Clint Eastwood turns 93 today, and we’ve yet to see any evidence that he plans to slow down as one of Hollywood’s hardest-working talents. As actor and director, his films have grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide, and last year’s outstanding “Richard Jewell” proves he remains at the top of his game.
To wish the film icon a happy day, we’ll share our 10 favorite films of his. We should note we’re only picking films in which he appears on screen, so that means no “Mystic River” or “Letters from Iwo Jima.” And sorry to all you “Changeling” fans.
What are your favorite Clint Eastwood flicks? Read ours below:
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
Pour one out for Sergio Leone and his “Man with No Name” spaghetti western trilogy that would help launch Eastwood to leading man superstardom. If we must pick only one, the easy choice remains the operatic finale that packs three hours full of epic showdowns, unexpected humor, Ennio Morricone’s sweeping score and Eastwood in all of his cigar-chomping glory, opposite Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef.
Dirty Harry (1971)
With director Don Siegel, Eastwood created a timeless movie cop, keen on catching killers with unorthodox methods and big guns. We dig sequels like “Magnum Force” and “Sudden Impact,” but Harry’s hunt for the Scorpio killer remains the king that inspired imitators and contained classic lines like “You’ve gotta ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do ya, punk?”
Play Misty for Me (1971)
Significant because it kicked off Eastwood’s directing career, which would earn him multiple Oscar nominations and wins and status as one of the hardest-working filmmakers in movie history, plus it’s just a killer suspense flick. He plays a disc jockey whose romantic encounter with an obsessed fan turns ugly and potentially deadly. Eastwood proved he had the chops to direct early in his career, and he’d go on to make a movie nearly ever single year for the rest of it.
The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
A revenge movie staple, this stars Eastwood as a Missouri farmer-turned-feared gunslinger who goes on the hunt for the Union soldiers who murdered his family. A solid entry in the revisionist Western genre, to which Eastwood contributed multiple masterpieces. One of your dad’s all-time favorite movies, probably.