Clint Eastwood (b. 1930) is the only popular American dramatic star to have shaped his own career almost entirely through films of his own producing, frequently under his own direction. Few other actors have directed themselves so often. He is also one of the most prolific filmmakers, directing thirty-three features since 1971.

As a star, he is often recalled primarily for two early roles--the "Man with No Name" of three European-made Westerns, and the uncompromising cop "Dirty" Harry Callahan. But on his own as a director, Eastwood has steered a remarkable course. A film industry insider, he works through the established Hollywood system and respects its traditions. Yet he remains an outsider, steadfastly refusing to heed cultural and aesthetic trends in film production and style. His films as director have examined a variety of themes, ranging from the artist's life to the nature of heroism, while frequently calling into question the ethos of masculinity, even as they have remained accessible to a worldwide, popular audience. With two Best Director and two Best Picture Oscars to his credit, Eastwood now ranks among the most highly honored living filmmakers.

These interviews range over the more than four decades of Eastwood's directorial career. Nearly a third are from European sources--several appearing here in English for the first time.

Robert E. Kapsis, Great Neck, New York, is professor of sociology and film studies at Queens College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. He is the author of Hitchcock: The Making of a Reputation and editor of several volumes in the Conversations with Filmmakers Series. Kathie Coblentz, New York, New York, is rare materials cataloguer at the New York Public Library.