American Rebel: The Life of Clint Eastwood

by Marc Eliot

As an actor, he seduced us with his tough-guy charm in A Fistful of Dollars and Dirty Harry. As a director and a producer, he amazed us with his artistic insight and technical savvy in Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby, and Changeling. Clint Eastwood represents the finest cinematic achievements of the last decades, and he remains one of film's greatest living legends.

In American Rebel, Marc Eliot examines the ever-exciting, often tumultuous arc of Eastwood's life and career, from his days as a disaffected college dropout, to his rise to fame as the archetypal loner, to his acceptance into the pantheon of the Academy as a multiple Oscar Award winner. But this unauthorized biography is as much about Eastwood's personal life as his public work, and unlike past biographers, Eliot explores Eastwood's complex relationship between his life and his art with an unflinching look at his failures and his successes.

The most complete and up-to-date Eastwood biography yet, American Rebel is a must-have for Eastwood fans and anyone who loves movies.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Film, Biography Memoir, Audiobook, History, Media Tie In

Audiobook

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Sean O'Hara · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a breezy, shallow biography with little in the way of insight or original research.

Discussion of Eastwood's films is virtually non-existent -- Eliot gives a small plot synopsis and a rundown of pre-production, followed by a summary of critical reviews that seems to be gleaned from Rotten Tomatoes. There's hardly any discussion of filming, unless you count rumors about which co-star Eastwood was boffing, and he doesn't seem to've interviewed Eastwood's co-stars, even though most are still alive, relying instead upon already published material. Want to know about the difficulties of filming Kelly's Heroes in Yugoslavia? Not in here. How about behind-the-scenes stories about Hackman, Freeman and Clint on the set of Unforgiven? Nope. Details on the filming of the Dollars trilogy? Again, only info on pre-production and reception. Nor does Eliot offer any detailed analysis of Eastwood's films beyond the trite and obvious -- does anyone need to be told that Eastwood likes terse loners?

Eliot focuses a good part of the book on Eastwood's personal life, and although we hear about his many affairs and bastards, we never get any idea of Eastwood as a parent -- how did his children turn out, how much of a role did he have in their lives. If you're going to examine the man's whole life, examine the whole thing, not just the salacious details.

In the afterword, Eliot takes to task Eastwood's other biographers, Schickel and McGilligan, the first for being too kiss-ass and the other for being overly catty, but for all their faults they turned out books with original insights (books upon which Eliot relied for his own book), not just lazy rehashings of other people's research.

[J.P. Willson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think everyone has been asked the question, "If you could meet someone famous whom would it be?" Although there are many people on my list, Clint Eastwood has always been way up near the top.
Ever since I can remember anything about movies and movie stars I guess, yet I never really considered Clint Eastwood to be in the category of "movie star." I'm not sure why but after reading this book he certainly has earned his just rewards it would seem.
To me he just seemed like this normal everyday guy that was a so so actor, couldn't sing worth a damn, (watch Bronco Billy if you don't believe me), was better friends with an orangutan than with most people, but just seemed like he would be fun to hang out with, hoist a few cold ones with or listen to some jazz. He is also a hell of a pianist for those of you unaware...
I knew he had made a fair amount of movies and had also directed some very well received flics. Yet as with anyone it would seem, there is a hell of a lot of things I was both unaware of and quite honestly, surprised to read about in this compilation of all things Eastwood.
Although one could consider the term "rebel" fitting simply from his movie personas, there is a much deeper meaning to the term used in the title here. I shall not spoil it for the avid Clint fans.
That being said, it is an enjoyable read with many "trysts" shall I dare say, along the way...
Definitely worth a look for any fan.

[Sean Peters (A Good Thriller) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A full, long life and career and the author Marc Eliot have covered so much with an enormous amount of research, this author is a film fan as well, you can tell.

As a Hollywood icon, Clint Eastwood--one of film's greatest living legends--represents some of the finest cinematic achievements in the history of American cinema. Eliot writes with unflinching honesty about Eastwood's highs and lows, his artistic successes and failures, and the fascinating, complex relationship between his life and his craft. Eliot's prodigious research reveals how a college dropout and unambitious playboy rose to fame as Hollywood's sexy rebel, eventually and against all odds becoming a star in the Academy pantheon as a multiple Oscar winner. Spanning decades, American Rebel covers the best of Eastwood's oeuvre, films that have fast become American classics: Fistful of Dollars, Dirty Harry, Unforgiven, Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby, and Gran Torino.

Filled with remarkable insights into Eastwood's personal life and public work, American Rebel is highly entertaining and the most complete biography of one of Hollywood's truly respected and beloved stars--an actor who, despite being the Man with No Name, has left his indelible mark on the world of motion pictures.

