Clint Eastwood Reveals the Bogart Films That Shaped Him
Clint Eastwood opens up about the Humphrey Bogart films that left a mark on his career, sharing insights into Bogart’s influence and the depth of his legacy beyond the usual classics.
For many Aussies heading to the cinema, Clint Eastwood is a familiar face, having been part of the film scene since the 1950s. Despite his own legendary status, Eastwood has always looked up to certain Hollywood icons, and Humphrey Bogart sits right at the top of that list. Bogart’s impact on American film, especially during its early days, is hard to overstate. Starting out on Broadway, the New Yorker made his film debut in 1930 and quickly became one of the defining figures of Hollywood’s golden era. Whether it’s the enduring romance of Casablanca, the trailblazing noir of The Maltese Falcon, or his many roles in gangster flicks, Bogart’s influence is everywhere.
Eastwood, like plenty of actors, reckons he owes a fair bit to Bogart’s massive body of work. By the time Eastwood was getting his start—often in blink-and-you’ll-miss-it roles before his breakout on Rawhide—Bogart was already nearing the end of his run. After living it up in Hollywood, Bogart passed away from oesophageal cancer in 1957. Still, his death didn’t put a stop to his legacy on the big screen.
Looking Beyond the Obvious Classics
Eastwood has pointed out that people tend to focus on just a handful of Bogart’s most famous films, missing the breadth of his career.
“Usually a person is either remembered for a great body of work that they’ve done in their lifetime or else they’re remembered for one or two really great things,”
he once said, as quoted in Paul Nelson’s Conversations with Clint. Eastwood knows the feeling, since his own career is often boiled down to his iconic ‘Man With No Name’ roles from the 1960s.
He went on,
“When you think of Bogart, you think of Sierra Madre and The African Queen and The Maltese Falcon.”
These are the big ones, but Eastwood reckons there’s much more to Bogart’s story.
“There’s a lot of in-between stuff that you can’t even remember the name of because you purposely put them out of your mind. The Left Hand of God and many, many others.”
Even if some of those later films didn’t hit the same heights, the trio Eastwood mentions are hard to beat.
Bogart’s Influence on Eastwood’s Craft
Watching Bogart in those standout roles, it’s not hard to spot the similarities with Eastwood’s own early performances. The way Bogart carried himself on screen, the understated toughness, and the knack for making every line count—these are all things Eastwood took on board as he built his own career. The connection between the two actors is clear, especially for anyone who’s seen Eastwood’s work from his early days in Hollywood.
While Bogart’s name is often tied to a few legendary films, Eastwood’s admiration goes deeper, recognising the full scope of Bogart’s contribution to cinema. For Eastwood, it’s not just about the hits—it’s about the whole journey, the lesser-known gems, and the lasting impact Bogart had on generations of actors to come.