For 30 years Clint Eastwood has been at the top of his profession, first as an actor and more recently as a director. This biography uses interviews with Eastwood, his friend and colleagues, to explore the contradictions between the generally perceived image of the man and the realities of his personality and career. Eastwood's life is covered in depth including: his restless adolescence that led to his tentative days as a Hollywood studio contract player; an unexpected break in the TV series Rawhide; the gamble of making spaghetti Westerns; the high-impact Dirty Harry films; the increasingly respected directorial career; the critical breakthroughs of The Outlaw Josey Wales, Bronco Billy and Tightrope, and the Oscar-winning success of Unforgiven.