It must be noted the difference between reading a biography and an autobiography, which shows strongly in the book, great information on every film, information on his relationships, but not to many discussions on co-stars, charges through very well on his career, but lots of his personnel stories are lacking. Just a fact with an biography.

Great to update this book, so Clint went on to act in 2012 Trouble With Curve, 2018 The Mule, 2021 Cry Macho and directed 2014 American Sniper.

A good four stars due to well researched, well documented facts.

[Kellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

My family and I are big Clint Eastwood fans. My son and husband love the Dirty Harry and spaghetti western movies. I have seen several movies that have had Clint as an actor and or director and loved them.
So, I decided to read this biography about him to learn more.
I didn’t know what a womanizer he was! This doesn’t change my feelings about him as an actor/director, but I have to say, I was surprised. He has fathered at least 7 children and was not necessarily married to the mother of any of them. He’s only been married 2X, but I think there are at least 4 different mothers. A typical Hollywood story.
The author does a very good job describing all of the big series and movies Clint has either acted/directed or produced. I did find the Sondra Locke aspect very interesting. I never thought she was a really good actress. I don’t think Hollywood did either. I think her career as an actress was solely influenced by Clint. After they split, she didn’t have Clint to help her get roles. And I think that’s why she was so hell bent on suing Clint. She had no other source of income.
The author knows a lot about Clint’s movies and does a good job revealing Clint’s ups and downs.
I was interested in this book because of who it’s about. I felt the info was a bit tedious and boring at times. However, there were sections, especially towards the end, that peaked my interest and kept me reading a good while.
I am glad I read this and I think it’s worth the read for any Eastwood fan.

[Martijn Pollmann · Rating 2 out of 5]

In this bio, one thing is made abundantly clear, up until the age of 65 Mr. Eastwood humped everything with a heartbeat. Which makes him sound less like a rebel and more like Paris Hilton. It is interesting how he didn’t care much for the Hollywood establishment and did whatever he wanted in his career. If you have Clint on a high pedestal and regard him as legend though, don’t read this.
On the bio itself, too much gossip and the writer is in love with his subject, turning everything that he’s ever done into a masterpiece.

[Jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second biographical book about Clint Eastwood that I have read. This book has sat on my bookshelf for a decade and I am finally reading it. I started to read it, out it down for 3 weeks twice due to havng too many other books to read. I am fortunate to read it now as I approach my 60s. There is a greater appreciation for Eastwood, the older but still an active and productive film artist.

The author writes in a fluid and clear manner. I can pages and pages without realizing how much I had read in one sitting. He states that this book is " an examination of the man (Clint Eastwood), the man he is and the artist he became..." This persona is seen through his films, life, and thoughts. From a man who could not show expression, Eastwood honed acting skills and became a student of film-making. I enjoyed this book because of the style and depth of an actor who became a producer, writer, and director at a high level. Eastwood is man for the ages as well as one from a time past. His 1953 marriage to Maggie Johnson, a model could not deter from his many affairs. This penchant is laid out honestly throughout the book.

Starting from his days as a young contract-actor, Eastwwod went from bit film parts and attending the UTS, the the Universal (studio) Talent School to being a good secondary role actor. His first major role was as Rowdy Yates in "Rawhide," a tv show that ran seven seasonsallowed him to cut his 'acting teeth.' Acting aside, Eastwood's extra-marital affairs produced a pregnancy and the birth of his first child. Still, Eastwwood remained tight-lipped about his sexual passions. There is a lot of chance and claculated professional chances sych as when Eastwood as a seocndary character,
Rowdy Yates became so popular that he was offered a starring role in an Italian-made western, "Fistful of Dollars" in 1964. Having formed the film persona as 'the man-with-no-name." With his tv days behind, he began making films. His subsequent sequel to his first major film, "For A Few Dollars More"(1965) cemented his film career future. The final film in the trilogy, "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" (1967) paved the way for his Hollywwod and international film career. One gets the impression that Eastwood learned about film-making during his tv and Italian western film days. By 1969, his three Italian-made westerns were released in the US and Eastwood starred in his first starring role American film, "Hang'Em High" (1968). Eastwood, the international star was born. Throughout the next 3-4 years, Eastwood started his own film production company, Malpaso, developed a close connection with director Don Siegel, sought out scripts, and film roles which established his persona, and his style of acting. By 1971, with several hits and some misses, "Paint Your Wagon" and "The Beguiled," Eastwood was about to begin his best film period as he entered his 40s.

