Clint Eastwood: Roles He Missed That Other Actors Made Famous

Clint Eastwood's career as the ultimate actor-turned-director started in the 1950s, with his first big break in the television series "Rawhide." His skill playing the rugged flawed villain sometimes led directors and studios to pass on him for roles that were outside the genre. Eastwood also declined roles that ended up being major stepping stones for other Hollywood actors.

Here are a few of the iconic roles in American cinema that Eastwood didn't get.

"Apocalypse Now"
Francis Ford Coppola wanted Eastwood to play Capt. Benjamin Willard, who was eventually played by Martin Sheen. According to UPI, Eastwood declined the role because he didn't want to go to the Philippines to shoot on location for four months. The movie went on to be considered one of the greatest movies in American cinema, despite numerous delays and production problems during shooting.

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"Die Hard"
Eastwood owned the rights to the novel "Nothing Lasts Forever," which was the basis for the plot of the original "Die Hard" movie, according to Mental Floss. The book was originally written as a sequel to "The Detective," the movie version of which starred Frank Sinatra. After being offered to Arnold Schwarzenegger, Harrison Ford, and Sylvester Stallone, "Die Hard" was finally offered to Bruce Willis.

"Superman"
Christopher Reeve almost wasn't the “Man of Steel,” because the role of Superman was originally offered to Eastwood. If the idea seems foreign to fans of the franchise now, it was just as odd to Eastwood. “I always liked characters that were more grounded in reality,” Eastwood told The Los Angeles Times. “Maybe they do super things or more-than-human things – like Dirty Harry, he has a knack for doing crazy things, or the Western guys – but, still, they’re not caped crusaders.”

James Bond
When Sean Connery left the 007 franchise in 1967, the producers approached Eastwood to play the British spy, according to the L.A. Times. “I was also offered pretty good money to do James Bond if I would take on the role,” Eastwood said. George Lazenby played Bond in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service," before Roger Moore took on the role for the next 12 years.

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• Clint Eastwood's Acting Credentials: Awards and Highlights of Storied Career
• The 4 Roles That Defined Clint Eastwood's Career