Americcan Sniper Production Notes

From director Clint Eastwood comes “American Sniper,” starring Bradley Cooper as Chris Kyle, the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history. But there was much more to him than his skill as a sharpshooter.

U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle is sent to Iraq with only one mission: to protect his brothers-in-arms. His pinpoint accuracy saves countless lives on the battlefield and, as stories of his courageous exploits spread, he earns the nickname “Legend.” However, his reputation is also growing behind enemy lines, putting a price on his head and making him a prime target of insurgents. He is also facing a different kind of battle on the home front: striving to be a good husband and father from halfway around the world.

Despite the danger, as well as the toll on his family at home, Chris serves through four harrowing tours of duty in Iraq, personifying the SEAL creed to “leave no man behind.” But upon returning to his wife, Taya Renae Kyle (Sienna Miller), and kids, Chris finds that it is the war he can’t leave behind.

Please note: Some production notes may contain spoilers.

From director Clint Eastwood comes “American Sniper,” starring Bradley Cooper as Chris Kyle, whose skills as a sniper made him a hero on the battlefield. But there was much more to him than his skill as a sharpshooter.

Navy SEAL Chris Kyle is sent to Iraq with only one mission: to protect his brothers-in-arms. His pinpoint accuracy saves countless lives on the battlefield and, as stories of his courageous exploits spread, he earns the nickname “Legend.” However, his reputation is also growing behind enemy lines, putting a price on his head and making him a prime target of insurgents. He is also facing a different kind of battle on the home front: striving to be a good husband and father from halfway around the world.

Despite the danger, as well as the toll on his family at home, Chris serves through four harrowing tours of duty in Iraq, personifying the spirit of the SEAL creed to “leave no one behind.” But upon returning to his wife, Taya (Sienna Miller), and kids, Chris finds that it is the war he can’t leave behind.

A two-time Oscar nominee for his work in “Silver Linings Playbook” and “American Hustle,” Cooper heads the cast, which also includes Sienna Miller, Luke Grimes, Jake McDorman, Cory Hardrict, Kevin Lacz, Navid Negahban and Keir O’Donnell.

Oscar-winning filmmaker Clint Eastwood (“Million Dollar Baby,” “Unforgiven”) directed “American Sniper” from a screenplay written by Jason Hall, based on the book by Chris Kyle, with Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice. The autobiography was a runaway bestseller, spending 18 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, 13 of those at number one.

The film is produced by Eastwood, Robert Lorenz, Andrew Lazar, Bradley Cooper and Peter Morgan. Tim Moore, Jason Hall, Sheroum Kim, Steven Mnuchin and Bruce Berman served as executive producers.

Eastwood’s behind-the-scenes creative team includes Oscar-nominated director of photography Tom Stern (“Changeling”); Oscar-nominated production designer James J. Murakami (“Changeling”) and production designer Charisse Cardenas; Oscar-winning editor Joel Cox (“Unforgiven”) and editor Gary D. Roach; and costume designer Deborah Hopper.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents in Association with Village Roadshow Pictures, A Mad Chance Production, A 22nd & Indiana Production, “American Sniper.” The film will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.

About The Production

Chris Kyle might have been just one of the millions of veterans who have served were it not for a statistic. He emerged from the war in Iraq as the most lethal sniper in the history of the U.S. military, but the filmmakers of “American Sniper” knew it was equally if not more important to explore the man behind the numbers.

Director/producer Clint Eastwood offers, “I have done war stories before, but this was exciting to me because it was a cross between Chris’s exploits in combat and the personal aspects of his life, which made him even more interesting. It shows the toll war takes on a person but also the pressure it puts on the whole family. It’s good to be reminded of what’s at stake when people are sent into war and to acknowledge the sacrifices they make, so I thought that made it an especially significant story to tell.”

Bradley Cooper, who stars in the title role and also served as a producer on the film, adds, “In some ways, it’s a universal story about what most veterans have to go through—dealing with the seesaw of being in a war zone and then suddenly coming home to a ‘normal’ life. That was very moving to me. I liked the fact that it wasn’t as much of a war movie as it was a character study. And if you look at Clint Eastwood’s films, like ‘Unforgiven,’ ‘Gran Torino,’ ‘Letters from Iwo Jima’…they are all complex character studies, albeit with very different backdrops. So he was absolutely the right director to tell this story in a very raw, truthful way.”