I got the clear impression that Clint Eastwood incorporated his rebelleious spirit, his love of women, his new health-conscious lifestyle, and his view of manhood, into his films and his production company. The 1970s and 1980s were the golden years for the actor. As a director, he instituted his belief in staying under budget, filming in one take, and remaining true to his artistic vision. After directing his first film, "Play Misy For Me," in which he starred, he made his first film "Dirty Harry" for Warner Brothers, four more sequels would follow. The movie (and series) saved the studio, expanded Eastwood's star power, and would establish a professional film career that would span 50 years with Warner Brothers. In spite of being considered one of the three top action heroes of the 1970s, (the other two were Burt Reynolds and Charles Bronson) Eastwood was uncomfortable with the anti-hero label. Through the Dirty Harry movies, westerns (Two Mules For Sister Sara, Joe Kidd, High Plains Drifter, The Outlaw Josey Wales, and Pale Rider), actioneers (Kelly's Heroes, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, The Eiger Sanction, The Gauntlet, Escape From Alcatraz), comedies (Every Which Way But Loose and Any Which Way You Can), and other movies (Tightrope, Bronco Billy, Honky Tonk Man, City Heat, Firefox, Heartbreak Ridge, and Pink Cadillac), Eastwood cemented his place as the top male film star by 1989. In the early-1970s, he met and began an affair with married actress, Sondra Locke. The affair eventually ended his and Maggie's 31-year marriage (which produced two children) in 1984. The stoic lone wolf, Eastwood was primed for more success primarily as a film-maker while embracing his 'unwanted' film persona when necessary. His long affair with Locke took a sour turn when Eastwood pushed her to abort her two pregnancies within children. After 11+ years, Locke starred in two films, directing one, "Rat Boy" and breaking away from Eastwood in 1986. Their relationship ended up with a messy break-up in 1988. Eastwood also moved on emotionally and sexually, having an affair with an actrress, Jane Brolin who became obsessive and then Jacelyn Reeves who became pregnant and had his child (his fourth). In 1986, he was elected the mayor of his hometown, Carmel as a result of a desire to 'straighten' out the city and remove age-old beaureacracy. He served his tw0-year term and made improvements on the town's government, projects, ecological programs & initiatives and business pracitices.

The author is quite forthright about what drove Eastwood and what irritated him. Although Eastwood had produced and directed critically-aclaimed films like "High Plains Drifter," "Escape From Alcatraz," "Pale Rider," and "Heartbreak Ridge," the 60-year old actor-turned director/producer/composer entered the 1990s with some bitterness. He had always been a rebel but he was also an artist who knew that respect and acclaim are the brass ring. He had been denied the level of respect he felt he deserved, especially from the Academy at Oscar time. He had directed himself eleven times and directed another film, 'Breezy' (that did not star him) and knew his lead actor days, were coming to an end as he turned 60. In 1990, Eastwood began a relationship with actress, Francer Fisher further angering Sondra Locke who had never divorced from her gay husband, Gordon Anderson. Gordon was living in an Eastwood home and Locke in another. She, in turn field a $70M palimony suit against Eastwwod. Later, when her film projects with Warner Brothers stalled, she filed a lawsuit against the studio (and Eastwood) whom she claims stopped her film career.

Professionally, the 1990s and 2000s would bring great change to Eastwood's life and career. The author is clear that Eastwood followed his own band in his life and career. He loved jazz, women, westerns, America, exercise, a fast & easy living, and men who were rebels and manly. All of these were evident in his films of the 1990s. Starting in 1990, Clint began a series of films which were slightly biographical: "Bird," "White Huner Black Heart," and "The Rookie." Eastwood was hard at work bring a script for Unforgiven, a western which would wrap up his western movie career. He stacked the deck with a stellar cast that inlcuded himself, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, Richard Harris, Saul Rubinek, and Frances Fisher. "Unforgiven" was an ode to both, "Shane" and "Pale Rider" with dedications to both, Don Giegel and Sergio Leone in the closing credits. The critically-acclaimed film resurrected Eastwood's career and had his film being considered for the Oscars. The fim would win for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Hackman) and Best Editing. The eyar after his Oscar redemption, Eastwood starred opposite Rene Russo and John Malkovich in Wolfgang Peterson's mega-hit, "In The Line of Fire." Eastwood was on top of the world, professionalyl but his lawsuit with Locke was still to be settled. The birth oof his sixth child, one with actress, Frances Fisher in 1993 ended the best year of Eastwood's adult lfie. But, Eastwood who lived a fast and easy life wanted to put an end to lawsuit battles with Locke but she was out for money and revenge. He settled out of court with her for an undisclosed amount in 1996, finally ending his connection with Locke. Sadly, Locke comes across as a spiteful and frustrated woman who ignored Eastwood's character and attiude.

