Clint Eastwood started his acting career in the mid-1950s with various smaller and uncredited parts in both film and TV before landing his first major TV role as Rowdy Yates in Rawhide. This part and his co-starring role for 217 episodes helped transition his career from TV actor to internationally known film superstar, with his breakout roles in the Dollars Trilogy as ‘The Man with No Name’. The 1960s were a decade that transformed Eastwood’s career and turned him into one of the most important figures in the cinematic landscape.
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Eastwood’s starring roles in iconic WesternsA Fistful of Dollars and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly launched him into the mainstream and showed his undeniable star power. They showed his ability to portray an intense, quiet, yet charismatic lead that helped change not only his career but the genre as a whole, focusing on a morally ambiguous protagonist in intricate stories. Eastwood’s work in the 1960s, while only a relatively short eight films, is one of the most significant and influential of his entire career.
8 The Witches (1967)
As Carlo
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In a step away from Eastwood’s usual gritty and intense roles that made him a household name, The Witches is an Italian anthology work that sees Eastwood play a hapless husband whose wife blurs the lines between fantasy and reality. The film is split into five different segments, each crafted by a different director, with his part, ‘An Evening Like the Others’ being directed by Vittorio De Sica. It focuses on the frustrated relationship between a wife (Silvana Mangano) and her husband as she fantasizes about various comical situations that usually end in violence.
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Though his part in the segment is anything but what would usually be considered a typical Eastwood role, it does show his versatility as an actor. Eastwood plays the part of the stern and unappreciative husband perfectly, and his chemistry with Mangano, both in the realistic scenes and in the dreamlike sequences, is brilliantly contained to show both electricity and a subdued annoyance. Eastwood plays many of his roles with a quiet, self-aware charm that is easy to love, and though it’s a much more minor role, he still shows that he can elevate any work he is in.
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7 Paint Your Wagon (1969)
As Pardner (Sylvester Newel)
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Paint Your Wagon PG-13WesternComedyMusic
A Michigan farmer and a prospector partner in California’s gold country, engaging in colorful exploits like hijacking, kidnapping, and town-building. Their lively endeavors include drinking, gambling, singing, and innovative gold mining, culminating in the transformation of their mining camp into a prosperous boom town.
Director Joshua Logan Release Date October 15, 1969 Writers Alan Jay Lerner Cast Lee Marvin , Clint Eastwood , Jean Seberg , Ray Walston , Harve Presnell , Tom Ligon , Alan Dexter , Terry Jenkins , Paula Trueman , H.B. Haggerty , Benny Baker , William O’Connell , Geoffrey Norman , Robert Easton , Alan Baxter , Karl Bruck , John Mitchum , Sue Casey , Eddie Little Sky , Harvey Parry , H.W. Gim Runtime 164 Minutes Main Genre Western Expand
In another work away from his usual style, Paint Your Wagon sees Eastwood play the quiet yet focused Pardner in this Western musical based on Lerner and Loewe’s musical of the same name. The film is set in California during the Gold Rush era and sees Eastwood’s character team up with the larger-than-life Ben Rumson (Lee Marvin) in order to get rich prospecting, ending up in numerous professional and personal scrapes. The film is a combination of humor, music, and action in a comically entertaining story that sees the two men enter into a polyamorous marriage with the same wife.
Related All 5 Of Clint Eastwood’s Oscar-Nominated Movies, Ranked
As an actor and director, Clint Eastwood boasts one of the most impressive resumes Hollywood has ever seen, earning him several Oscar nominations.
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Though the Western setting and more reserved character are trademarks of Eastwood’s early career, his singing debut and the overall more comedic tone of the film sees him step away from his usual tougher-than-nails persona. Eastwood’s willingness to take on different genres is a testament to his skill and helps, in part, explain the longevity he has enjoyed throughout his career. Though the film overall feels a little choppy and unevenly paced, the narrative is entertaining throughout, and Eastwood and Marvin’s performances elevate the work to a must-see for any Eastwood fan wishing to see him in a different role.
