Clint Eastwood, 96, has officially retired from acting and directing

Screen legend first hit the big time in the 1960s

After a career spanning seven decades and more than 70 films to his name, Clint Eastwood has officially retired from Hollywood.

The four-time Oscar-winning actor and director, who turned 96 on Sunday (31 May), shot to fame on TV series Rawhide in the 1960s, before starring in Sergio Leone’s spaghetti western Dollars trilogy, which included The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

He directed his first film – Play Misty for Me – in the 1970s, and in the following six decades, released films including Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby, Changeling, Gran Torino, American Sniper and The Mule.

Eastwood is one of the most successful actors-turned-directors, refusing to be bound by a specific genre; he adeptly turned his hand to westerns, thrillers, biopics, romances, war films and musicals, and was known for his quick-speed directorial style, often wrapping ahead of schedule and under budget.

Clint Eastwood has officially retired (AFP/Getty)

For those wondering whether Eastwood is lining up a new movie, his son, musician and composer Kyle, who scored several of his father’s films, has officially confirmed Clint’s retirement.

He said at a gig in November, in a video that’s currently doing the rounds online: “I have many fond memories of working with him. Now he’s retired, he’s 95 years old. But I was very lucky to be able to work with him on quite a few films. It was a great experience for me.”

Eastwood, known for his relentless work ethic, often starred in the films he directed, with his last on-screen performance arriving in Cry Macho in 2021.

His last film as director was 2024 legal thriller Juror No 2, starring Nicholas Hoult and Toni Collette.

Clint Eastwood’s career kicked off in the 1960s (PEA)

Earlier this year, Laura Linney, who worked with Eastwood three times, shared her insights into working with him over the years.

She told The Independent in new interview series Life in Pictures that his hesitancy to shout on sets stems from his experiences working on westerns, including Rawhide, where making too much noise would alarm the horses in the production.

Linney, who starred in Clintwood movies Absolute Power (1997), Mystic River (2003) and Sully (2016), said: “I learnt an invaluable lesson on how to relax on set. He only does one take, he works with same crew, you come on set, it’s pre-lit – it’s done – and he goes ‘OK, are you ready to go? OK, go ahead.’

“He talks in that level voice. He stands next to the camera, watches the scene, goes, ‘OK you can stop. Did you feel good about that? I felt good about that. Were we in focus? OK, we can move on.’”

Linney continued: “That’s how he rolls. The reason he doesn’t yell ‘action’ or ‘cut’ is because of the westerns he made. Because if someone yelled, the horse would jump and get scared, so everybody’s quiet on set.

“Because we all have nervous systems and it’s true – when someone screams ‘action’, particularly if it’s a scene where you have to concentrate, it takes a little time to recover from that.”

Eastwood directed five actors to Oscars throughout his career: Gene Hackman (Unforgiven), Sean Penn, Tim Robbins (both Mystic River), Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman (both Million Dollar Baby).

The late Richard Harris, who worked with Eastwood on 1992 western Unforgiven, said that he had never starred in such a well-organised movie, calling the actor-director’s preparation “astonishing”, while Swank said: “He just made me feel right at ease. He quickly makes everyone feel really comfortable.” Freeman named Eastwood his favourite director he’s ever worked with.

Morgan Freeman named ‘Unforgiven’ director Clint Eastwood his favourite director he’s ever worked with (Warner Bros)

Meryl Streep, who starred alongside Eastwood in 1995 romantic drama The Bridges of Madison County, said the star stuck up for her when the studio deemed her too old to play the female lead, when she was just 45 – the same age the character was supposed to be.

“Clint made a, I gather, case for me, which I was glad about – and I would certainly have made a case for him,” she once said.

Look Back at Clint Eastwood’s Life in Photos as the Hollywood Veteran Celebrates His 96th Birthday

The esteemed actor and director’s career has spanned more than 60 years

At 96 years old, Clint Eastwood has had one of the most illustrious careers in Hollywood.

Born in San Francisco on May 31, 1930, Eastwood first served in the army before he ventured into acting. He got his big break in 1959, starring as Rowdy Yates on CBS’ Rawhide and his career took off from there. Throughout his 66-year-long career, Eastwood has starred in classics such as Escape from Alcatraz, Dirty Harry, Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby, Bridges of Madison County and has directed a staggering 40 films, including American Sniper, Heartbreak Ridge, Flags of Our Fathers and more.

