Biography

Ruth Wood (born Margaret Ruth Runner, formerly Eastwood) is mother of actor/director Clint Eastwood, and his sister Jeanne. She was the widow of Clinton Eastwood Sr. (1906-1970), and John Wood (1913-2004). Ruth was often her son's date at the Academy Awards. By all accounts, Eastwood and his mother had a very strong relationship, and he often turned to her for advice. She first suggested casting Meryl Streep opposite Eastwood in the steamy romance "The Bridges of Madison County," which he directed. Mrs. Wood was a devoted fan of her son's movies, saying once that she watched several of them many times and was "the first one in the theater every time." Her favorite Eastwood movie, however, occupies an almost forgotten corner of his celluloid output: the musical "Paint Your Wagon."