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Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Legendary director, ‘Dirty Harry' actor and Army veteran Clint Eastwood turns 95
As the hard-boiled cop from Clint Eastwood's 'Dirty Harry' films asked the punks he arrested: 'Do you feel lucky?' After seven decades in the entertainment industry, veteran Eastwood probably has an answer to that question for himself. An actor, director and even musician, he became the icon of Hollywood icons. He has not only thrived through the ups and downs of a competitive industry, he also succeeded in a short stint as Mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. As an actor, he boasts 73 films and television credits and 45 more as a director — for which he received 11 Academy Award nominations and won four. The legend turned 95 on May 31, 2025, another milestone in a life and a career that began with a stint in the U.S. Army. Born in San Francisco, California in 1930, he reportedly wasn't much of a star pupil. After high school, he held many different jobs before his family moved to the Pacific Northwest. The Army drafted him in 1951 and stationed him at the now-closed Fort Ord in California. Hollywood would never be the same after this, because it was his connections in the Army that helped him get discovered. 'When Clint was in the Army, he met several young, good-looking men who wanted to be in movies,' Eastwood biographer Marc Eliot said in a 2013 interview. 'They told him that when he got out of the Army, that he should try to get a job in film.' After leaving the Army in 1953, the now-veteran Clint Eastwood started taking acting classes and began his career as a Universal Studio contract player and eventually turned into a full-fledged television star. NOW READ: Clint Eastwood once helped fund a Vietnam POW rescue mission He booked his first credited part as a sailor named 'Jonesy' in 1955's 'Francis in the Navy.' Then, he guest starred across a succession of TV series, including 'Highway Patrol,' 'Wagon Train,' 'Death Valley Days' and 'Maverick.' It was his breakout role as Rowdy Yates in 'Rawhide' that changed everything. The show was a ratings hit, running for 217 episodes across eight seasons. But most importantly, it made Clint Eastwood a household name. Although he'd worked in movies before, the early 1960s saw him move to the silver screen like never before. A trilogy of 'spaghetti' westerns directed by Italian Sergio Leone really helped himmade his mark. These included 'A Fistful of Dollars,' 'For a Few Dollars More' and 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.' These films further solidified his place in Hollywood and in epic western lore. Audiences loved his westerns, but Eastwood would continue to star in and eventually direct many features from all genres into the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. He portrayed San Francisco Inspector Harry Callahan in all six films of the 'Dirty Harry' franchise. He starred in the beloved war movies 'Kelly's Heroes' and 'Heartbreak Ridge.' His resume also boasts slew of notable films like 'In the Line of Fire,' 'The Bridges of Madison County' and the acclaimed 'Million Dollar Baby.' He never gave up on westerns, however, making some of the most memorable films of the genre, like 'The Outlaw Josey Wales,' 'Pale Rider,' 'High Plains Drifter' and the award-winning 'Unforgiven.' What might surprise those who are more familiar with Army veteran Clint Eastwood's tough guy persona is that he is a huge fan of jazz, bebop, blues, country and classical music. He released an album of his own music, 1959's 'Cowboy Favorites.' His own record label, Malpaso Records, is an offshoot of his film company, Malpaso Productions. Aside from releasing another record in 1996, 'Eastwood After Hours – Live at Carnegie Hall,' he has also composed the scores for a number of his films. These scores include 'Mystic River,' 'Flags of Our Fathers' and 'Changeling,' among others. 'Jazz is the true American art form,' he once told Film Quarterly. 'It's the freedom Americans dream of, a kind of freedom idealized through sound.' Now 95 yeas old, Clint Eastwood has eight children. Kyle is a jazz musician. Alison is an actress and a director. Scott is an actor and producer and Francesca is also an actress. Eastwood is still an avid fitness and health enthusiast who enjoys golf, flying a helicopter to studios and owns the Mission Ranch Hotel and Restaurant in Carmel-by-the-Sea. He has left an indelible mark on so many parts of the entertainment industry, there is little doubt that yes, he does feel lucky.