Eastwood’s personal life is also remarkable. The actor has been married twice and shares eight children with six women. His son Scott and daughter Francesca have even followed in his acting footsteps, while several of his other kids have made their mark behind the scenes.

As the Hollywood veteran turns 96 today, look back at Clint Eastwood’s life in photos.

01of 26

Clint Eastwood’s Early Days

American film star and director Clint Eastwood posing bare-chested. (Photo via John Kobal Foundation/Getty Images) — John Kobal Foundation/Getty

Clint Eastwood was born on May 31, 1930, in San Francisco, moving around the state with his parents and younger sister, Jeanne, before settling in Piedmont.

02of 26

Clint Eastwood Joins the Army

Clint Eastwood in his Army uniform during the Korean War. SHARE IMAGE: Download Image Photo By: Army photo — US Army

Ahead of college — and his acting career — Eastwood was drafted into the Army, though didn’t face combat, and instead worked as a swimming instructor at California’s Ft. Ord, according to military.com.

03of 26

Clint Eastwood Marries Maggie Johnson

American actor Clint Eastwood with his first wife Maggie Johnson at their home in the Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, California, circa 1960. (Photo by Archive Photos/Getty Images) — Archive Photos/Getty

In 1953 he married model Maggie Johnson; together, they had children Kyle and Alison. They divorced in 1984, though remained friendly: in 2018, Johnson was at Eastwood’s side for the premiere of The Mule.

04of 26

Clint Eastwood Enters Hollywood

American actor Clint Eastwood (in costume as Rowdy Yates) on the set of an epsiode of the television show 'Rawhide,' late 1950s to mid 1960s. (Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images) — Silver Screen Collection/Getty

Eastwood eventually enrolled at Los Angeles City College, and after three semesters, landed a $75-a-week contract with Universal. He hit it big in 1959 when he was cast as Rowdy Yates on the hit CBS series Rawhide.

05of 26

Clint Eastwood Enters His Leading Man Era

Clint Eastwood, US actor, smoking a cigar, wearing a brown hat and poncho in a publicity portrait issued for the film, 'A Fistful of Dollars', Spain, 1964. The Spaghetti western, directed by Sergio Leone (1929-1989), starred Eastwood as 'The Man with No Name' (Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images) — Silver Screen Collection/Getty

As the series was coming to an end, Italian director Sergio Leone offered him his first Western role, as Joe in A Fistful of Dollars. It was a hit, and was followed by sequels including For a Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

06of 26

Clint Eastwood Screen Star

American actors Shirley MacLaine and Clint Eastwood on the set of Two Mules for Sister Sara, directed by Don Siegel. (Photo by Universal Pictures/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images) — Universal Pictures/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty

Throughout his career, Eastwood shared the screen with other icons of his time, including Shirley MacLaine in Two Mules for Sister Sara.

07of 26

Clint Eastwood Goes Behind the Camera

Clint Eastwood lays on a couch in a scene from the film 'Dirty Harry', 1971. (Photo by Warner Brothers/Getty Images) — Warner Brothers/Getty

After making his directorial debut with the thriller Play Misty for Me, Eastwood went on to direct portions of another 1971 action film, Dirty Harry, in which he also starred. USA Today called it the “most iconic role” of his career.

08of 26

Clint Eastwood Is Box Office Gold

American actor Clint Eastwood on the set of Escape From Alcatraz, directed by Don Siegel. (Photo by Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images) — Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty

By 1975, Eastwood — here in 1979’s Escape from Alcatraz — was pulling in $1 million per film and had launched his own production company, Malpaso, according to a PEOPLE profile.

09of 26

Clint Eastwood’s Hollywood Streak

American actor, director and producer Clint Eastwood on the set of his movie Pale Rider. (Photo by Warner Bros. Pictures/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images) — Warner Bros. Pictures/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty

Film critic Roger Ebert said Eastwood “dominates so completely” in 1985’s Pale Rider, another film he produced, directed and starred in. He also received his first Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or award nomination for the movie.

