cast as Rowdy Yates in the television series 'Rawhide' (1959 - 1965), about cowboys leading cattle drives in the 1860s. This led to Clint being cast in Sergio Leone's three spaghetti westerns: 'A Fistful of Dollars' (1964), A Few Dollars More (1965), and 'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966), which were shot in Spain and Italy. The three films, which featured a gunman (Eastwood) dispensing his personal brand of justice, became known as 'The Man With No Name Trilogy'. From here on, there was no stopping Eastwood.

Back in the states, Eastwood and producer Robert Daley formed the Malpaso Company, to make their own movies. Daley was the businessman, Clint was the creative force, and Malpaso focused on 'sober budgets; location shoots; long-term relationships with production personnel; and new money- and time-saving technologies.' Malpaso's early films, such as 'Hang 'Em High' (1968), Coogan's Bluff (1968), and 'Where Eagles Dare' (1968) are action-packed movies starring Eastwood, who was toiling at a brutal pace. The ability to work on one film after another - with almost no respite - helped spur Clint's success, and the Malpaso Company (with studio backing) continued to put out film after film.

Levy mentions each of Eastwood's movies in turn, writing about the scripts, writers, actors, producers, directors, plots, locations, budgets, success (or failure) at the box office, his own opinions, and more. For films helmed by Eastwood, Levy emphasizes Clint's directing style, which is to move fast and do as few takes as possible, an approach most actors must get used to.

By the late 1960s, when Eastwood was approaching 40, he was an international film star commanding more than $1 million per movie. Levy writes, 'Eastwood now found himself among the very, very few people who could command the highest salary AND steer his own journey going forward. And he chose to go small. In many ways, Eastwood was choosing the most out-of-the-box of all the options that lay in front of him, and he was taking the very first steps on his iconoclastic path.'

Among other things, Clint made 'The Beguiled' (1971) about a wounded Union soldier healing at a girls' school, and 'Play Misty For Me' (1971), about a radio disc jockey being stalked by a disturbed woman. 'Play Misty For Me' was Eastwood's first directorial effort, and 'he demonstrated complete ability with the task: shooting, pacing, scoring, casting and working with actors, finding the spine of the story, and assembling a complete package.' Afterwards, Clint starred in 'Dirty Harry' (1971) about a tough as nails San Francisco police inspector. 'Dirty Harry' spawned four sequels (1971 - 1988), and the franchise contains some of the most iconic quotes in film history, such as "Go Ahead, Make My Day".

During all this time, Clint was wed to Maggie Johnson, but admits he wasn't cut out for marriage. Clint comported himself as if he were a bachelor, giving himself free rein with other women, including classmates at UTS; girls at nightspots and jazz clubs; neighbors; actresses; stuntwomen; girls he met on location; etc. Maggie either didn't know or chose to ignore Clint's behavior, and the couple had two children and stayed together until 1984, when they divorced.

Clint went on to have long-term relationships with Sondra Locke and Frances Fisher, and was married to Dina Ruiz from 1996 to 2014. Afterwards, Eastwood was involved with Erica Fisher followed by Christina Sandera. As mentioned above, Clint's extended relationships and casual encounters resulted in eight children with six mothers.

To get the scoop on all of Eastwood's movies and accomplishments, you'll have to read the book, but I will say Clint and his films were nominated for multitudinous awards and won many. Clint's most lauded films are probably 'Unforgiven' (1992) and 'Million Dollar Baby' (2004), which won Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director for Eastwood; 'Mystic River' (2003) and 'Letters from Iwo Jima' (2006) which were nominated for Best Picture and Best Director for Eastwood; and 'American Sniper' (2014) which was nominated for Best Picture.

One might think Clint would slow down by his eighties, but nothing could be farther from the truth. At age 88, Eastwood directed and starred in 'The Mule' (2018), based on a true story, about a nonagenarian horticulturist and Korean War veteran who becomes a drug mule for a Mexican cartel; at age 91, Clint directed and starred in 'Cry Macho' (2021), about a broken-down rodeo star who rescues a boy kidnapped by his alcoholic mother, and teaches him to be a good man; and at age 94 Clint directed Juror #2 (2024), about a juror who realizes he may be guilty of the crime attributed to the defendant.

So far, Eastwood has appeared in more than 60 movies and directed 40. And rumors hint that Clint is looking at scripts and hoping to get behind the camera once again.

Eastwood has done more than make movies. Levy writes that Clint is a committed lover of nature who purchased tracts of land for preservation and (appropriate) development. Clint is a dedicated fan of jazz, blues, and country music and has lifted them into the limelight at every chance. Moreover, Clint has written the music for some of his movies. Clint became mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California - where he lives - for two years, to promote business; Clint was a regular at the annual pro-am golf tournament at Pebble Beach; Clint was a dedicated Republican who supported Ronald Reagan and Mitt Romney (he's entitled to his views); Clint is a loving father to his children; and more.

Levy's book is a well-researched and informative biography of Clint Eastwood, highly recommended to readers interested in the show business mogul.

Thanks to Netgalley, Shawn Levy, Mariner Books, and Harper Audio for copies of the book.

***Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this upcoming book***
An extremely in-depth and well researched look at the life and career of a true American icon, the one and only Clint Eastwood. Say what you will about the man and his personal life, you still have to marvel at the career he's had (directing movies in his 90's!!!!) and the mark he's left on the movie business.

I would highly recommend this to all fans of movies or anyone looking to read about the life of a one of a kind entertainment personality.

For more reviews and bookish posts visit: https://www.ManOfLaBook.com

Clint: The Man and the Movies by Shawn Levy is a biography of the prolific actor and director Clint Eastwood. Mr. Levy is a well-known film-critic and best-selling author.