The actor goes on to observe that “American Sniper” and the human drama at its center fit the Eastwood canon: exploring the nature of men for whom violence and justice become inexorably intertwined. “Chris was not a violent man—in fact, far from it—but when called upon, he did not shrink from his duty because he believed the cause is just. His heroism wasn’t just in the number of ‘kills’ he had in war; it was also in how he was ultimately able to confront the intangible wounds of war, not only within himself but on his family.”

The screenplay for “American Sniper” is based on the book of the same name, co-written by Kyle (with Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice). However, screenwriter and executive producer Jason Hall first spoke to Kyle about bringing his story to the big screen before the book was even written. He recalls, “I was interested in the journey of a warrior of his caliber…what compelled him to fight and what it cost him. We know that war is hell, but in this film I wanted to show that war is human.”

Eastwood’s longtime producing partner Robert Lorenz says, “We were intrigued by Jason’s take because it was so well-balanced and offered a more complete picture of Chris and what he went through, both on the battlefront and on the homefront.”

Chris Kyle lived according to a simple code: God. Country. Family. They weren’t just words to him; they were the foundation for a life devoted to duty, service and an unwavering dedication to something greater than himself. The extraordinary demands of his job as a Navy SEAL, as well as the burdens that placed on those who loved him most, especially his wife, Taya, ultimately forced him to re-examine the order of those three precepts, but never his commitment to them.

Eastwood attests, “Chris grew up with that mantra. It was also instilled in him from childhood that there are some people who are born to be protectors, and he knew it was his calling to be one of them. That’s part of what drove him to keep going back to do more tours, even though he was faced with the quandary of leaving his family behind. He was just one of those guys who was always willing to go above and beyond.”

Kyle’s reputation had preceded him home and first caught the attention of producers Peter Morgan and Andrew Lazar, as well as Hall. Morgan notes, “We heard about all his accolades as a Navy SEAL and obviously knew what a great patriot he was, but the more we delved, what kept coming across was what a genuinely good person he was…how loved and admired he was by his family, friends and those who served alongside him. We wanted to form a story around the emotional themes of his life, the different things that drove him.”

Prior to starting work on the script, Hall traveled to Texas to meet with Kyle. “He wasn’t very talkative at first,” the writer says, “but by the time I left I felt like I’d worked out a way to tell the story and earned his trust. Then, as I was walking out the door, he said, ‘Oh, by the way, we’re writing a book.’ The book seemed like it could be an obstacle at first, but it ended up being a fantastic resource.”

Producer Andrew Lazar confirms, “We were committed to telling this story long before there was a best-selling book. But because of the book, we had the benefit of Chris’s point of view, which, of course, really informed what we did in developing the film and in imparting his story to the best of our ability.”

Still, there was another side of Kyle that Hall had seen firsthand and that he wanted to capture in the screenplay. “It would have been easy to make this film entirely about his time in the war, but Chris was a more complicated person than that. The book was written less than a year after he came home, so he still had that armor on. It didn’t really present the softer side of Chris—the loving husband and father—and some of the more desperate moments he and Taya had struggled through in the brief times between those four deployments. And while this war seemed so far away, the families of soldiers were more connected than ever by use of satphones. Taya heard some terrifying things on those calls, but that was her lifeline to him, and I also believe her voice helped him find his way home. I don’t think I fully understood who Chris was until I met Taya.”

“There is a lot of intense action,” Eastwood says, “but the soul of the film and what drives the story are the relationships: between Chris and his brothers in arms and, in particular, between Chris and Taya, which is the most important relationship in the picture. Chris was obviously crazy about her, but, by the same token, he was committed to fulfilling the demands his country was placing upon him.”

Sienna Miller, who portrays Taya Kyle, offers, “At its essence, this is a human story between two people: one of whom is doing these extraordinary, unimaginable things so far from home and the other who is trying to hold her family together. Chris’s sense of duty was so immeasurably strong because of who he inherently was. He believed if he was home with his family more people would die, and that’s a tremendous moral dilemma to be faced with. As hard as it was for her, I think Taya understood his plight and was trying to be patient and supportive of her husband, but that can be a hard thing to navigate when children are involved and, inside, you’re imploding. It made it a fascinating and poignant story to be part of and, having met Taya, I felt a responsibility to do it justice.”