In early-1993, Eastwood would meet his future and second wife, Dina Ruiz, a local reporter who interviewed him. For the next few years, they would run into each other and a relationship was growing. Eastwood's return to directing in 1993 on his film, "A Perfect World" which he directed and co-satrring Kevin Costner continued his run of highly-accalimed and successful films' "The Bridges of Madison County" with Meryl Streep; and "Absolute Power" with Gene Hackman, Ed Harris, Scott Glenn, Judy Davis, and E.G. Marshall. He was honored with the Irving G. Thallberg Lifetime Memorail Award at the 1995 Oscars and married later 30-year old Dina Ruiz later that year. Their first child was born in 1996. Unfortunately, Eastwood ended the decade and century with two major film flops which he directed, "Midnight In The Garden of Good and Evil" which starred Kevin Spacey, John Cusack, Jude Law, and Kim Hunter, and "True Crime." Now 70, Eastwood was unsure of his film future as he filmed "Space Cowboys" in late-1999. Like many older men, Eastwood took stock of himself. The author delves into his psyche during this period. Age was creeign in but he remained energetic and driven.

"Space Cowboys," a light comedy starring Eastwood, Tommy lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, and James Garner was about aging men going into space for one last mission found a huge audience and Eastwood was back on top at 70. After his next film, "Blood Work" flopped, Eastwood turned his full energy to directing. "Mystic River" (2003) was a dark, hypnotic, and brooding crime drama that starred Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon, Tim Robbins, Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden,and Emmy Rossum which was highly acclaimed. It was nominated for six Oscars, winning for Best Actor (Penn), and Best Supporting Actor (Robbins). Eastwood followed up with "Million Dollar Baby" (2004) with himself, Hillary Swank and Morgan Freeman. Nominated for five Oscars, winning for Best Director (Eastwood) - second Oscar for directing, Best Actress (Swank), and Best Supporting Actor (Freeman). In 2006, Eastwood directed two critically-acclaimed films, "Flags Of Our Fathers" and "Letter from Iwo Jima" Both films had a strong anti-war theme and treasured by Eastwood, who directed both. Although Eastwood was again nominated as Best Director for "Flags Of Our Fathers", he lost. His last two films of the decade were "The Changeling" (2008) starred Angelina Jolie and directed by Eastwood and "Gran Torino" (2008) which starred Eastwood in a touching role.

The book ends in 2010 when Eastwood was working on directing two films, "Invictus" and "J. Edgar" which went onto to be well-received. The author labels Eastwood an 'auteur' (an artist) and a flawed man. He was a pasioante man who has an incredible legacy of strong films. I enjoyed this frank biography and understood the man better.

[Paul Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marc Eliot's actor biographies concentrate on the films and throw in a bit of personal flotsam to make them feel like real biographies. He is a bit opinionated and those personal beliefs really throw any attempt at impartiality out the window. In other words, these are fluff pieces written by someone taking a side.

As for Clint Eastwood himself, I was a bit surprised at just how much he used and mistreated women during his life. If that is a good thing to learn from a biography, then I have to say that Eliot succeeds. However, his opinions, especially concerning the quality of certain films or the acting in those films, leaves much to be desired. There is no question, Clint Eastwood is a Hollywood icon with a few movies that cross over the line from good to great, but I personally find it hard to sit through very many of his movies.

This book is recommended as a decent overview of Eastwood's career and provides at least some insight into his character.

[Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I reminded myself why I usually only read autobiographies rather than biographies. I like the first hand facts straight from the source. I reluctantly started this book plowing though the dense flowery prose at the beginning but staying with it since I’m a big Eastwood fan. To my surprise I started enjoying the book and the excitement kept building especially when it got to Dirty Harry, one of my favorite CE films. This carried in into his other great movies and kept me interested even into the Sondra Locke years. (The movies with her are not my favorites especially the over the top The Gauntlet which I say at the theater when it opened, and I hated it. I also hated the comedy orangutan movies.)
All in all it was a very good read and I recommend it. The book came out in 2009 so ends with Gran Torino.

[B. R. Reed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clint Eastwood is an American icon and I've loved the guy and his movies since the early 70s and Dirty Harry. This is a well done book and I found it very useful as a guide for all his movies and a good outline for his personal life. Clint is now 87 yrs old. Hard to believe. He has been tremendously active as both an actor and a director for 50-60 yrs. I might also add, very successful. I think what you see is what you get. I really think he's more libertarian than republican. His political philosophy is pretty much that people should mind their own business. The book has info re. his wives, girlfriends, set locations, his relationship with other actors, Hollywood politics, etc. There seemed to be a bit too much reliance on Sondra Locke and her book. Clint is a California boy, born and raised, and he has made the the Monterrey Peninsula his home for many decades. If you are interested in the life and times of Clint Eastwood then I think you might enjoy this book. Clint did not participate in the writing of this book. I picked it up for a $1 and enjoyed it. Some of my favorite Eastwood movies are Coogan's Bluff, The Eiger Sanction, The Outlaw Josey Wales, High Plains Drifter, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, Play Misty for Me, Unforgiven and others I'm forgetting. Good job Clint. Thanks for some great movie memories.

