He was the oldest of two children whose family traveled throughout Northern California during the Great Depression and was born Clint Eastwood, Jr. in San Francisco on May 31. During high school, he started playing basketball and competitive swimming. Following graduation, he worked as a steelworker in Seattle and a lumberjack and forest fighter in Oregon.
Drafted into the Army during the war in Korea, Eastwood was sent to Ft. Ord in California for basic training. He lucked into a job as a swimming instructor and remained at Ft. Ord. He worked nights and weekends as a bouncer at the NCO club.
On a trip home to Seattle to visit his parents and girlfriend, Eastwood caught a ride aboard a Navy plane at Moffett Field. On the ride back aboard a Navy torpedo bomber, the plane developed engine trouble and was forced to make a water landing off San Francisco. Eastwood was forced to swim over a mile through the tide to shore.
It was while on duty at Ft. Ord that Eastwood met fellow soldiers and actors Martin Milner (“Route 66”), David Janssen (“The Fugitive”), and Richard Long (“The Big Valley”).
Eastwood used the GI Bill to enroll in L.A. City College and study drama after being released from the military in 1953. He signed a $75 per week contract with Universal Studios and appeared in supporting roles in the films “Revenge of the Creature” and “Francis the Talking Mule.” His “spaghetti” westerns, Dirty Harry flicks, and Oscar win for “The Unforgiven” brought him international acclaim.