As a star, Clint Eastwood is recalled primarily for two early roles--the -Man With No Name- of three European-made Westerns and -Dirty- Harry Callahan, the uncompromising cop who spoke softly and carried a big gun in five movies. But like few other stars, Eastwood has shaped his own career by appearing almost exclusively in films he produced or co-produced, frequently under his own direction. No other contemporary dramatic star has directed himself so often.
His acclaim as a director began in the late '70s and reached a peak with the 1992 release of his Oscar-winning...