Cooper, who underwent a complete transformation to portray the more physically imposing Kyle, shared that sentiment, but states, “I never felt burdened by the responsibility; I was only honored by it. It seemed like a great opportunity to pay respect to his service and to that of other veterans. I loved every moment of walking in his shoes, every moment of it.”

On February 2, 2013, an unimaginable tragedy turned the filmmakers’ sense of responsibility into a promise. Chris Kyle—who had survived four dangerous tours of duty in Iraq and had devoted his post-war life to helping his fellow veterans—was murdered not far from his home on a shooting range in Texas, allegedly by a veteran he was trying to help. “I had never met him at that point; I had only talked to him on the phone,” says Cooper, “and then, like that, he was gone.”

Following the funeral, Hall reached out to Taya and they spent many hours on the phone as she recounted her life with Chris. “The film suddenly became one of the ways her children would remember their father and she wanted to get it right,” says Hall. “It was not only therapeutic for her, it also allowed me to capture her voice in her own words. She painted a picture of who he was before the war, the unspoken toll it took on him, and all the healing it took him to get back.”

Almost exactly one year later, Clint Eastwood and Bradley Cooper traveled to Texas to meet with Chris’s family, including Taya; his parents, Wayne and Debbie; and his brother, Jeff. The director recalls, “It was vital for me to spend that time with them because we got a much better idea of who Chris was from his family, who are wonderful. We came away with a combination of sadness over the loss of this remarkable man but even more enthusiasm about making this film.”

“We gave them our word that we were going to do right by Chris,” Cooper adds. “And the truth is I really did feel like he was there.”

Taya Kyle confirms that the promise was fulfilled, noting, “I give all the credit to Jason for spending so much time digging deep and learning about all the layers of Chris, and to Clint and Bradley and everyone involved in the movie for so fully embracing that. It is an added bonus for me to know that people will get a glimpse into the man that I loved and will always love, and to have that preserved on film. This movie is a piece of Chris. It is an accurate depiction of the man as a whole—not just the warrior, but the man—and I can’t ask for better than that.”

Cooper remarks, “When Chris says in the movie, ‘I’d lay down my life for my country,’ you know he means it. And then to see the journey he goes on… It doesn’t make him a martyr. It doesn’t make him anything other than just a man. But that’s the kind of man he was.”

Recruitment And Training

In “American Sniper” we get a glimpse of how Chris became the man he was, beginning as a boy in Texas, when his dad first teaches him and his brother about the three types of people in the world: the predator, the prey or the protector. And in that instant, without him even being aware, Chris’s course is set. Cooper offers, “I think Chris is hardwired to be a man dedicated to protecting others and that mission statement is seen throughout his life. In many ways, his protective instinct and the price he pays for it is what the whole movie is about.”

“He was a big, strong kid who believed in fighting for the underdog,” Eastwood adds. “That carried into his role as a sniper; his job was to watch over the troops on the ground and keep them safe from an enemy they could not see.”

Cooper knew that taking on the role of Chris Kyle would test him both physically and mentally but welcomed the challenge. He notes, “There wasn’t a way to do the movie without being Chris, not mimicking him but embodying him completely. I needed to figure out how he walked and talked and to try to get as big as he was to even begin to get to a point where I could believe I was him because if I didn’t believe it, no one else would either. I watched everything ever recorded of him many times and did as much research as I could.”

The actor worked with dialect coach Tim Monich to perfect Kyle’s Texas drawl. The job of bulking up his frame was more physically demanding, involving a strict workout regimen with trainer Jason Walsh, as well as calorie loading to pack on the weight. “Chris was 230 pounds of muscle and I was about 185 pounds at the time, so it was three months of constant eating and working out. It was tough,” Cooper acknowledges.

“When your system isn’t naturally inclined to go in that direction, you have to kind of work at it around the clock, and he did,” says Eastwood. “I don’t think I ever saw him off camera without some kind of shake or nutrition bar. By the last day, he was saying, ‘Thank God I don’t have to eat anymore.’”

