Category:
Richest Celebrities › Actors
Net Worth:
$375 Million
Birthdate:
May 31, 1930 (94 years old)
Birthplace:
San Francisco
Gender:
Male
Height:
6 ft 4 in (1.931 m)
Profession:
Actor, Film director, Film Producer, Politician, Composer, Pianist, Film Score Composer, Television producer, Businessperson, Investor
Nationality:
United States of America
Clint Eastwood is an American actor, director, producer, and politician who has a net worth of $375 million. Clint Eastwood rose to fame in the 1960s with his role as the “Man with No Name” in Sergio Leone’s “Dollars Trilogy” of spaghetti westerns. Eastwood’s portrayal of tough, laconic characters continued in films like “Hang ‘Em High” (1968) and “Dirty Harry” (1971), where he played the hardened detective Harry Callahan.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Eastwood starred in numerous successful films, including “The Outlaw Josey Wales” (1976), “Every Which Way But Loose” (1978), and “Sudden Impact” (1983). He also began directing, with notable titles like “Play Misty for Me” (1971) and “Unforgiven” (1992), which won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Eastwood. In the 1990s and 2000s, Eastwood continued to act in and direct critically acclaimed films such as “The Bridges of Madison County” (1995), “Mystic River” (2003), and “Million Dollar Baby” (2004), which earned him a second Best Director Oscar. His later acting roles include “Gran Torino” (2008) and “The Mule” (2018).
Clint is also known for his deep personal and business connections with Monterey Bay and the nearby city of Carmel, California. He even served as mayor from 1986 to 1988. Clint was first brought to Monterey Bay in the 1950s after being drafted into the army and stationed at nearby Fort Ord, which overlooks the bay. In the early 1970s, he decided to film his directorial debut, “Play Misty for Me,” in the area. His longtime film production company, “Malpaso,” is named after a local creek.
“Hang ‘Em High” earned Clint Eastwood $400,000 plus 25% of its net box office. In 1968, he was offered $1 million to star in “Coogan’s Bluff,” which more than doubled his previous salary. He was also paid $750,000 for 1968’s “Where Eagles Dare.” Eastwood earned $12 million for his role in “Every Which Way But Loose.” In 1984, he was paid $5 million for his role in “City Heat.” In 1993, Eastwood was paid $7 million for his role in “In the Line of Fire.”
Eastwood owns a vast real estate portfolio made up mostly of properties in his native California. He owns a 15,000-square-foot estate in Carmel-by-the-Sea that cost him $20 million to build, a 6,136-square-foot home in Bel Air, the 1,067-acre Rising River Ranch in Burney, and another home next door to his primary Bel Air residence. He also owns a 1.5-acre oceanfront property in Maui and a 5,700-square-foot house in Sun Valley, Idaho. Clint also owns and has owned several commercial buildings in the city of Carmel. He has donated a number of large properties to various local nature preserves.
In 1994, Clint paid $3.9 million for a sprawling, 5-acre property in Pebble Beach, California. He listed this home, which is called “Hacienda Este Madera,” for sale in 2017 for $9.75 million. He ultimately sold this home for $7 million in August 2018. Here is a video tour of Hacienda Este Madera:
In the early 1980s, Clint acquired a 500-acre undeveloped property in the hills above Carmel and Monterey Bay. Over the decades he acquired neighboring properties to span its current 2,040 acres eventually. He did not touch the property for several decades. He eventually planned to develop a highly-exclusive private community that would also serve as a sprawling nature preserve. He ultimately developed the property into a sustainable private community/country club called Tehma.
There are only 90 home sites on 300 acres of the property, leaving more than 85% of Tehma preserved for nature. The golf course, which opened in 1999, was designed by golf architect Jay Morrish. Membership in the club is by invitation only.
Original undeveloped home sites sold for between $1.5 million and $6.25 million. The more expensive plots gave 10-acre lots with expansive ocean views. Not surprisingly, Clint saved one of the best lots for himself. Clint developed his 16,000 square-foot sprawling mansion on a 14-acre plot that is just a few minutes’ golf cart drive from the main clubhouse and restaurant. If it were ever put up for sale, it would easily fetch $15-20 million. Here is a photo of Clint’s home taken from the patio of the club’s restaurant:
In the late 1990s, the Pebble Beach Golf Links was put up for sale by Japanese-based Lone Cypress, Co. Former Major League Baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth got wind of the sale and moved quickly to put together an investment group. The first person he called was his good friend and neighbor, Clint Eastwood. Their third primary partner was Richard Ferris, the former CEO of United Airlines.
These three each paid $20 million for their share of the investment. They then gathered 132 private minority investors, including golf legend Arnold Palmer, who contributed between $2 and $10 million a piece.
Even though their final offer price of $820 million was less than the $1 billion offered by rivals, Lone Cypress accepted the deal because they offered to close in 10 days. It also didn’t hurt that Clint was enormously popular in Japan at the time and was able to grease the palms a bit. The deal closed in 1999. Two decades later, the value of their investment had tripled.
