Clint Eastwood

No other celebrity politician epitomized small-town politics better than Clint Eastwood. The Oscar-winning director and Dirty Harry star ran for office of his tiny hometown of Carmel, California in 1986 after the local planning board thwarted his attempts to remodel an office building next door to a restaurant he owned. Eastwood's celebrity was no match for his opponent, a retired librarian: he won the race 2,166 to 799. Shortly after taking office, Eastwood fired the planning board members who had turned down his construction proposal, championed environmental causes and approved an application for an ice cream parlor in town, one of his campaign promises. He served just one-two year term.

• 
• Click to Print

• Find this article at:
• https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1854887_1854886_1854876,00.html