Restless legend: Hollywood icon Clint Eastwood turns 95

Clint Eastwood reacted visibly saddened in February to the news that actor Gene Hackman and his wife were found dead in their home. "There was no better actor than Gene. Intense and instinctive. Never a false note," Eastwood wrote in a statement. "He was also a dear friend whom I will miss deeply."

They were long-time colleagues. Eastwood had cast Hackman in the role of a ruthless sheriff for his directorial work "Unforgiven." His performance won him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1993. Eastwood won two Oscars, for Best Picture and for Best Director.

The two were also connected by their age and reputation as Hollywood legends. Hackman turned 95 in January, and Eastwood celebrates his 95th birthday this Saturday (May 31). But while Hackman retired at just under 75, Eastwood continues tirelessly.

Last year, he brought his 40th directorial work to the screen with the gripping legal drama "Juror #2." In this courtroom thriller, Brit Nicholas Hoult plays a juror in a murder trial who realizes he may be responsible for the victim's death. He must decide whether to turn himself in or convict an innocent man as a juror. Eastwood garnered excellent reviews for this subtly staged drama.

But it was also a year with a painful loss. Last July, Eastwood's longtime girlfriend Christina Sandera suffered a fatal heart attack at the age of 61. His father was "a survivor, an old hand," said Eastwood's son Scott (39) in January, according to People magazine, when asked how he was dealing with the loss. He himself learned from his father: "You don't complain. You don't whine. You just do it." Scott says he was born right after the Great Depression and was young during World War II, describing his father's difficult youth.

Eastwood was born in San Francisco in 1930, and his family moved frequently. He held many jobs, including being a swimming instructor in the military. The athletic giant's unprecedented Hollywood career began in 1959 as a cowboy in the western series "Rawhide." He then made a splash as a ruthless avenger in Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns "A Fistful of Dollars," "For a Few Dollars More," and "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," and as a tough cop ("Dirty Harry").

After many action roles, mostly as a taciturn hero, Eastwood revealed a more sensitive and complex side as an actor and director in the 1990s. In the melancholic romance "The Bridges of Madison County," he played the lover of a lonely wife, played by Meryl Streep. Eastwood also produced and directed the film.

With the Western epic "Unforgiven" (1993) and the boxing and euthanasia drama "Million Dollar Baby" (2005), he finally achieved the highest honors in Hollywood at the age of over 60. He won his four Oscars as a producer and director for these two works.

Eastwood produces quickly and inexpensively. He shot "Million Dollar Baby" in 37 days on a budget of just $30 million. "I'm lucky I'm still working," the multi-talented actor said on Oscar night in 2005, thanking everyone for his double win.

Since then, he has presented a new directorial work almost every year, including the war dramas "Letters From Iwo Jima" and "Flags of our Fathers," the political film "Invictus," the sniper drama "American Sniper," and "Sully," starring Tom Hanks as pilot Chesley Sullenberger, who made a spectacular emergency landing in 2009. He also played the lead role of an elderly drug courier in the drug thriller "The Mule."

"The Richard Jewell Affair" centered on the bombing at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. As an actor, he most recently played an old rodeo rider tasked with bringing a boy back from Mexico to Texas in "Cry Macho" (2021). Eastwood also directed the film.

The star lives far from Hollywood, in the Northern California coastal town of Carmel, where he also served as mayor in the 1980s. He traditionally supports the Republican Party. In 2016, he supported Donald Trump for US President, but later criticized him.

Nothing was announced in advance about possible plans to celebrate his 95th birthday, and his management did not respond to a request from the German Press Agency (dpa). Eastwood had already rejected the idea of ​​celebrating his 90th birthday.

"I don't think about it," the Oscar winner stammered on Ellen DeGeneres' talk show a few months earlier. However, the host was able to elicit a comment about age from Eastwood during the interview. As a young boy, he spent a lot of time with his grandfather, who was over 90 years old, and thought, "Jesus, who the hell wants to live that long?" the graying screen star explained.

Now twice divorced, Eastwood is a father of eight children with six partners and is himself a grandfather several times over. His eldest daughter is 71, his youngest 28. When Eastwood celebrated the premiere of his film "The Mule" in 2018, he brought his sons Scott and Kyle, daughter Alison, ex-wife Maggie Johnson, a granddaughter, and his girlfriend to the reception in Los Angeles.

Several of his children have followed him into the field. His youngest son, Scott (39), has appeared in films such as "Fast & Furious 10," "Pacific Rim: Uprising," and "The Last Supper." Francesca (31) had a role in "Juror #2." Son Kyle (56), a musician, has jazzed up compositions from his famous father's films.

RND/dpa