The Poster Memorabilia blog

The Always-Good Clint Eastwood

Il Buono himself, working a fan line at 84, and the signature one hound is proudest of.

By an anonymous Hollywood insider

Clint Eastwood stands the test of time. From a matinee idol to a popular action star to, now, a renowned director, the man is practically Hollywood incarnate. I'll never forget the first time I saw him on film. It was in the 1966 Italian movie, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and I was floored.

I'd never seen someone be so badass before. You just know that every time he squinted his eyes, someone’s gonna get their ass handed to them. And mind you, this is an Italian movie. I didn't understand a lot on my first watch, even with the subtitles, but Eastwood still mesmerized me.

Director Sergio Leone did a great job casting him as “Il Buono” (The Good) since he is, in fact, good in everything he's in. People put him in a box because he excels in westerns and action movies so much, but he's actually great in other genres, too.

“The man is practically Hollywood incarnate.”

The movie stars we have now—Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Idris Elba—they're all following Eastwood's blueprint. But try as they might, they'll never equal the master. He's one of our remaining screen legends from mid-century Hollywood, though he started right around the same time the Golden Age ended.

Age hasn't even slowed him down. The man was still directing features into his nineties, and some of his directorial works naturally caught the Academy's attention, racking up tons of nominations. For example, his 2014 film, American Sniper, earned six nominations at the 87th Academy Awards.

I'll always remember that year since I finally met the man at that ceremony. Eastwood looked youthful even with his white hair and famous wrinkles.

He was, what? Around 84 or 85 years old at that point? But he still looked better than anyone his age. My own grandfather is a good ten years younger than him, yet Eastwood looked younger and seemed more agile. I love my pops, but he was just a couch potato by that point in his life.

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Even his hearing was on point because he heard us shouting to him, and he was pretty far away when he noticed us.

And while other stars of his age and legendary status would've ignored us or just waved at us as they passed by, he actually came to our side of the red carpet. He greeted as many fans as he could, shook hands, and, fortunately for me, also gave autographs.

Getting him to sign my The Good, the Bad and the Ugly movie poster remains my proudest moment as his fan. Possibly even more than actually seeing him in person. I know it's strange to say, but I think that so many people can meet him, but only a few actually get his autograph. I'm proud to be part of the latter.

Some things you watch. This one you keep.

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