[Dani · Rating 2 out of 5]

I get the impression that this author didn’t like Mr Eastwood very much. It tended to dwell on the scandalous parts more than being a true biography.

[Ed · Rating 5 out of 5]

They say never meet your heroes and I'm wondering if I should extend that to reading about them too. The author totally nails covering Eastwood's childhood by not deep diving into his GPA and cracking the hell on with it. This is where most biographies really wither but not here. Not only does the author demystify one of the most mythic figures in movies of the last 60 years, he paints a human portrait. The stinger is that portrait is also deeply unflattering on mostly personal but a little professionally as well. I never thought the Woody Allen and Jack Nicholson books would have less dirt than Eastwood but they do. That aside, every Eastwood movie (up to 2009) is covered and the behind the scenes is fascinating to a movie. In short this is what most biographies can't be: a page turner.

[Joy H.]

Added July 13, 2018. (first published January 1st 2009)
Narrated by author: Marc Eliot
Didn't hold my interest. Quit July 14, 2018.

[William Wren · Rating 2 out of 5]

While any biography is going to be interpretative, American Rebel: The Life of Clint Eastwood feels less interpretative than peppered with a lot of personal opinion. Particularly in the latter half, it continually weaves from a paint-by-numbers recounting of events to a kind of cranky blogger’s ranting.

They aren’t particularly distinctive rants either; they’re fashionable opinions about Hollywood, celebrities and so on. It’s gossip magazine stuff; Perez Hilton with a better facility with language.

While it contains these run-of-the-mill dismissive opinions on things like the Academy Awards and certain Hollywood stars, it fails to contain any depth of analysis of Clint Eastwood as a filmmaker – actor, director, producer.

Does the life inform the work? Is there an artistic vision informing the movies and does it affect the life lived?

There are hints in the book but no real substance. It often appears to start down the road of that kind of analysis but quickly gets sidetracked by the opportunity to make another snarky comment.

The first half or so of the book is much better where it seems to rely more on available factual information than the opinions and anecdotes of others. It presents an Eastwood who begins largely directionless and callow — not surprising for a young man.

He gets into the world of movies as the path of least resistance, more or less. But as he continues to work he experiences a growing dissatisfaction with the types of roles he’s restricted to and is often impatient with the working habits of some directors. He absorbs information on the sets he works on and starts finding focus, becoming increasingly serious about this career he finds himself in.

It’s not clear, however, where or what or why his artistic vision emerges and the book doesn’t help in this regard. The biography we’re given runs on two tracks: the personal life and the career but you don’t get a very distinct sense of how or where they intersect and inform one another.

To be fair to Eliot and his book, Clint Eastwood is famous for saying little and, when he does speak, saying next to nothing. He is a kind of poster child for reticence. He speaks strictly through his films.

Unfortunately, this book relies largely on conjecture that appears based on the summations of others and gossip. It’s a quick, slight read that mirrors its subject quite well in that it reveals little.

[Maggieh]

This book is a fraud. Riddled with so many errors on simple easy-to-check details ---- like which actor played which part, what the main character's job is, who dies, the nominations/awards list is incomplete, although the book claims to be the "only complete" bio of its subject. But it also has 2 major errors: the well-known catchphrase "Do ya feel lucky? Well, do ya?" is given as "Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya? which makes no sense; also, text has Eastwood losing a best-actor Oscar for 2008 for which he was not nominates ---- probably because he didn't act in the film. I don't like gotcha letters, but this book deserves every bit of condemnation readers can throw at it.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Initially I thought that a biography of a living figure done without his cooperation would be different or interesting but lack meat. This is not the case. It's a very even-handed and compelling book about the man. It's not hagiography, it's not judgmental. It just tells it like it is. Now I don't think a book this good could have been written with the collaboration of the subject. Eastwood is more than a rebel, he's his own man.

[Adriene · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty shallow read. Marc Eliot reveals nothing new as the book reads like a wikipedia page. Small details on Clint Eastwood's films and very little insight. If you are looking for an in depth biography than this isn't it. However, if you are looking for a book that basically gives you the summaries off the back of dvd cases and petty gossip on who Clint was sleeping with at the time than this book is it.