6 Coogan’s Bluff (1968)
As Walt Coogan
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Coogan’s Bluff RCrimeActionDramaThriller
Coogan’s Bluff is a crime thriller directed by Don Siegel and starring Clint Eastwood. Eastwood plays Arizona deputy sheriff Walt Coogan who is sent to New York City to extradite a prisoner. The film showcases the cultural clash between Coogan’s Wild West methods and the urban environment of the city, as he navigates his mission in a challenging and unfamiliar setting.
Director Herman Miller , Don Siegel Release Date October 2, 1968 Writers Herman Miller , Dean Riesner , Howard A. Rodman Cast Clint Eastwood , Lee J. Cobb , Susan Clark , Tisha Sterling , Don Stroud , Betty Field , Tom Tully , Melodie Johnson , James Edwards , Rudy Diaz , David Doyle , Louis Zorich , Meg Myles , Marjorie Bennett , Seymour Cassel , John Coe , Skip Battyn , Albert Popwell Main Genre Thriller Expand
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Coogan’s Bluff is a crime thriller that sees Eastwood in the starring role of no-nonsense, rural Arizona officer Walt Coogan. The film follows Coogan as he is sent across the country to bustling New York City in order to extradite a fugitive back to his home state, but after he escapes with the help of his girlfriend, Coogan must find and apprehend the criminal before he faces harsh consequences of his own. The film is the perfect blend of old-school Western elements with traditional crime movie tropes that create a wildly entertaining amalgamation.
Coogan’s Bluff
marks the first of five film collaborations between Siegel and Eastwood, which continued with
Two Mules for Sister Sara
(1970),
The Beguiled
(1971),
Dirty Harry
(1971), and
Escape from Alcatraz
(1979).
The film is directed by the legendary Don Siegel in his first of five collaborations with Eastwood, with the most famous being Dirty Harry three years later. All the elements of Dirty Harry can be seen in this film, and it’s a clear stepping stone that laid the foundations for his role and the themes of the movie as a whole. Eastwood’s embodiment of the anti-establishment authority figure became one of his most iconic traits, and a film like Coogan’s Bluff shows in great detail his process and transition, which makes it a fascinating study from start to finish.
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5 Hang ‘Em High (1968)
As Marshal Jed Cooper
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Hang ‘Em High PG-13WesternDrama
Hang ’em High is a 1968 Western film directed by Ted Post, starring Clint Eastwood as Jed Cooper, a man wrongfully accused of cattle rustling and murder. After surviving a lynching, Cooper seeks justice against the vigilantes who attempted to hang him while navigating his role as a lawman. The film explores themes of revenge, justice, and morality in the Old West.
Director Ted Post Release Date July 31, 1968 Studio(s) United Artists , Malpaso Productions , Leonard Freeman Production Writers Leonard Freeman , Mel Goldberg Cast Clint Eastwood , Inger Stevens , Ed Begley , Pat Hingle , Ben Johnson , Charles McGraw , Ruth White , Bruce Dern , Alan Hale Jr. , Arlene Golonka , James Westerfield , Dennis Hopper , L.Q. Jones , Michael O’Sullivan , Joseph Sirola , James MacArthur , Bob Steele Runtime 114 Minutes Main Genre Western Expand
Hang ’em High is a revisionist Western, a sub-genre that sees the film subvert many of the black-and-white traits and elements that form the basis of almost all traditional Westerns. Eastwood plays the steely, resolved Jed Cooper, a man who was moving his cattle before being set on by vigilantes who wrongfully accused him of stealing the herd and who attempt to lynch him as a consequence. Cooper is saved by a passing Lawman, and he sets out to become a U.S. Marshal to bring the gang who attacked him to justice in an incredibly complex and interesting narrative.