Clint Eastwood was born on May 31, 1930, in San Francisco. He was nicknamed Samson by the nurses when he was born because he weighed 11 pounds 6 ounces. During the 1930s, his family moved frequently for his dad’s jobs along the West Coast. The family settled in an affluent area of Piedmont, California, in the 1940s. The Eastwoods had a swimming pool, belonged to a country club, and had more than one car. Clint was held back in middle school due to poor grades. He was expelled from Piedmont High School for writing an obscene note on the athletic school scoreboard, as well as other disciplinary infractions. He then transferred to Oakland Technical High School. After high school, Eastwood worked as a lifeguard, paperboy, grocery clerk, golf caddy, and forest firefighter. He was drafted into the Army during the Korean War. He spent his military service working as a lifeguard at Fort Ord in Northern California.
One of the lucky breaks Eastwood had in the Army was when he met Chuck Hill. Hill had contacts in the entertainment industry and later introduced Eastwood to the director of photography, Irvine Glassberg, who in turn introduced him to director Arthur Libin. Libin was impressed with Eastwood’s good looks and movie star appearance. Libin saw potential in Eastwood and suggested he take an acting class. Eastwood followed the advice and began going on auditions. His first part was in the film “Revenge of the Creature.” He landed his first big role in the western comedy “Ginger Rogers.” This led Eastwood to land a few other parts, but it wasn’t until 1959, when he was cast in the television series “Rawhide,” that his career really took off. The show ran for six seasons and set Eastwood up as a star of the Old West.
In 1964, Eastwood was cast in his first iconic role as the Man With No Name in Sergio Leone’s “A Fistful of Dollars.” The character appeared again in “For a Few More Dollars” and “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.” The film reconfirmed Eastwood as a Western hero, and he went on to star in other Westerns such as “Hang em High,” “Paint Your Wagon,” and “Two Mules for Sister Sara.” In 1971, he took on his other iconic role in the movie “Dirty Harry.” The film caused a stir because of its take on law enforcement in the 70s. The film also received criticism for the way it portrayed the African American community. Though it was met with some backlash, “Dirty Harry” went on to become a classic in American cinema.
Eastwood made his directorial debut with “Play Misty For Me.” The film focuses on an obsessive love affair. Though the film wasn’t a commercial success, it was a critical darling, and it proved that Eastwood was more than just an actor. He went on to direct a number of films later in his career. He won the Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Picture for both 1992’s “Unforgiven” and 2004’s “Million Dollar Baby.”
Eastwood’s biggest commercial successes were the 1978 adventure comedy “Every Which Way But Loose” and its 1980 sequel “Any Which Way You Can.” Other popular films include 1976’s “The Outlaw Josey Wales,” 1979’s “Escape from Alcatraz,” 1982’s “Firefox,” 1984’s “Tightrope,” 1985’s “Pale Rider,” 1993’s “In the Line of Fire,” 1995’s “The Bridges of Madison County,” and 2008’s “Gran Torino.”
Eastwood also directed films that he did not star in, including “Mystic River” (2003), “Letter from Iwo Jima” (2006), “Changeling” (2008), “Invictus” (2009), and “American Sniper” (2014). Eastwood has directed five actors in Academy Award-winning performances: Gene Hackman in “Unforgiven,” Tim Robbins and Sean Penn in “Mystic River,” and Morgan Freeman and Hilary Swank in “Million Dollar Baby.” Reports emerged in April 2023 that Clint would direct and produce “Juror No. 2,” which is expected to be Eastwood’s last film.
Eastwood’s Malpaso Productions has produced all but four of his American films.
Eastwood married his first wife, Maggie Johnson, in 1953. During that marriage, he had an affair that resulted in a child who was given up for adoption. He had a number of affairs, including a 14-year-old long one with Roxanne Tunis that produced his daughter Kimber in 1964. Johnson reportedly tolerated the open marriage she had with Eastwood. She had two kids with Eastman. Kyle was born in 1968, and Alison in 1972. They divorced in 1984.
In 1975, Eastwood and actress Sondra Locke began living together. While Eastwood was in a relationship with Locke, he had two kids, Scott (1986) and Kathryn (1988), with flight attendant Jacelyn Reeves. When Locke and Eastwood broke up in 1989, she filed a palimony lawsuit. The couple eventually settled, with Clint arranging for Sondra to have a development deal at Warner Bros. Sondra ultimately filed a lawsuit against Warner and Eastwood, claiming the deal was a “sham” after the studio rejected all 30 projects she had proposed and never used her as a director. Eastwood had a daughter, Francesca (1993), with actress Frances Fisher.
Eastwood got married for the second time in 1996 to news anchor Dina Ruiz. She gave birth to their daughter Morgan that same year. Eastwood and Ruiz divorced in 2013. Since 2014, he’s been seen in the company of restaurant hostess Christina Sandera, but neither has confirmed a romance.
