Clint Eastwood’s Eight Kids Pose Together—Including The Daughter He Wasn't Aware He Fathered

Dec 18, 2020

Clint Eastwood is a veteran Hollywood actor and director who has had multiple peaks in his nearly seven-decade-long career. Alongside his storied professional resume, Eastwood has also had a rich personal life, with two marriages, various other romantic relationships, and eight children. That's right, the leading man is father to eight kids, one of which he wasn't even aware he had.

Born on May 31, 1930, in San Francisco, California, Clint Eastwood's family grew up in a wealthy area of town in a house that had a swimming pool, while each parent had their own car and the family belonged to a country club. His father was a manufacturing executive at Georgia-Pacific, while his mother worked in a clerical role at IBM. Despite this privileged upbringing, Eastwood got into trouble as a youth and it's uncertain whether he actually graduated from high school.

As a young man, he worked in a range of odd jobs including as a lifeguard, grocery clerk, forest firefighter, golf caddy, and paper carrier. While he attempted to enroll at Seattle University in 1951, he was instead drafted into the United States Army during the middle of the Korean War. He never served overseas, however, with his former partner Sondra Locke once stating:

"He always dropped the Korean War reference, hoping everyone would conclude that he was in combat and might be some sort of hero. Actually, he'd been a lifeguard at Fort Ord in northern California for his entire stint in the military."

Incidentally, it was his time stationed at Fort Ord that led to his career in Hollywood. Although the exact story of how he caught the attention of notable people in the film industry is disputed, Eastwood eventually made it to the audition process, and while prominent producer Arthur Lubin was impressed with his looks, he disapproved of Eastwood's acting. Nonetheless, Eastwood signed an acting contract in 1954 that included attending drama classes.

After many auditions, Eastwood didn't have much luck, until he finally got a bit-part in his first movie, Revenge of the Creature. A number of other small roles followed, but his contract eventually ran out and wasn't renewed. However, that didn't stop the budding actor, who continually put in the work with minor roles, until eventually, he landed a breakthrough part in 1958 as Rowdy Yates in the western series Rawhide. The series aired for five years before being canceled, but his work on Rawhide led to the movie that would put him on the map. When his co-star Eric Fleming rejected an offer to star in a foreign-made western movie, Eastwood was suggested instead. 

Well, the movie was none other than A Fistful of Dollars, made by a relatively unknown director at the time, Sergio Leone. The film greatly influenced the Spaghetti Western genre and led to Eastwood working with Leone on two other films in the trilogy—For A Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. 

The rest as they say is history. Eastwood's work in the spaghetti western genre propelled him to international stardom and led to his later work in the Dirty Harry films of the '70s and '80s. Having conquered acting, he moved on to directing by the 1990s and has had great critical and commercial success with movies such as Million Dollar Baby, Mystic River, and Letters From Iwo Jima. He's been honored with many accolades during his lengthy career including Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and the Venice Film Festival's Golden Lion award for lifetime achievement, among numerous other film awards. He's even been honored with two of France's highest civil orders—the Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and the Legion of Honour medal.

But alongside his life full of career highs and lows, Eastwood has had a personal life that's been just as full. Eastwood's eight children—who were born between 1964 and 1996—are from a string of different relationships. In December 2018, Eastwood, all eight of his children, his ex-wife Maggie Johnson, and his current girlfriend Christina Sandera all attended the premiere of Clint Eastwood's movie The Mule together—talk about a big family! Let's meet them all.

Clint Eastwood's first wife was Maggie Johnson, who he met in 1953. But it has been public knowledge that Eastwood always maintained an interest in other women throughout his marriage to Johnson, including an affair with stuntwoman Roxanne Tunis. She gave birth to their daughter, Kimber Eastwood, in 1964.

Having both of her parents in the entertainment industry must have rubbed off on Kimber Eastwood, as she followed them into showbiz, working as a film producer and makeup artist. She even was the makeup artist on The Mule and the head of the makeup department on Dog the Bounty Hunter and Dog and Beth: On the Hunt.