Having spent more personal time with Kyle than any of the filmmakers, Jason Hall could attest, “I know it meant a lot to Chris that Bradley was willing to be put through his paces to become him. But on top of transforming his voice and his body, Bradley picked up the more innate elements of Chris Kyle. I’d be watching the monitor and he’d stand or look a certain way…just his aura would send goose bumps down my arms. I was like, ‘Holy cow, that’s Chris.’ It was uncanny.”

Taya agrees. “When people see this movie, they will get the heart, the soul, the character of the real Chris…the spirit and the heart of the man with the pain and the triumphs and everything he went through. Bradley captured all of that.”

Eastwood also respected Cooper’s complete immersion into the role, stating, “Bradley’s enthusiasm and work ethic was unparalleled. He was totally invested in the job and never stopped thinking about how to make every aspect of the project the best it could be.”

It turned out that Cooper and Kyle had shared an equal admiration for Eastwood. “I was told that Chris had said he always wanted Clint Eastwood to direct ‘American Sniper,’” the actor reveals, “and I have always wanted to work with Clint, so it felt so good for him to say, ‘Come on, let’s make this movie together.’”

“Both Chris and I thought Clint Eastwood would be ideal,” Taya confirms, “but believed it was a pie-in-the-sky idea. Then, after Chris died and I heard that Clint had agreed to do it, I had a minute where I was just in awe and I gave a nod up to Heaven like, ‘You did it, Chris.’ It was just one of those moments where I felt like okay, it could’ve just happened. But really? I mean to get Clint Eastwood for a Chris Kyle movie; it couldn’t be more perfect.”

“I absolutely loved Clint’s fast-paced style, his efficient use of time,” says Cooper. “And he opened up the filmmaking process to me and allowed me to collaborate on a level that was very beneficial to me and to my performance.”

“Working with Clint was the most creatively liberating experience I’ve ever had,” Sienna Miller concurs. “He is so trusting, so instinctual and so confident in his ability to know when he has what he needs; it just forces this freedom in you as an actor. There’s no one cooler in the world than Clint Eastwood. That is a fact.”

As Taya, the love of Chris Kyle’s life, Miller wanted to convey the passion they share as well as the emotional challenges her character faces as the wife of a Navy SEAL. It was also essential to show Taya’s unique spirit. “She’s a feisty lady,” Miller states. “She knows what she wants, she doesn’t suffer fools and she’s sharp, as you can tell from the first time we see her in the bar where she meets Chris. They instantly have chemistry, though Taya has apprehensions about what he does for a living. But Chris is so disarming and sincere that her preconceptions about him are very quickly dissipated. I think she realizes she’s met her man.”

Robert Lorenz asserts, “The role of Taya demanded somebody who could dig in and hold her own against the legendary figure of Chris Kyle. The real Taya is someone who gave balance to Chris because she is such a strong personality, and Sienna does the same thing in the movie—balancing the performance that Bradley gave with a terrifically moving one of her own.”

“Taya matches Chris in energy and strength,” adds Cooper, “so there’s a lot of fire and a lot of love and also a lot of pain in their relationship.”

Miller says, “Going in, Taya knows that Chris lives by the ethos of God, country, family, in that order. She does her best to be patient and understanding, but I’ve spoken to Taya about this, and the reality is that, as a wife, being third on that list is brutal.”

The actress adds that she gained tremendous insight about her role directly from the woman she was portraying. “I first met Taya via Skype and we talked on the phone a lot, and then she came to L.A. before we started shooting and we spent a day together talking, hugging, laughing and crying. It was extraordinary. She’s a truly formidable woman and I admire her hugely for her resilience. I also appreciate her graciousness and her being as accommodating as she was in helping me identify with how she felt during those years.”

Taya Kyle recalls, “There was a time I was showing her a video clip of Chris and some pictures that I had on my laptop, and I remember her suddenly looking at me and saying, ‘Wow, you really loved him.’ And there was something about the way she said it—because I had talked to her before, and she knew I loved him. But in that instant, I think she understood that this was a love that was life-changing, and that I will never have an experience like it again. When she got that, I realized that she was going to bring it to the movie. And she did.”