10of 26

Clint Eastwood Is Immortalized

Clint Eastwood during Clint Eastwood Puts His Hands and Footprints In Cement at Mann's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, California, United States. (Photo by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images) — Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty

The actor looked overjoyed at his 1984 hand and footprint ceremony outside Mann’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood.

11of 26

Clint Eastwood Becomes Mayor

Clint Eastwood proudly holds up a t-shirt proclaiming him as the mayor of Carmel, California, during his acceptance speech on April 9, 1986. — Bettmann

In 1986, Eastwood was elected mayor of his beloved Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, though did not seek re-election after his two-year term.

12of 26

Clint Eastwood’s Many Accomplishments

Clint Eastwood holds his Cecil B. DeMille award at the annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton, Beverly Hills, Ca., Jan. 25, 1988. Eastwood was honored for his outstanding contribution to the entertainment industry by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon) — Reed Saxon/AP

Before winning three best director awards at the Golden Globes, Eastwood was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1988. He also has an honorary Oscar and in 2003, received the Screen Actors Guild Awards’ Life Achievement Award.

13of 26

Photo 13

Credit: Photo by Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock (5885182p) Clint Eastwood Unforgiven - 1992 Director: Clint Eastwood Warner Bros USA Scene Still Western (See F9 Note) Impitoyable — Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock

Eastwood’s 1992 Western, Unforgiven, earned him his first Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor nominations — and won him the first two. It’s one of the standard-bearers of its type; 33 years after its release, The Ringer declared “the genre hasn’t seen a better movie.”

14of 26

Clint Eastwood Continues to Dominate

American actress Meryl Streep with actor, director and producer Clint Eastwood on the set of his movie The Bridges of Madison County. (Photo by Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images) — Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty

The famously gruff star took a turn for the sentimental alongside Meryl Streep in 1995’s The Bridges of Madison County, which made more than $182 million at the international box office.

15of 26

Clint Eastwood Remarries

Dina Eastwood and Clint Eastwood, winner Best Picture and Best Director for "Million Dollar Baby" (Photo by J. Vespa/WireImage) — J. Vespa/WireImage

In 1996, Eastwood married Dina Ruiz, with whom he has daughter Morgan. Dina and Morgan, plus Eastwood’s daughter Francesca (from his previous relationship with Frances Fisher) were the stars of the 2012 E! reality series Mrs. Eastwood & Company, which chronicled their lives and Dina’s career. Eastwood and Ruiz divorced in 2014.

16of 26

Clint Eastwood and His Family

Clint Eastwood with his wife Dina Ruiz, Clint's children and his former wife Frances Fisher (Photo by Chris Weeks/WireImage) — Chris Weeks/WireImage

Ruiz, Fisher and several of Eastwood’s children joined him in 2002 for the premiere of Blood Work.

17of 26

Clint Eastwood Is Unstoppable

FRANCE - MAY 23: 56th International Cannes Film Festival: Stairs of "Mystic River" in Cannes, France on May 23, 2003 - Clint Eastwood, Laura Linney, Kevin Becon, Tim Robbins. (Photo by Pool BENAINOUS/CATARINA/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images) — BENAINOUS/CATARINA/Gamma-Rapho via Getty

In 2003, Eastwood’s Mystic River — costarring Laura Linney, Kevin Bacon and Tim Robbins, among others — racked up numerous honors, including Best Picture and Best Director nods for the star.

18of 26

Clint Eastwood and ‘Million Dollar Baby’

Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank, Morgan Freeman during Warner Bros private screening of "Million Dollar Baby" at Museum of Modern Art in New York, New York, United States. (Photo by Sylvain Gaboury/FilmMagic) — Sylvain Gaboury/FilmMagic

The 2004 hit Million Dollar Baby, which starred Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman, was a massive success for Eastwood, who won Oscars for Best Director and Best Picture that year and also earned a Best Actor nomination.

19of 26

Clint Eastwood and ‘Letters from Iwo Jima’

Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) Director CLINT EASTWOOD and KEN WATANABE on the set — Merie W. Wallace/Warner Bros.

The moving 2007 war film Letters from Iwo Jima (starring Ken Watanabe, right) earned Eastwood his fourth Best Director Oscar nomination and fifth Golden Globe nomination in the same category.

