Lets go back to the year 1966. Lets announce that Clint Eastwood will one day direct and act in a film, a western, and get nominated for both jobs. Audiences, who had just enjoyed The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, might say, "Yeah, right. Ha, ha. Whats next?" The critics, who had mostly loathed the spaghetti western, will not say anything. The might probably be admitted to hospital for stomach cram, or for those who survived, still rolling by the aisle laughing their ass off.

That was the expectation everybody had on Eastwood at that time. It was his third Spaghetti Western, after A Fistful of Dollars (1964), and For a Few Dollars More, playing The Man With No Name. Critics either liked him or simply did not (especially New York Times Pauline Kael, who never approved Eastwood). He was dismissed as an ok. action and western hero, doing so and so movies like, Hang Em High, Where Eagles Dare, Coogan's Bluff and Kelly's Hero. Then something happened. Dirty Harry.

What if you were told that Frank Sinatra was the original choice Dirty Harry? It is true. Somebodys laughing already, and that is because of the impact Eastwood had on that role. It lived with him, like James Bond became associated with Sean Connery. Never had a cop been any tougher, been ripped off, or paid homage to like Inspector Harry Callahan. It was one personality that would forever be used to inspire latter day action stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylverster Stallone and Steven Seagal.

His debut as a director came in 1971 with a thriller Play Misty for Me, also after setting up his own production company, Malposo. What followed were unforgettable silver screen entertainment in form of westerns (High Plain Drifter, The Outlaw Josey Wales), Action (The Eiger Sanction, Escape from Alcatraz) and comedies (Every Which Way But Loose and Any Which Way You Can), the latter became infamous when he co-starred with Orangutan.

The eighties ride were bumpy, though his fourth Dirty Harry movie, Sudden Impact, made an impact in the box-office in the year 1983. In 1988 he directed Bird, which won fantastic reviews and awards in the Cannes Film Festival. The following year, saw him playing John Wilson, a thinly disguised biography of director John Houston, in White Hunter Black Heart. It will be the performance and film forever in my memory as Eastwood's best. Both flunked in the box office but loved by the critics - a reverse of affection between audience and critics.

Both film showed that age took over and proved that Eastwood is more than presence in his film. 1992 was the most significant year for Eastwood. His western, Unforgiven, won the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best director, and, dig this, did well at the box office (rare occasion when audience and critics agreed).

It was not stopping this man after that. He directed all of his following films, with an exception of In the Line of Fire, which should have been nominated for his great performance as secret service man. He still continues to direct and star in films of varied genres, as if he is not aware that he is ageing. To be honest, he looks about a 100 years old, but who cares. He can still deliver a film and perform better than most of his contemporaries. The best part about his film nowadays are that he is never concious of the fact that he has won Oscar, therefore never the burden of fulfilling critics expectation. He don't need to. It is easily understood that he cared more about his audience, That, I believe, is one of the best of his secrets of survival.