When I was 10 years old, or so, my mother took me to the big city to see Disney’s The Black Hole, instead though the theater played A Fistful of Dollars. My mom figured “what the hell” and bought tickets anyway. Then year old me was disappointed but I loved movies even back then. Needless to say, I’ve never seen anything like it before, and a new Clint Eastwood fan was born.

Clint by Shawn Levy is an immensely enjoyable book. If this isn’t a definitive biography of Mr. Eastwood, I’m not sure one could suppress it.

I felt the book was balanced and honest. While the author is certainly a fan, he doesn’t shy away from the more complicated, complex, and dark sides of his subject. While the book certainly highlights the many achievements Mr. Eastwood has achieved, he does not mince words when it comes to his behavior and antics, especially when it comes to relationships with women.

All of this leads to fine, nuanced portrait of Clint Eastwood. Allowing us to see this flawed human being, made me appreciate his work even more and make him a relatable human, instead looking up to an American legend.

Even though this book is quite long, it’s packed with history, details, and anecdotes on every page which makes the reading a pleasure. I never got bored, learned a lot, and now have to go and re-watch Eastwood’s movie catalog once again.

And many years later, I finally got to see The Black Hole… A Fistful of Dollars was, and still is, much better.

Thank you to Net Galley, the publisher and the author. My opinion is my own.

This is a well researched wide body of work. The author includes much of the actors early years in Los Angeles. I appreciated the fact the author was honest about the actor not being a good husband or father. He highlights his lack of ability to be a Father of his very many children and his obsession with making movies above all else.
His drive and ambition drove his success even without studio backing on his many B list movies. His notorious ill treatment of those around him and working with him is well known and documented here. A singular focus of success is well documented here.

A honest portrait of the actor. Well written and interesting read.

My thanks to both NetGalley and Mariner Books for an advance copy of this biography that tells the story of what really can only be called the last Hollywood star, a man who continues to work after almost 70 years in a business that worships youth, with no signs of stopping even as he closes in on his 95 year on Earth.

The cult of personality is not something I ever had an interest in joining for any of my many interests. I have met authors, illustrators, comic book writes, poets, movie stars and I think two directors of film. Most were just meet and greets, a thank you for what your work has meant in my life, I hope you are well, and continue to create. I never thought we would be soulmates, never thought of sharing my ideas with them. They were people who worked hard, and I respected that. To paraphrase a great movie line, meeting one's celebrity hero might be the most important thing in a person's life, to the celebrity it's just Tuesday. Some artists I have had to put away, as their personal lives reflect too much on their creations. The good thing, at least to me, is that there are always creators out there in need of fans. However in reading this book, I have had a hard time separating the man from the legend. I can't think of another artist in any medium who has had the longevity, the drive to create, to change, to explore, to work, and who loved being the legend he continues to be as Clint Eastwood. Nor do I think I have read about an artist who hurt so many people, mainly woman, who had grudges and acted as vindictively as Eastwood has acted to people. Calling himself a married bachelor, using his studio to help him save money in a lawsuit against another woman. And yet the work. Great books make a person think. Great biographies make people think about how people have lived, and what we would have done different. This one is great for it does all that, but never loses sight of the art, movies that will stand the test of time for hundreds of different reasons. Clint: The Man and the Movies is a magisterial look at a legendary film maker and actor, written by Shawn Levy, and is one of the best celebrity biographies I have read, about a man who is still working in film.

Clinton Eastwood, Jr, was born in California and shared not only his father's name, but his work ethic. Clint's father was a man who worked hard to support his family, during one of the worst times in American history. Clint's family moved often, giving him a feeling of being alone in the world, a loner aspect he carried not only into his future relationships with others, but onto the big screen. Clint was not much of a student, and upon graduation was at a loss as to what to do. Clint worked at everything, digging pools, life guarding, road work, until the army came calling. There Clint was lucky to stay stateside during the Korean War, and here he met some people who lived in Hollywood. Clint had acted a bit, and was tall, chiseled and perfect everyone said for Hollywood fame. Though Hollywood was not ready for him. Married, Clint was just about to give up fame, until TV came calling. And soon an offer to make a film in Europe. a Movie that changed everything.

There is so much to Clint's life that it really is astounding. Bit parts in horror films, bad western movies, Leone's movies, and finally his own chance at directing. The films too. I thought I was pretty good, but there are so many. Unforgiven a personal favorite, Bird, a big favorite. Letters from Iwo Jima, a movie that confused me so much, astounded that an American in his seventies could make such a small beautiful dark film about war. Levy is a really good author. At no time does this book drag, or present too much information. Levy is really good at discussing film acting, film directing, even digging pools. This is a warts and all book, and in many places Clint is not the hero one expects. Especially with woman. Levy is very good about this, not salacious, but factual. Levy looks over Clint's entire oeuvre from Spaghetti, to Apes, boxers, cops, snipers, and more. Levy looks at what makes these films work, the style the speed, the way Clint works with actors, and why his crew stays so loyal. And why the movies are so good.

There is so much here for readers. A biography on a man still working hard, while close to 100. A study of film making. A warning for woman in Hollywood. A look at Hollywood deals from handshakes, to the current state of streaming. There is a lot to wonder about also. Separating the artist from the man, the art from what reality shows. I really enjoyed this book, for the information, for the story, and for the questions it asks.

I have been a Clint Eastwood fan since sitting on the lot to have lunch right after a shootout scene for the original Dirty Harry. I've loved all of his movies, and this book is a perfect compliment to all of his movies. Well, do I feel lucky? Yes.