[Brenden Gallagher · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is difficult to write the definitive biography of a person while they are still alive. While there is much to admire about Marc Eliot's "American Rebel: The Life of Clint Eastwood," the book demonstrates exactly why chronicling a person's life is difficult without the complete benefit of hindsight.

Eliot calls himself a "revisionist" film historian and that very much the case. His project with this book is to assert that while often dismissed by his contemporaries -- especially earlier in his career -- Clint Eastwood is and was an auteur from his appearances in Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy onward. Eliot makes a compelling case for his argument by offering granular details about all of his films as a director and most of his films as an actor, from development through reception. If you work in the film and television industry, Eliot's summation of how Eastwood grew his brand, started his production company (Malpasso), and managed an almost unequaled non-stop film output over the course of over five decades, this book is worth your time. Eliot correctly asserts that Eastwood is one of the most important figures in recent Hollywood history and he does so with quite a body of evidence.

However, sometimes Eliot's project gets in the way of his own writing. It is reasonable to write an apologia for Eastwood, and Eliot makes a worthy attempt here. But, there are times that Eliot's apologetics give him license to gloss over some very important aspects of Clint's life and work, leaving them unexamined. For example, I suspect future historians and critics will cast a more discerning eye on the role of women and people of color in his work and in his life. Eliot often seems eager to get through any unsavory details of Clint's personal life, too often falling back on the fact that Eastwood himself is very private, and a definitive biography would probably dig a little deeper. All the gossip is there, but it is generally presented absent analysis and sometimes even full context.

Nonetheless, Eliot accomplishes what he set out to do with "American Rebel," and the 2/3 or so of the book specifically concerned with how and why Eastwood made each of his films is invaluable. While this is not a text that itself will endure for generations, it will go a long way in reframing how the world understands the works of this film legend.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember watching Rawhide. I remember so many of Clint’s early movies. I always thought he was a great actor. His respect for women is lacking. His love for his children is questionable. Research it yourself.

I also remember when he and Maggie split up and he and Sondra Locke started living together, the movies they made and now I know what a serial adulterer he was. We don’t know how many children Clint actually has but we do know for sure that he has 8 by 6 different women. If he hadn’t convinced Sondra into having 2 abortions, he would have had 10 children at the least.

Sondra develop breast cancer and when all was said and done, she died of the disease and bone cancer. This was November 3rd, 2018. Today is Nov. 3rd. I know she had a double mastectomy in the beginning. She died at age 74. Clint treated her terribly as he did the other women he had relationships with. I do not respect him as a man or a father.

I remember when he married Dina. They parted in 2014 and Clint was with another woman for 10 years. She died 10 years later of a heart attack. She was 60. She died this year, 2024. Clint is 94 years old, born May 31, 1930. It is said that his first child was born when he was in high school and she was adopted.

He made The Mule in 2018 and Cry Macho in 2021. That was the last movie he acted in. Clint had a hard time walking and it was clear his acting career was over.

I hope he comes to know the Lord and will spend eternity in Heaven. I truly do. He has entertained us in this life in a powerful way and I enjoyed the book. Love you Clint. The best to you and yours!! Cathy R

[Brian J · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well crafted, interesting, and detail-oriented biography of iconic filmmaker Clint Eastwood, beginning with his early days and his time as a contract studio player, and following his journey through the ups and down of his legendary Hollywood career. There's also a nice balance between his professional and personal life, as the author cites beats not only from his films, but from Clint's many romantic affairs and endless womanizing. I'm a pretty solid fan of the actor/director, but this book offered a lot of new information, and spends time addressing each of his films, which is usually what I want to hear about. Highly recommended to fans of Eastwood and fans of Hollywood biographies. I hope to someday read a memoir from Clint, like how Burt did with But Enough About Me, but if that never comes, American Rebel is a solid story.

[Joe · Rating 1 out of 5]

I started reading this clown's book and had to stop as he's just a complete hack. He's so woke, he never sleeps. He's boring, lazy, ignorant, incompetent, and really should be writing for tabloids like the National Enquirer or NY Times, oh wait, he did work at NYT, ooooh. I'll find another book on Clint, if he didn't ruin it for me. Looked at his Walt Disney book hoping to learn about the amazing things Walt did, and what does Bozo Eliot focus on, everything wrong about Walt. I burned that piece of fire starter. I've started Sony Boy by Al Pacino, he's an ultra author, and 30x more interesting than Bozo Marc, more insightful, and could write better books than a hack that's been an imposter for decades.