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|
The 8 Clint Eastwood Films From The 1960s: |
IMDb Rating: |
|---|---|
|
The Witches (1967) |
5.9/10 |
|
Paint Your Wagon (1969) |
6.6/10 |
|
Coogan’s Bluff (1968) |
6.4/10 |
|
Hang ’em High (1968) |
7.0/10 |
|
Where Eagles Dare (1968) |
7.6/10 |
|
A Fistful of Dollars (1964) |
7.9/10 |
|
For a Few Dollars More (1965) |
8.2/10 |
|
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) |
8.8/10 |
Eastwood is starting to have a command over the screen that few others can rival in his generation, playing the resilient yet vulnerable role to perfection as a man who barely survives death but has the determination to better himself but also seek revenge at the same time. The film explores many major themes, such as the law, justice, and revenge, and Eastwood’s portrayal, alongside the gripping narrative and exquisite cinematography, creates a truly epic piece of Western cinema. Though not as polished as his earlier work in the ‘Dollars Trilogy’ with director Sergio Leone, it’s still an underrated gem in Eastwood’s filmography.
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4 Where Eagles Dare (1968)
As Lt. Morris Schaffer
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14 9.9/10 Where Eagles Dare PGWarActionAdventure
Where Eagles Dare is a gripping action thriller set during World War II, following a group of Allied commandos on a daring mission to rescue an American general held captive in a mountaintop fortress. Battling treacherous weather and enemy forces, the team must navigate deception and betrayal in a high-stakes operation. The film blends intense combat sequences with strategic espionage, delivering a suspenseful and engaging wartime adventure.
Director Brian G. Hutton Release Date March 12, 1969 Writers Alistair MacLean Cast Richard Burton , Clint Eastwood , Mary Ure , Patrick Wymark , Michael Hordern , Donald Houston , Peter Barkworth , William Squire , Robert Beatty , Brook Williams , Neil McCarthy , Vincent Ball , Anton Diffring , Ferdy Mayne , Derren Nesbitt , Victor Beaumont , Ingrid Pitt Runtime 155 Minutes Main Genre War Expand
Brian G. Hutton’s Where Eagles Dare is an adventure war story that sees Eastwood, Richard Burton, and Mary Ure all feature in iconic starring roles. The film’s plot follows a special operations division of the Allied soldiers who must save an American General from a fictional Nazi fortress in a high-stakes, cant-afford-to-fail mission. Eastwood and Burton shine as Major Smith and Lieutenant Schaffer, respectively, in a gripping narrative that twists and turns throughout the runtime in a mission that is anything but straightforward.
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This is a film that shows Eastwood can utilize his more understated traits to provide a brilliant supporting role to Burton’s more domineering performance to create an excellent balance between the two. Where Eagles Dare might be one of Eastwood’s most underrated films, but with a fantastic story, elaborate visuals, and subtle portrayal of what could be a genuine mission, it is really excellently put together. The twists throughout the runtime add a current of underlying suspense with action sequences that interweave at just the right moments.
3 A Fistful Of Dollars (1964)
As ‘The Man With No Name’
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A Fistful of Dollars pg-13WesternDrama
A Fistful of Dollars is a spaghetti Western film from director Sergio Leone starring Clint Eastwood. A Fistful of Dollars is notable for being Clint Eastwood’s big break in Hollywood and also for being the beginning of the “Dollars Trilogy.” The film was followed by For a Few Dollars More in 1965 and The Good, The Bad and the Ugly in 1966.
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*Availability in US Director Sergio Leone , Monte Hellman Release Date January 18, 1964 Studio(s) United Artists Distributor(s) United Artists Writers Ryûzô Kikushima , Akira Kurosawa , A. Bonzzoni , Víctor Andrés Catena , Sergio Leone , Jaime Comas Gil Cast Clint Eastwood , Marianne Koch , Gian Maria Volonte , Wolfgang Lukschy , Sieghardt Rupp , Joseph Egger Runtime 99minutes Expand
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In this 1964 spaghetti Western (a subgenre of Western film produced in Italy), Eastwood gets his first major break in the leading role as his iconic character ‘The Man with No Name’. He plays the infamous antihero gunslinger who instigates a feud between two families of smugglers in order to pit them against each other so he can benefit from the ensuing mayhem. This is often described as one of the films that really made the Spaghetti Western genre stand out and become critically acclaimed for producing some of the best movies of the time.
