Clint Eastwood loves being a father to his eight children, especially at his advanced age. He stays close to them all, and some have even followed in his footsteps in show business. Ever wondered about this dad’s own dad? Who was Clint Eastwood’s dad?
Clint Eastwood’s father was Clinton Eastwood Sr., who worked as a manufacturing executive at Georgia-Pacific for many years.
Read on to learn more about the Hollywood living legend’s family background.
Clint Eastwood’s parents
The Eastwood family’s ancestry is English, Irish, Scottish, and Dutch. They moved significantly in the 1930s as Clinton Sr. changed occupations before settling in Sacramento in 1935. The family had two children: Clint was the first son and child, and Jeanne Bernhardt was the second child.
According to the autobiography of Sandra Locke, one of Clint Eastwood’s former girlfriends, the Eastwood children lived a comfortable life growing up. They resided in a wealthy neighborhood, had cars and a swimming pool at home, and were members of a country club.
Clint Eastwood’s parents were high school sweethearts. According to his writeup on the Oakland Technical High School website, Clinton Sr. and Ruth met in the same high school (Oakland Tech) as students and then got married after graduation.
Clint Eastwood initially went to Piedmont Junior High School where he played basketball and acted in a school play. His grades suffered from being busy with his after-school jobs that his parents had to transfer him to Oakland Technical High School to attend vocational courses.
Who was Clint Eastwood’s dad?
According to a profile in GENi, Clinton Eastwood Sr. was born on June 11, 1906 in Monterey, California, United States. He was the son of Jesse Mabel Eastwood (nee Anderson) and Burr Eastwood, Sr. He had a brother, Burr Eastwood, Jr.
Looks like Clinton Junior’s physical abilities came from his dad. The senior Clinton was adept at playing football, earning a slot to play for Berkeley. However, he did not seem to have a passion for the sport so he eventually passed the opportunity over. Both father and son were not a fan of academia, according to one of Clint’s biographers.
Father and son seemed to have shared creative talents, but the older Clint held a more cautious attitude toward an entertainment career. The actor-turned-director once shared how his father advised him not to “get too wrapped up” in show business to avoid disappointment.
That was his father’s response when he told him about his plans of dropping out of LA City College to pursue an acting stint with Universal. Obviously, the son did not take heed.
Clint Eastwood once wondered about his father’s prospects as an entertainer, as he believed that his father had a good singing voice. According to him, his father would perform with a partner at parties but never got around to hitting it big as a singer.
Clinton Sr. passed away from a heart attack on July 21, 1970, at the young age of 64 at Pebble Beach, Monterey County, California.
His father’s passing at a relatively early age greatly impacted Clint Eastwood, who had just turned forty when it happened. Because of this, Eastwood cleaned up his act, following a strict healthy diet, regular exercise, and ample rest.
This regimen has become a thing of legend in and of itself, earning the nickname “Eastwood Code.” It’s very easily Clint Eastwood’s secret to a long life. At ninety-one years old, he directed and starred in a movie titled Cry Macho. He played Mark Milo, a former rodeo star and horse breeder on a special mission.
Three years prior to Cry Macho, Clint Eastwood directed and played the lead in Gran Torino, which bagged many award wins, nominations, and rave reviews. Alison Eastwood, one of his children, joined him in the cast.
Who was Clint Eastwood’s mom?
Clint Eastwood’s mother was Margaret Ruth Eastwood (nee Runner), born on January 18, 1909 in Oakland, California, United States. Her parents were Waldo Errol and Virginia May Runner. She worked a clerical job in IBM when her children Clint and Jeanne grew older.
Ruth Eastwood died on February 4, 2006, in Sonoma, California. She was 97.
She was married to Clint Eastwood Sr. from 1927 to 1970, and after the latter’s death, she married John Belden Wood from 1972 to 2004. She and her son Clint shared a very close mother-son relationship; he brought her to several red carpet events as his date.