How did Dirty Harry make Clint Eastwood a major star of the 1970s?

The 1971 film Dirty Harry, directed by Don Siegel, was instrumental in cementing Clint Eastwood’s status as a major star of the 1970s. By casting Eastwood as Harry Callahan, a tough, ruthlessly effective San Francisco police inspector, Siegel helped define the actor as the quintessential antihero of the decade.1

The film’s massive commercial success with American audiences—despite some critical debate regarding its violence—catapulted Eastwood to superstardom and spawned four profitable sequels. This collaboration was part of a long-standing professional relationship in which Siegel served as a mentor to Eastwood, teaching him essential aspects of directing and helping to transition his career from his earlier work in spaghetti westerns to iconic roles in American cinema.12