Cooper says that Miller was not the only one who benefited from the input of the woman who endured her husband being in harm’s way through four tours of duty in Iraq. “Taya was a tremendous asset to the entire film. She revealed so much of their life to me and Sienna, allowing us to read many of their email exchanges and describing certain scenarios. She was so generous about sharing personal details of their relationship so we could really understand what it was like for them to be together.”

“Bradley said to me many times that they owe it to me for being so being so open and giving us all this detail, but I think quite the opposite is true,” Taya asserts. “I owe it to all of them for caring enough to get all the details.”

Apart from Taya and their children, Chris Kyle had close-knit extended family in the men of SEAL Team 3, which Andrew Lazar calls “a true brotherhood. SEAL Teams are tasked with some of the most dangerous missions in the military; they are dealing with life and death every day, so the bonds they form are extremely strong. And you need that in order to survive.”

Jason Hall adds, “You ask any of these guys why they serve, why they are willing to go back over and over, and they’ll say they are fighting for their country, which is true. But when you get down to the bare bones of it, they will tell you, ‘I was fighting for the guys next to me.’”

One of the men who fought alongside the real Chris Kyle on SEAL Team 3 was Kevin Lacz, better known to his compatriots by his nickname, Dauber. As part of Kyle’s inner circle, Lacz became a vital resource for the production, providing essential details about their deployments to the filmmakers and cast and eventually coming onboard as the film’s Navy technical advisor. But he soon took on another role—that of himself in the film.

Lacz recalls, “I was training Bradley to do some long range sniper work and he said, ‘Did you ever consider playing yourself in the movie?’ I wasn’t sure about my acting skills, but I put a video together, Clint looked at it and liked it and there we were.”

On set, Lacz’s firsthand accounts of the team’s exploits in Iraq proved invaluable. Cooper attests, “He would add little Chris anecdotes or things Chris would do. He also guided us in the specific ways the team would operate, which dictated how we filmed certain scenes. I can’t even imagine having done the movie without him.”

For Lacz, stepping onto the set was like stepping back in time. “I’ve been out of the Navy for a few years, but once I donned the uniform, I did feel like I was back in Iraq at times. The set design was awesome, so visually I was there, and then it was just about trying to get into the mindset of being a Team guy again. It’s not the same, but you get that emotion, that visceral feeling, when you recreate those moments. It was powerful to me, and I know it was powerful to everybody who was on set watching. It makes you come back and reflect every day.”

Eastwood cast an ensemble of young actors to play the other members of Seal Team 3. Jake McDorman plays Ryan Job, who was saddled on his first day of SEAL training with the unfortunate nickname Biggles because “he was a little heavier than your average applicant,” McDorman acknowledges. “And the instant an embarrassing nickname is thrown out, there’s no undoing it. It’s permanent.”

Biggles and Chris Kyle become fast friends during their punishing SEAL training, where Chris’s actions are emblematic of his natural protective streak. McDorman explains, “Biggles is struggling and Chris notices that and tries to take the pressure off him by putting the attention on himself. His support gives Biggles the best chance to succeed, and Biggles is able to rise to the occasion and prevail. It formed the bond that lasted for the rest of their years together—a pledge of commitment that, no matter how hard it gets, you’re not going to abandon one of your brothers.”

Joining their band of brothers were Cory Hardrict as D; Luke Grimes as Marc Lee; Eric Laden as Squirrel; and Ray Gallegos as Tony.

While it was nowhere near as grueling as what real SEAL applicants endure, the actors assembled by Eastwood to be SEAL Team 3 did go through a kind of boot camp in order to portray accurately members of the Navy’s elite Special Forces. They were trained under the tutelage of Lacz and the film’s military advisor, James D. Dever, a former Marine, who previously worked with the director on “Flags of Our Fathers” and “Letters From Iwo Jima.”

“We had to learn how to properly hold a gun, how they enter and clear a room, and the correct lingo,” Grimes says. “We were constantly reminded that we weren’t just doing it for the camera; we were doing it for the guys who were there and the ones who are still there, and we took that very seriously.”

Adds Hardrict, “We just tried to stay focused and do our best because, at the end of the day, this was an acting job. But for the men we were playing, it was real life. When it was time for them to put on the gear and go out on the battlefield, it was all business, and we wanted to do that justice.”

