Clint Eastwood is arguably one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, along with having a highly successful acting career. Few actors have had such glorious directing careers and Ben Affleck and George Clooney are two names that come close to stature Eastwood built for himself in Hollywood.
Ben Affleck and George Clooney have shared the honor of playing DC’s Batman on the big screen at different points in their career. However, when it comes to one world record, neither of the duo holds a candle in front of Eastwood. The veteran director holds one very unique Oscars record, which Affleck and Clooney will find hard to beat.
Actor-Director Clint Eastwood Holds One Very Unique Oscars Record
Clint Eastwood is known for his starring role in the Dollars trilogy and other popular Western films. However, later in his career, Eastwood turned his attention to directing, with 1971’s Play Misty For Me as his debut film. Over the years, Eastwood gained widespread critical acclaim for his direction, with films such as Unforgiven, Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby, and American Sniper.
Eastwood has been nominated for the Best Director Academy Award four times in his directorial career. Out of the four nominations, Eastwood has won the Best Director Oscar twice for his work on Unforgiven at the 65th Academy Awards and for Million Dollar Baby at the 77th Academy Awards.
Interestingly, Eastwood also acted in both movies for which he won a Best Director Oscar. As a result, Eastwood holds the Guinness World Record for Most Oscar awards for Best Director won by an actor in the same film. Eastwood’s two other nominations (Mystic River and Letters from Iwo Jima) which did not yield a Best Director win also did not feature him as an actor, giving Eastwood a 100% record for Most Oscar awards for Best Director won by an actor in the same film.
Batman Actors Ben Affleck and George Clooney Might Struggle to Beat Clint Eastwood’s World Record
Ben Affleck essayed the role of Bruce Wayne / Batman in the DCEU, while George Clooney starred in 1997’s Batman & Robin. Both actors have had successful acting careers, with critically acclaimed performances and several accolades under their names.
Affleck turned his attention to direction with 2007’s Gone Baby Gone. He has since directed four feature films. Affleck has also acted in all his directorial ventures, except for his debut film. Despite the generally positive reception of Affleck’s directorial efforts, he is yet to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Director.
Meanwhile, Clooney made his directorial debut with Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002) and received his first and only Best Director nomination for 2005’s Good Night, and Good Luck. Clooney also starred in that movie but did not feature in his most recent directorial venture The Boys in the Boat (2023).
Ultimately, Affleck and Clooney both have a star presence that is comparable to Eastwood. They both frequently act in movies that they direct. However, neither has won a Best Director Oscar for a film they have also acted in, making it difficult to see either as a contender to claim Eastwood’s very unique Oscars record.
