• Faith: Spirituality
• Career: Actor
• Birthday:  May 31, 1930

Clint Eastwood’s Background

Clinton Eastwood Jr. is an American actor, producer, film director, and composer. He was born on May 31, 1930 in San Francisco, CA. He grew up in California and quickly developed a counter-culture attitude that would define his persona as an “American Rebel.” In high school, he often skipped classes to spend time in the airport hangars and would reportedly make obscene comments to school authorities. He later went to study at Oakland Technical High School before being drafted into the US Army during the Korean War.

A few years later on October 1, 1951 during a flight back to San Francsico, the Navy bomber aircraft crashed into the ocean. Eastwood and the pilot survived with minor injuries and had to swim in the frigid cold waters off of Point Reyes, California. This even was a major turning point in his life.

The incident had a significant influence on Eastwood's life and career. He stated, "That was quite a jolt, and it made me realize that life is short and you'd better get on with it," in an interview with USA Today in 2010. The accident, according to Eastwood, gave him a second shot at life and motivated him to pursue his passion for acting.

Eastwood carved a legacy as an actor in many famous spaghetti westerns during his career. He is known for his roles in “Dirty Harry,” “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly,” and “Grand Torino.” He often portrayed tough, no-nonsense characters in action movies. He worked in a few dramas and later began producing films. His film “Million Dollar Baby” won an Academy Award for Best Director.

Eastwood was elected in 1986 for the mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. He served for two years. Clint was married twice and has eight children. He loves golf and participates in many celebrity golf tournaments.

Clint Eastwood’s Religious Background

Eastwood was raised Protestant by his family but currently doesn't affiliate with any religion. Until he was 12 years old, Eastwood attended church every week until his father revealed that he was only going because it was his only day off. However, he expressed his interest in certain Deist principles and Buddhism. In a 2009 interview with GQ, the actor discussed spirituality, sharing that he used to be agnostic but took up meditation.

"I've been doing it almost forty years. But I don't go out and sell it. A lot of other people find meaning some other way, screaming in the street or whatever it is that gets it for you." Eastwood explained to GQ. "I believe in whatever self-help you can give yourself, whether you believe in Buddha or whatever. I'm not really a person of organized religion. But I'm now much more tolerant of religious people because I can see why they got there. I can sympathize."

Eastwood also gave this answer in another interview when asked about religion, “I was always respectful of people who were deeply religious because I always felt that if they gave themselves to it, then it had to be important to them. But if you can go through life without it, that's OK, too. It's whatever suits you.”

He also commented more on his interest in Buddhism and Deism,

“[Buddhists] don't seem to be as mean-spirited, and their idea of God is sort of a heavyset guy who's got a smile on his face, and I thought, hey, that's nice. So although my religious training was not really specific, I do feel spiritual things. If I stand on the side of the Grand Canyon and look down, it moves me in some way.”

Some have said Eastwood is an Atheist, however, he has not publicly commented on the subject. He has generally kept his beliefs private other than mentioning his admiration for Buddhism, as mentioned above. Ultimately, the definitive religion Eastwood belongs to is up for speculation. There is no definitive record of Clint Eastwood belonging to a particular religion.