“Every one of the actors gave their all to telling this story,” Eastwood remarks. “I was so grateful for their dedication and their appreciation for the people who actually put on that uniform every day. Regardless of the conditions, there were no complaints. It was just about getting the job done and done right.”

Bradley Cooper underwent particularly specialized preparation to become a believable SEAL sniper, which entailed much more than firing a gun. The actor details, “I trained with the .338 Lapua, a .300 Win Mag and MK11, which are the three sniper rifles Chris used, and just becoming comfortable with those weapons was imperative. But there is this other quality—the ability to operate in very high-pressure situations in a way that’s extremely methodical. It’s fascinating what they have to know: how to be prone on a gun; how you have to have your feet in a certain place and even control your breathing. And then there’s how long these guys stay on the gun. Kevin and I talked about how Chris could stay on the gun for eight hours without moving, which is an incredible feat.”

“Bradley did not leave any stone unturned when it came to the level of detail he went to in playing Chris,” praises Lacz. “He was like a sponge; he picked everything up so quickly. His intrinsic motivation really set him apart from anyone else I’ve ever worked with outside the actual Teams. He was a natural.”

In the film, Chris Kyle’s legendary prowess with a rifle is rivaled by an enemy sniper named Mustafa, played by Sammy Sheik. “He’s a Syrian sharpshooter who competed for his country in the Olympics,” says Sheik. “Now he’s come to Iraq with the goal of fighting for the insurgents against their common enemy. I thought he was a fascinating character even though he does not say one word the entire film. But everything had a rhythm to it. Clint would tell me, ‘Take it slow; this guy is cool under stress.’”

Peter Morgan expounds, “The Iraqis have dubbed Chris the ‘Devil of Ramadi’ and put a bounty on his head and Mustafa is after him. He also poses a major threat to the Americans on the ground, so it becomes a key part of Chris’s personal mission to take him out. And who better in the history of cinema to track two marksmen pursuing each other than Clint Eastwood?” he smiles.

Adding impetus to Chris’s mission, one of the Marines on the ground is his own brother, Jeff, who joined the Corps “to follow in his brother’s footsteps,” says Keir O’Donnell, who was cast in the role. “Jeff idolizes Chris for many reasons, stemming from the fact that Chris always stood up for him from the time they were kids. And their family dynamic, just having those Texas, Americana roots, is that fighting for our country is a very heroic thing.”

Completing the Kyle family, Ben Reed and Elise Robertson appear as Chris’s parents, Wayne and Debbie, and Cole Konis and Luke Sunshine are seen respectively as Chris and Jeff in their younger years. The cast of “American Sniper” also includes Navid Negahban as Sheikh Al-Obodi, and Mido Hamada as the merciless Iraqi enforcer who demonstrates how he earned the name “The Butcher.”

Development And Homecoming

Shooting on “American Sniper” began on location in Rabat, Morocco, which doubled for war-torn Iraq. Eastwood notes, “The architecture of Morocco is very much like Iraq. You can build sets anywhere to capture a style, but for wide shots that establish the atmosphere of whole towns or cities…that’s harder to mimic, so Morocco was a great option.”

Starting principal photography halfway around the world served a dual purpose. In addition to Morocco providing the perfect backdrop, “it bonded the actors playing SEAL Team 3 just by the fact that we were together so much more than if we were going home every night,” says Cooper. “Being in such a foreign place also enabled us to better imagine what it was like to be in a country so far from home, so we gleaned a lot from being in Rabat.”

The cast and filmmakers also benefited from the cooperation of the local authorities and Moroccan people, who allowed the production to take over entire neighborhoods. Members of the Moroccan Army even served as extras for some scenes.

When filming was completed in Morocco, the company returned to California for the remainder of principal photography. Eastwood’s longtime production designer James J. Murakami and production designer Charisse Cardenas, working with the director for the first time, took a two-prong approach to the film, with Cardenas concentrating on the military sequences and Murakami overseeing the homefront.

Cardenas relates, “I did quite a bit of research on Iraq, focusing on Ramadi, Fallujah and Sadyr City, and took notes from Chris Kyle’s own descriptions of his tours of duty. Our location team in Morocco was also an integral part in helping us achieve the right look for his years in country.”