[Koren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to say I am not really a Clint Eastwood fan. I just thought this book looked interesting. I think if I had this guy on a pedestal he would have fallen off. He might be a likeable guy in the movies but in real life I didn't find him to be very likeable and thought he was a bit of a jerk. The book is at its best when it is talking about his personal life but there is just too much detail about each individual movie. I think if you are a big Clint fan you might like this if you didn't know much about him but the book is a little text-bookish to be of interest if you have just a passing interest.

[Scott Vout · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to give this book a 3.5 but of course GoodReads wont let you do that.

I must say, I absolutely loved most of his movies but the man is a bit of an asshole.

This book opened my eyes to the offscreen side of the man. Many a tale of his womanizing and grudge holding. I had no idea he was like this.

His movies for the most part are great. He personified the Cowboy legend. He was a true Hollywood tough guy on screen. Off screen he treated women horribly. He was a bully and always had to have his way. I guess he also personified the "man" of his generation as well.

Very enjoyable book if you are an Eastwood fan. Gave me a new perspective on the man as a human being.

[Ragne Rämmal-Orason · Rating 2 out of 5]

Näitlejana lummab ta vaatajat oma "kõva mehe" sarmiga, režissöörina hämmastab kunstilise nõtkuse ja tehnilise üksikasjalikkusega. Hollywoodi ikoonina on Clint Eastwood üks suuremaid elavaid kinolegende. Tuntud filmiajakirjanik Marc Eliot uurib oma tuntud põhjalikkuses Eastwoodi põnevat ja tormilist karjääri, vaadeldes ühesuguse põhjalikkusega nii tema õnnestumisi kui läbikukkumisi, unustamata seejuures ka näitleja eraelu. Raamat sisaldab ka rohkesti pilte.

Minu kommentaar: Elulood mulle meeldivad, aga antud juhul on liigselt palju filmide üksikasjaliku sisu ja nende tootmise detailide ümberkirjutamist. Raamat on pühendatud eelkõige filmide analüüsile.

[Art · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this book, I realized I've seen most of the movies Clint Eastwood has starred in over the years. My father loved Dirty Harry and was exceptionally proud when he found out that the first handgun I purchased (many years ago) was a S&W Model 29. In case you are unfamiliar with Dirty Harry, he carries a S&W Model 29.

This new biography does a very good job of covering Eastwood's movie career and his private life. Untangling Eastwood from the characters he has played on the big screen isn't an easy job. I thought I'd throw out some interesting facts and quotes from the book:

Born on May 31, 1930, Clinton Eastwood Jr. weighed a whopping eleven pounds, six ounces. Eastwood would grow to be a lean 6'4."

Health and Exercise: Eastwood exercises and eats right to stay in shape. While working on Where Eagles Dare, Eastwood closely observed Richard Burton and his problems. Although, at the time, Burton was a bigger star than Eastwood, Burton had become an out-of-shape, financially strapped, self-pitying drunk. Eastwood didn't want that for his future.


Manly Movie Characters: Eastwood is best known for playing no name cowboys, rednecks, and Dirty Harry. Recently my son and I were watching Joe Kidd when my wife breezed through the room, commenting, "I knew this was a Clint Eastwood movie. There's no dialogue, just shooting." Personally, I thought shooting was a type of dialogue. Like Dirty Harry says, "Nothing wrong with shooting as long as the right people get shot!" My favorite Eastwood movie characters: 1) Josey Wales, a Confederate soldier who refuses to surrender at the end of the Civil War 2) Dirty Harry Callahan 3) The Preacher in Pale Rider.

"We live in more of a pussy generation now, where everybody's become used to saying, 'Well, how do we handle it psychologically?' In [the old] days, you just punched the bully back and duked it out. Even if the guy was older and could push you around, at least you were respected for fighting back, and you'd be left alone from then on." --Clint Eastwood


On Acting and Directing in Film: "I think I learned more about direction from Don Siegal than from anybody else...he shoots lean, and he shoots what he wants. He knew when he had it, and he didn't need to cover his ass with a dozen different angles." --Clint Eastwood

As one might gather from the statement above, Eastwood likes to shoot a film quickly. He detests slow, perfectionist directors and actors (i.e. Kevin Costner). Eastwood likes his dialogue to generally be short and to the point.


On his Critics: "People thought I was a right-wing fanatic...all Harry was doing was obeying a higher moral law...people even said I was a racist because I shot a Black bank robber. Well, shit, Blacks rob banks, too. That film gave four Black stuntmen work. Nobody talked about that." --Clint Eastwood


On the Psychology of Women: "There are a million Mr. Perfects. The nice guys come and go, but the Bogarts, the Cagneys, the Gables, John Wayne and up through Mitchum---they're all a bit of...they really could treat women like dirt. I think women like to see other women put down when they're out of line. They have a dream of the guy who won't let them get away with anything... --Clint Eastwood


Politics: For one term, in the mid-'80s, Eastwood served as Carmel, CA's mayor. Because of his paleo-conservative and libertarian leanings, some on the right joked that they'd found Reagan's replacement. However, Eastwood found politics boring and this very private man didn't want the media snooping around in his personal life.