Despite having two children to women outside of his marriage, Eastwood was still trying to make it work with Maggie Johnson. The couple had a son named Kyle Eastwood in 1968.

Kyle Eastwood also got the acting bug, appearing as a child in his father's movie Honkytonk Man, as well as a number of other films. But ultimately it was music that stole his heart and for which he is incredibly talented. He's credited as a composer or musician on various movies including Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby, Flags of our Fathers, Gran Torino, and more.

After Kyle, Clint Eastwood and Maggie Johnson had another child, a daughter named Alison Eastwood, who was born in 1972. But eventually, their marriage ended in 1984 when Johnson filed for divorce after Eastwood had a notable affair with Sondra Locke, which Independent.ie claim was the straw that broke the camel's back for Johnson.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Alison Eastwood also followed her famous father and sibling into show business. Alison works primarily as an actress and director and even co-starred in The Mule. As a director, she's worked on Rails & Ties, Battlecreek, and the series Boned. She also has a passion for animals, having founded the Eastwood Ranch Foundation in 2012 to rescue pets from high-risk shelters, providing care until they find a permanent home.

Following his marriage to Maggie Johnson, Clint Eastwood had a relationship with flight attendant Jacelyn Reeves. This resulted in two children, the first of which is Scott Eastwood who was born in 1986. Perhaps his father's most famous child, Scott Eastwood looks just like his dad.

Scott Eastwood has had starring roles in many movies including Suicide Squad, Pacific Rim: Uprising, and The Longest Ride. He even appeared in a Taylor Swift music video for the song Wildest Dreams and hosts his own podcast titled "Live Life Better with Scott Eastwood."

Alongside son Scott, Clint Eastwood and Jacelyn Reeves also had a daughter named Kathryn Eastwood, who was born in 1988. She's also followed the family line into acting, having appeared in Jersey Boys, Virus of the Dead, and other movies. She used to go by her birth name, Kathryn Ann Reeves but has switched to the famous moniker Eastwood for her professional name.

After a relationship with actress Frances Fisher, Clint Eastwood had another daughter named Francesca Fisher-Eastwood, who was born in 1993. She also followed in the footsteps of her two acting parents, with her earliest role as a toddler in the 1995 movie The Stars Fell on Henrietta. She's also appeared in some of her dad's films including True Crime and Jersey Boys, as well as the series Fargo and Twin Peaks. In September 2018 she had a child with her boyfriend and fellow actor, Alexander Wraith.

Eastwood married for a second time in 1996 to news presenter Dina Ruiz. The couple met when Ruiz interviewed him in 1992. Together the pair had one daughter together, Morgan Eastwood, the youngest member of the Eastwood clan. In true Eastwood fashion, his marriage to Ruiz wasn’t destined to last. They divorced in 2013.

Together with her mom Dina Ruiz and her half-sister Francesca Eastwood, Morgan appeared in the E! reality show Mrs. Eastwood & Company in 2012. Additionally, she's appeared in various films of her father's when she was a child. For now, Morgan Eastwood has chosen a slightly different path to her siblings, having graduated from college in May 2018.

Going back to the beginning, Eastwood had a relationship with a woman in 1953 whilst he was engaged to Maggie Johnson, reports the Daily Mail. Unknown to him, this resulted in a daughter, Laurie Murray, who was born in 1954. She was adopted by a couple living in Seattle and it was only many decades later that Eastwood found out he was her father.

Ever since reconnecting with Eastwood, Murray has been a part of his life, even attending the 2004 Oscars with Eastwood and pictured arm-in-arm with his mother Ruth Wood on the red carpet. She also attended the premiere of The Mule together with the rest of the family.

Although many of Clint Eastwood's brood of children are only half-siblings, they certainly appear very close, often posting photos with each other and supporting one another on social media. That's a testament to their parenting styles that have taught them the importance of family.

Did you know Clint Eastwood had such a large family? What do you think of the close bond that they all seem to have? Let us know in the comments, then be sure to pass this on to your friends and family!