As we celebrate the birthday of Hollywood icon Clint Eastwood on May 31st, it’s time to uncover some lesser-known facts about this legendary figure.
While Eastwood’s name is synonymous with timeless classics and iconic performances such as “Dirty Harry” and “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” there’s much more to his story than meets the eye.
Below are 10+ facts about this legend that even dedicated fans didn’t know.
1. Clint Eastwood was a swimming instructor during his time in the U.S. Army
After finishing high school, Eastwood worked various tough jobs. He spent time as a lumberjack and forest firefighter in Oregon and a steelworker in Texas. During the Korean War, he was drafted and sent to Fort Ord in California for basic training.
He was trained to become a swimming instructor. On evenings and weekends, he worked as a bouncer at local bars and clubs. His impressive looks and height made him a commanding presence, which helped him manage rowdy patrons and caught the eye of Hollywood executives.
2. He survived an emergency plane water landing
On September 30, 1951, two US Navy AD-1 Skyraiders took off from Naval Air Station Seattle for a routine flight to Mather Field in Sacramento.
According to The Mercury News, Lt. F.C. Anderson, piloting one of the Skyraiders, found himself low on fuel and separated from his wingman in the fog.
He had to ditch his plane off the coast of Northern California. Both he and his passenger survived the crash, but the swim back to shore near Point Reyes was challenging, and they barely made it.
On a fall day that year, a then-unknown US Army private named Clint Eastwood nearly drowned after his plane crashed into rough seas.
At 21, Eastwood was heading back to Fort Ord after visiting his parents in Seattle when the Skyraider went down.
Here’s an excerpt from the Independent Journal’s October 1, 1951, report on Clint Eastwood’s plane crash off Point Reyes.
“Army Pvt. Clinton Eastwood, who wandered into the RCA radio station at Point Reyes after struggling in the ocean, told radio operators he and the pilot were forced to land their AD bomber in the ocean and left on life rafts.
Eastwood said he was returning to Ford Ord from his house in Seattle when the mishap occurred.”
3. He turned down playing James Bond, Superman, and John McClane
After Sean Connery left the 007 franchise, Eastwood Eastwood was offered the iconic role, but he turned it down. Similarly, when the president of Warner Bros. proposed him to play Superman, Eastwood declined, stating it wasn’t his cup of tea.
“I was like, ‘Superman? Nah, nah, that’s not for me,’” Eastwood explained. “Not that there’s anything wrong with it. It’s for somebody, but not me.”
Despite opportunities, like Francis Ford Coppola’s offer to join Apocalypse Now, Eastwood refused due to not wanting to spend 16 weeks in the Philippines.
Interestingly, he owned the movie rights to Nothing Lasts Forever, the book on which Die Hard was based, intending to star in its film adaptation.
4. Fired from Universal Pictures for his appearance
In 1959, both Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds were contract players at Universal, but both were let go that year.
Reynolds recalled that Eastwood ” “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. And I said, ‘Why are you firing me?’ And they said, ‘You can’t act.’ … I said to Clint, ‘You know, you are really screwed, because I can learn how to act. You can’t get rid of that Adam’s apple.'”
Reynolds then added with a laugh, “And it’s held him back. It’s held him back.”
5. He never washed the Man with No Name’s poncho
When asked if he wore the same poncho in “A Fistful of Dollars” (1964), “For a Few Dollars More” (1965), and “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” (1966) without ever washing it, Clint Eastwood confirmed it.
He explained, “If you washed it, it would fall apart.” Remarkably, Eastwood still owns that poncho.
6. Clint Eastwood was served as Carmel-by-the-Sea’s mayor from 1986 to 1988
In January 30th, 1986, the local Carmel, California newspaper broke the news: Clint Eastwood was throwing his hat into the mayoral ring, with a humble salary of $200 a month.
Much like his iconic character Dirty Harry, Eastwood combated bureaucracy and challenged local bylaws in his beloved Carmel.
His unconventional campaign garnered significant media attention, and his landslide victory with 72% of the vote even earned him a congratulatory call from former President Reagan.
Throughout his two-year tenure as mayor, Eastwood remained adamant that his focus was solely on serving Carmel, rejecting any suggestions that his mayoral role was a stepping stone to larger political ambitions.
His dedication remained steadfastly local, with his primary concern being the welfare of his adopted hometown.
“We got rid of quite a lot of punitive attitudes on the council and helped people get things done,” he claimed later. “We got things built — beach walkways, a library annex which had been waiting 25 years, and so on. I approached it from a business point of view, not a political one.”
7. Clint Eastwood did his own mountain climbing stunts for The Eiger Sanction
For the film The Eiger Sanction (1975), which Clint Eastwood both directed and starred in, he underwent training in Yosemite National Park. There, he climbed the 1,200-foot Lost Arrow Spire.
The Eiger’s “White Spider” section, however, was among the world’s most dangerous climbs. To tackle it, Eastwood and a team of professional climbers were taken to a 12,000-foot elevation and then lowered onto the rock face with tether lines.
Tragically, on the second day of filming, British rigger David Knowles, an experienced Eiger climber, lost his life in a rockslide.
8. He has practiced transcendental meditation for over 4 decades
Clint Eastwood first shared his meditation journey on a 1975 episode of The Merv Griffin Show, causing some laughter from the audience.
During the episode, which also featured the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Eastwood mentioned he had been meditating for “three or four years.” He credited transcendental meditation with helping him cope with the challenging filming of The Eiger Sanction after Knowles’ tragic death.
In a 2013 interview with GQ, Eastwood revealed that he had been meditating twice a day for the past 40 years.
He explained, “I believe in whatever self-help you can give yourself, whether you believe in Buddha or whatever. I used to be much more of an agnostic. I’m not really a person of an organized religion. But I’m now much more tolerant of people who are religious, because I can see why they got there. I can sympathize.”
9. Eastwood wrote to Billy Wilder to play Charles Lindbergh
On October 26, 1954, Eastwood was eager to make his movie debut. He wrote to Oscar-winning director Billy Wilder, thanking him for their recent meeting.
In the letter, Eastwood mentioned that Universal could only provide a “difficult” interview video where he didn’t perform well, despite earning a contract from it.
He explained, “When the time comes for casting, I would appreciate it so much your letting me talk with you rather than seeing this test, for I have improved in every way since that time. I feel the qualities you might be seeking can better be found in a personal interview.”
Finally, Wilder cast Jimmy Stewart in the role.
10. Eastwood got the role in “Dirty Harry” due to Sinatra’s gun-handling issues
Robert Mitchum and Steve McQueen were contenders to play San Francisco detective Harry Callahan in Don Siegel’s 1971 film, but Frank Sinatra was initially chosen.
Then, Clint Eastwood got a call to see if he was still interested in the role. When he inquired about Sinatra, he was told that Sinatra couldn’t hold a gun due to a hand issue.
“That sounded like a pretty lame excuse,” Eastwood admitted, “but it didn’t matter to me. I said, ‘I’ll do it.'”
11. Clint Eastwood always tries to use the first take as a director
When Clint Eastwood takes the director’s chair, he has a unique approach. Unlike many directors, he skips storyboarding, rehearsals, and post-script changes. Test screening feedback? Not on his radar.
He doesn’t say “action” because “even the horses get nervous.” He says “Let’s move on” instead of “Cut.” His style is straightforward and efficient, with no room for second takes.
Matt Damon once learned this the hard way when Eastwood shut down his request for another shot. Similarly, when Kevin Costner delayed, Eastwood improvised, using a stand-in for Costner’s character in a scene, much to Costner’s chagrin.