White Hunter Black Heart Eastwood, is based on real-life director John Huston. Jeff Fahey plays Pete Verrill, a character based on Viertel. George Dzundza's character is based on "African Queen" producer Sam Spiegel. Marisa Berenson's character Kay Gibson and Richard Vanstone's character Phil Duncan, are based on Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart, respectively. This was the last film that James Bridges worked on writing down a screenplay before dying in 1993. In the early 1950s, world-renowned film-maker John Wilson travels to Africa for his next film bringing with him a young writer chum named Pete Verrill. Part of his travel plans include hunting elephants
Clint Eastwood in the 2000s boxing drama won four Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Hilary Swank), and Best Supporting Actor (Morgan Freeman). Eastwood received a nomination for Best Actor, and the trio was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. Eastwood also received a Grammy nomination for composing the film's score. After four years away from acting, Eastwood ended his "self-imposed acting hiatus" with "Gran Torino". Eastwood directed, starred, held a producer role, and co-wrote the theme song for the film. The film grossed close to $30 million during its wide release