Related 10 Best Characters From Sergio Leone’s Spaghetti Westerns
From the Man with No Name to Once Upon a Time in the West’s Frank, Sergio Leone gave us some of the western genre’s greatest villains and antiheroes.
Widely regarded as one of Eastwood’s best films, it is the first of three collaborations with stellar Western director Sergio Leone that form ‘The Dollars Trilogy’. These films feature many of the same creators, actors, characters, and themes while not technically being a legitimate trilogy, with A Fistful of Dollars laying the groundwork for the two films to come, which all helped define the genre as a whole. The film put a unique spin on the traditional Western, with less over-the-top theatrics and stories and more rich visuals, and more intimate character studies.
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2 For A Few Dollars More (1965)
As ‘The Man With No Name’
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For A Few Dollars More RDramaWestern
For A Few Dollars More is a classic Western featuring Clint Eastwood as a bounty hunter forming an uneasy alliance with a rival to capture a ruthless outlaw.
Director Sergio Leone Release Date May 10, 1967 Studio(s) Constantin Film Produktion , PEA , Arturo González Producciones Cinematográficas Distributor(s) United Artists Writers Sergio Leone , Fulvio Morsella , Luciano Vincenzoni Cast Clint Eastwood , Lee Van Cleef , Gian Maria Volonte , Mario Brega , Luigi Pistilli , Klaus Kinski , Aldo Sambrell , Benito Stefanelli , Lorenzo Robledo Runtime 132 minutes Main Genre Western Expand
In the second installment of The Dollars Trilogy, Clint Eastwood reprises one of his most popular roles as ‘The Man with No Name.’ In this film, he must team up with a rugged Colonel (Lee Van Cleef) in order to hunt down a barbaric outlaw on the run and collect the bounty for his capture. The film continues the ideals and traditions of A Fistful of Dollars, beautifully conveying a complex story with rich character development in this standout Western about morality, justice, and rewards.
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Though sometimes the middle film in a trilogy can be overlooked, with it seemingly being a bridge to the first and third installments, as this is not a traditional three-act structure, it stands alone as a fantastic film. Eastwood and Van Cleef are exceptional together, showing camaraderie and tension within their partnership, and Ennio Morricone’s score blends every element of the film together before composing his Magnum Opus in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. If the first film was Eastwood’s breakthrough, then this next role solidified him as an all-time acting great.
1 The Good, The Bad And The Ugly (1966)
As ‘The Man With No Name’
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The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Western
In the United States, a mysterious gunfighter tries to work together with a bandit and a bounty hunter to find a hidden treasure. The men are forced to forge a difficult alliance as each knows only part of the location. The big problem is that none of them has any intention of sharing the wealth once they’ve found it.
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*Availability in US Director Sergio Leone Release Date December 29, 1967 Cast Clint Eastwood , Eli Wallach , Lee Van Cleef , Aldo Giuffrè , Luigi Pistilli Runtime 161 minutes Main Genre Western
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In a film that scarcely needs an introduction, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is the pinnacle of Spaghetti Westerns, starring Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, and Lee Van Cleef as the three titular gunslingers. The trio form a begrudging partnership in order to carry out a number of violent and intricate plots that also involves finding a mass of buried gold in the desert. In Eastwood’s most iconic performance, the three all come together to create a masterpiece of cinema.
Without a doubt, it is Clint Eastwood’s best film of the 1960s, and it most likely is the best film of his career. Every superlative compliment you can bestow on his performance is well deserved; in a role that feels like he was destined to play, his performance as the talented, quiet, and charismatic mysterious outlaw is one for the ages. From his chemistry with his co-leads, the masterful direction by Leone or Morricone’s poignant score or the stunning cinematography, every aspect leads to one thing; the creation of one of the best Westerns of all time.
Clint Eastwood
Discover the latest news and filmography for Clint Eastwood, known for Dirty Harry and Unforgiven.
Birthdate May 31, 1930 Birthplace San Francisco, California, USA Notable Projects Gran Torino , Million Dollar Baby , The Good Professions Actor , Director , Producer , Composer
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