20of 26

Clint Eastwood Wins Honors

Paris, FRANCE: French President Jacques Chirac (R) pins the medal of the Legion of Honour on the jacket of US actor and director Clint Eastwood, 17 February 2007, during a ceremony at the Elysee Palace in Paris. The 76-year-old Hollywood star's acclaimed latest work, "Letters from Iwo Jima", received its European premiere at the 57th Berlin Film Festival last Sunday. AFP PHOTO / POOL AP / REMY DE LA MAUVINIERE (Photo credit should read REMY DE LA MAUVINIERE/AFP via Getty Images) — REMY DE LA MAUVINIERE/AFP via Getty

French President Jacques Chirac awarded Eastwood with the medal of the Legion of Honour in February of 2007. Three years later, President Barack Obama honored the star with the Arts and Humanities award, though Eastwood was unable to attend the ceremony.

21of 26

Clint Eastwood in ‘Gran Torino’

Editorial use only. No book cover usage. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock (5885116o) Clint Eastwood Gran Torino - 2008 Director: Clint Eastwood Warner Bros USA Scene Still Drama — Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock

Eastwood starred in and directed 2008’s Gran Torino, in which he coined the iconic phrase, “Get off my lawn.”

22of 26

Clint Eastwood and Christina Sandera

Eastwood found love once more in girlfriend Christina Sandera. The private pair were together for a decade before she died of a heart attack on July 18, 2024.

23of 26

Clint Eastwood’s Hollywood Impact

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 15: Clint Eastwood and Bradley Cooper attend the 'American Sniper' New York Premiere at Frederick P. Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center on December 15, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic) — Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic

Eastwood has directed Bradley Cooper in two films: 2018’s The Mule and 2014’s American Sniper, for which they both earned Oscar nominations.

“I love Clint Eastwood and I look up to him so much,” Cooper told Entertainment Weekly in 2018. “And I always had in my mind, ‘Well, he was 41 when he made Play Misty For Me.’ So I always thought when I get around that age then I gotta just [direct].”

24of 26

Clint Eastwood Directs ‘Sully’

TELLURIDE, CO - SEPTEMBER 03: (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) Director Clint Eastwood and actor Tom Hanks speak during a Q&A after a screening of "Sully" at the Telluride Film Festival 2016 on September 3, 2016 in Telluride, Colorado. (Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images) — Vivien Killilea/Getty

In 2016, Eastwood directed Tom Hanks in the biopic Sully, about “Miracle on the Hudson” pilot Chesley Sullenberger.

“When [Clint]’s in charge he says in a really quiet soft voice, ‘All right, go ahead.’ And instead of shouting ‘cut,’ he says ‘That’s enough of that,’ ” Hanks said of Eastwood’s beind-the-camera style in a 2016 interview with Graham Norton. “It’s intimidating as hell.”

Though Eastwood kept a low profile through the COVID-19 pandemic, he returned to work again with 2021’s Cry Macho and appeared at the February 2022 AT&T Pro-Am at Pebble Beach.

25of 26

Clint Eastwood, Man at Work

Clint Eastwood shows no sign of slowing down at 93 as the legendary actor/director is seen for the first time filming his lastest movie 'Juror No. 2' in Savannah with Nicholas Hoult and Toni Collette. — Clint Eastwood.BACKGRID

In 2024, Eastwood directed his 40th feature film, Juror #2, starring Nicholas Holt. Zoey Deutch, Toni Collette as well as his daughter, Francesca. Above, the film legend is pictured smiling while talking to the crew during filming.

According to IMDB, Eastwood has another upcoming project titled The Gauntlet, on which he’ll serve as producer.

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Clint Eastwood Today

Clint Eastwood and Jane Goodall during an appearance in his hometown Carmel-by-the-Sea, on March 24. — Clint Eastwood and Jane Goodal.MEGA

These days, the actor/director maintains a low profile. In March 2024, Eastwood made a rare public appearance at the Reasons for Hope event presented by the Wildlife Conservation Network, in his hometown of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California.

Above, Eastwood is pictured talking with the late Dr. Jane Goodall, who spoke at the event.

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