In 2005 Eastwood publicly vowed to kill Michael Moore if the documentarian ever showed up at his home.


Personal Life: Throughout Eastwood's first marriage, which lasted 31 years, there were whisperings that he was not the family man he appeared to be. In fact, throughout much of his life, Eastwood has been a lone-wolf womanizer. Although some women didn't respond to his advances (i.e. Bernadette Peters), many did. Married twice, Eastwood is the father of seven children by five different women.

"People can know him for years and never be sure of what he's thinking. He's one of the warmest people in the world, but there's a certain distance, a certain mystery to him." --Sondra Locke


Sondra Locke: "My feelings [about Sondra Locke] were the normal feelings you have when someone has been planning for many months to assault your children's inheritance." --Clint Eastwood

Eastwood's very public affair with Sondra Locke destroyed his first marriage. The two lived together for about 14 years. Pressured by Eastwood to abort her two pregnancies, Locke realized Eastwood wasn't intending to keep her around forever. When Eastwood told her she needed to move out of one of the homes he owned, Locke dug in her heels and refused to move. After some effort, Eastwood was able to remove Locke and her belongings from the home. Locke responded by suing Eastwood for palimony. She later sued him for fraud. The two would fight it out in court over a number of years before agreeing to a private settlement. It reportedly cost Eastwood several million dollars to get Locke completely out of his life.

I thought this book was well written and enjoyable to read. It's an interesting read about film making, Eastwood's approach to acting and directing, and Eastwood's very private life. I'd definitely recommend.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book, but, as may be inevitable for any book about an actor, a lot of the time, the narrative is just this list of films that Eastwood started and completed, so it gets kind of repetitive. Also, I could have done with some spoiler alerts. I was wanting to read this book as a way to get more interested in Eastwood's work, not because I had already seen all his films and was an expert on Eastwood. I found a lot of films I would like to watch, but I had skip the page or two where Eliot was ruining the film for me.

[IAN SPEIGHT · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are so many "American Rebels" in book titles. Steve Mc Queen, Jack London, Jim Morrison & here we have Clint Eastwood. This isn't really going to be a review, I find it hard to be objective about a guy who has been my favourite Hollywood actor for most of my life. The Book is what it is, There is nothing keen fans of Clint won't already know or heard whispers about. Written over 10 years ago, it could perhaps do with a re-issue to bring it up to date. If you're a fan of Clint or the film industry, you'll Love it. If You're Not, It won't make you change your mind.

[Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

The poor rating has no reflection on Clint Eastwood, but on the Author of this book. There are inaccuracies of information abound (including photos with incorrect captions). Clint Eastwood is no saint, and he was pretty much a rolling stone when it came to women (with eight children by five different women known, and a sixth not disclosed). Yet this book has a mean streak to it. If you are a fan of Eastwood's, and able to separate art from the artist. Then you are best off to watch a film of his rather than read this book.

[Karl O' · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one I listened to on audible. The author, Marc Eliot, unfortunately did the narration himself. His Clint Eastwood voice sounded like a 78 year old woman straining to have an orgasam. Nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn! His Sergio Leone sounded like a SNL parody, even odder for the fact Leone spoke no English - A Mamma Miiiiiiiiia! The book was surprisingly flat and now 12 years dated. I came away not at all liking Clint. I didn’t like much of his stuff post Dirty Harry. Unforgiven always struck me as a TV looking movie shot on a hastily constructed set. Turns out I was right....

[Stacy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Clint Eastwood is one of my favorite actor/director so was looking forward to reading this bio.

I was disappointed for two reasons. One, the information about Eastwood was very artificial and not anything new or anything we haven't read in People or Us magazines. Secondly and most annoying was the effort and amount of writing put into summarizing his movies. As an Eastwood fan and probably to majority of the readers of this book we have seen these movies.

Otherwise it was well written

[Anirudh Mannattil · Rating 1 out of 5]

Eastwood is heavily overrated, and sowed the seeds for several toxic stereotypes that exist even today: two examples being the rise of the "muscular, brave, high-value man" and the "rights of the prostitutes".

Spaghetti westerns might have fetched him fame from all corners of the globe, but he is nothing more than a tiny rebel attempting to villainize the system while being a villain himself. Unlike Stephen King's novels and the relevant film adaptations, Eastwood only understands violence, and he has no sense of good film-making or of respect.