Clint Eastwood: 25 must-see films

“I will never be a Laurence Olivier,” Clint Eastwood said in 1971. “With my physique and my legato personality, I will never play certain roles. But I can still do things that have a certain quality.

That he could. There have been many new Olives over the years, but there has only been one Eastwood. Born during the Great Depression, this California native worked odd jobs and a stint in the military (as a lifeguard) before becoming a contract player at Universal. After a series of small roles and extras, Eastwood landed a plum role as Rowdy Yates on the TV show Rawhide. And then, after a fateful trip to Europe to shoot a few Italian westerns he assumed no one would ever see, Clint would soon become the person Pauline Kael described as “six foot four of a lean, tough, blue-eyed, shaggy saint.” . -haired, with a rough, wrinkled, worried face that sometimes turns into a mischievous grin. The rest is film history. He is, in many ways, the last movie star standing.

In honor of Eastwood’s 90th birthday, we’ve selected 25 of his essential films, both as actor and director. (In some cases, uniquely as a director.) Gunfighters, cops, brawlers, soldiers, lovers, winter lion roles, loud, quiet types and comedic turns – these are the highlights of a singular and prolific career in front of and behind the camera.