Forbes
19-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘The Bride Of Frankenstein' Reaches Landmark Anniversary This Weekend
1935: The monster, played by Boris Karloff (1887 - 1969), believes he has found his true mate in ... More 'Bride of Frankenstein', directed by James Whale. The would-be bride is played by English actress Elsa Lanchester (1902 - 1986). (Photo via John) The Bride of Frankenstein — the classic sequel to Frankenstein starring Boris Karloff and Elsa Lanchester — celebrates a big anniversary this weekend. Directed by Frankenstein filmmaker James Whale, Universal Studio's The Bride of Frankenstein is based on a subplot in Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's legendary 1818 novel Frankenstein. Karloff reprised his role from the original film as Frankenstein's Monster, as did Colin Clive as Dr. Henry Frankenstein. Lanchester plays two roles in the film, as Shelley in the film's prologue and The Bride in the film's climactic final scene. The Bride of Frankenstein also stars Ernest Thesiger as Dr. Septimus Pretorius, Dwight Frye as Pretorious' henchman, Karl, Gavin Gordon as Lord Byron, Valerie Hobson as Elizabeth Frankenstein and O. P. Heggie as the blind fiddle player whom Frankenstein's Monster encounters in the character's forest abode. The Bride of Frankenstein celebrates its 90th anniversary on Sunday. The film premiered in U.S. theaters on April 20, 1935, about three and a half years after the release of Frankenstein on Nov. 21, 1931. The Bride of Frankenstein largely features Frankenstein's Monster and the events leading up top the creation of his mate, while the character of The Bride doesn't appear until the final scene of the film. While The Bride's appearance in The Bride of Frankenstein amounts to less than five minutes of screen time, the indelible image of the Elsa Lanchester character — made complete with shocks of lightning bolt streaks in her hair — has become iconic. In addition, the film has stood the test of time with critics, as Rotten Tomatoes reviewers gave the film a 98% 'fresh' rating based on 54 reviews, while Entertainment Weekly in 2023 named it the best horror sequel of all time ahead of 19 other film classics. Publicity still portrait of American actress Elsa Lanchester (1902 - 1986) in the film 'The Bride of ... More Frankenstein' (directed by James Whale), 1935. (Photo by John) Elsa Lanchester's version of The Bride in The Bride of Frankenstein has become such a big part of Universal Studios Monsters' lore that she has been featured alongside Bela Lugosi's Dracula, Lon Chaney Jr.'s Wolfman, Boris Karloff's Frankenstein's Monster and the Mummy and Ben Chapman/Ricou Browning's The Creature from the Black Lagoon as the faces of the studio's franchise for decades. To this day, The Bride of Frankenstein remains a big part of Universal Studios Monsters merchandising, from Halloween costumes, Gothic-style apparel and action figures. The Bride has also gone on to be featured in other film iterations of the tale or Frankenstein's tale in the decades since the release of The Bride of Frankenstein in 1935. Among the films featuring the monster's mate are the 1973 telefilm Frankenstein: The True Story, which starred Jane Seymour as The Bride opposite Michael Sarrazin's Monster; and 1985's The Bride, starring Jennifer Beals in the title role opposite Sting's Dr. Frankenstein. The Bride also appeared in director Kenneth Branagh's Mary Shelley's Frankenstein in 1994, where Helena Bonham Carter plays the doomed mate of Robert De Niro's Frankenstein's Monster. LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 01: (L-R) Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jessie Buckley speak onstage during ... More CinemaCon 2025 - Warner Bros. Pictures invites you to 'The Big Picture' a special presentation of its upcoming slate at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace during CinemaCon, the official convention of Cinema United, on April 1, 2025, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo byfor CinemaCon) Jessie Buckley will be next to play the iconic role of The Bride of Frankenstein in writer-director Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Bride, which also stars Christian Bale as Frankenstein's Monster. The Bride is set for a March 6, 2026, release in theaters. Meanwhile, Guillermo del Toro is preparing a new version of Frankenstein for Netflix, which is scheduled to be released in theaters in November before it debuts on the streamer on a date that is yet to be announced. Jacob Elordi stars as Frankenstein's Monster in the film and there's no word yet whether the story will include The Bride. Oscar Isaac also stars as Dr. Victor Frankenstein and Mia Goth plays Elizabeth. As for another Universal Studios Monsters' version of The Bride of Frankenstein, only time will tell if Universal Pictures will either try to resurrect its shuttered Dark Universe of monster movies or go the route of the cost-efficient reboots of The Invisible Man and Wolf Man, both directed by Leigh Whannell. In the Dark Universe version of the Frankenstein tale that never happened, Angelina Jolie, per Variety, was being considered to star in thet title role in The Bride of Frankenstein in 2020 with Javier Bardem onboard to play Frankenstein's Monster. Viewers who want to celebrate The Bride of Frankenstein's 90th anniversary on Sunday can purchase or rent the film on several digital platforms including AppleTV, Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Spectrum and Movies Anywhere.