The production took over the Blue Cloud Ranch in Santa Clarita, California, where the art department re-created an urban Iraqi environment, closely mirroring the Morocco locations. Much of Chris’s Ramadi tour of duty was filmed at the ranch

One of the climactic battle sequences in “American Sniper” was filmed in the desert town of El Centro, about 100 miles east of San Diego in the arid Imperial Valley. There, the design team converted an old milk processing plant into an abandoned date factory, where Chris and his team are jeopardized by two unrelenting forces: an overwhelming number of Iraqi insurgents who are advancing on their position from every direction; and a massive sand storm that threatens to envelop them. The storm was generated via a blend of special and visual effects, with the VFX team, led by Michael Owens, also augmenting the sets, as well as the hoard of enemy soldiers.

To bring the audience directly into the action, Eastwood and cinematographer Tom Stern employed state-of-the-art Blackmagic cameras. Utilizing both handheld and fixed cameras, strategically positioned throughout the sets, they were able to create the sensation of being in the thick of battle.

Jason Hall remarks, “Clint has this inherent ability to know where the truth is in every frame, and he lets the audience find it in the same way that he finds it. He brought a grittiness to the movie and a sort of sand-in-your-mouth feeling, where it felt authentic and didn’t feel like something that was trying to wring emotion out of you or manipulate you in any way. He lets it happen and then brings the audience along on the journey.”

Two different locations became the training ground for Chris Kyle and his fellow SEAL candidates. The Paramount Ranch in the Santa Monica Mountains served as the backdrop for the sniper course where Chris proves his targeting skills. Leo Carillo State Beach in Malibu stood in for the SEALs’ infamous BUD/s training center in Coronado, California, where the mettle of applicants is put to the ultimate test and only the best of the best earn the right to wear the SEAL Trident.

Though the actors were spared the worst of what real SEAL trainees withstand, there was no avoiding some physical tests. Cooper recalls, “It was brutal when we were doing the bicycle kicks while being sprayed with water, especially since Clint will sometimes let takes go on. I remember looking over at Dauber thinking, ‘If Dauber stops, then I can stop,’ but I wasn’t going to stop till he did,” he laughs.

Murakami largely focused his design efforts on the homes where Chris and Taya build their lives together. A modest house in Venice, California, was used for the young couple’s San Diego residence, Taya’s home base during Chris’s long deployments.

When Chris is, at last, home for good, he returns to his roots, bringing his family back to Midlothian. The Kyles’ Texas home was a house in Northridge, which was chosen because it reflected the openness and scale of Texas while still feeling neighborly. Art director Harry Otto comments, “James wanted the home to reflect a feeling of comfort and security as Chris begins to acclimate to his new life as a civilian.”

In designing the costumes for the film, Deborah Hopper says, “We did extensive research and had an array of pictures of Chris and Taya throughout their lives. It was important to us to stay as close to their own personal style as possible.”

Even in the military uniforms, especially those of the Navy SEALs, there was an element of individual tastes. Hopper’s department consulted with military advisors to ensure the verisimilitude of the uniforms, making sure every detail was accurate. However, she points out, “SEALs wear their uniforms in their own particular way, showcasing their personalities.”

Key armorer Michael Panevics and his team were responsible for the accuracy of the weaponry, paying close attention to continuity. Panevics explains, “Chris carried different weapons on each tour, but we were filming out of sequence, so we were constantly switching out rifles and side arms as we moved from one deployment to another.”

In his civilian life, “Chris wasn’t exactly a fashion icon,” Hopper smiles. “His style was relaxed and casual with a wardrobe consisting mostly of jeans and t-shirts or sweatshirts and his many baseball caps. In his post war years, Chris moved to Texas, where his look then reflected his Western roots. It was key to be true to the real people in every aspect of telling their story.”

“I’m really grateful that everybody involved in this movie went above and beyond what they had to do,” Taya Kyle states. “I feel like they did their job with more than they had to give, and that’s very fitting for a man who always gave more than he had to.”

Chris Kyle’s service to his country did not end when he took off his uniform. Cooper attests, “Like many coming home from war, it was tough for him because he was willing and able, but he wasn’t able to be over there protecting those still in harm’s way. It wasn’t until he started to find ways of assisting other veterans that he found his place.”

“He was very heroic in everything he did over there,” says Jason Hall, “but what he did back home was equally heroic. It’s important to recognize that these soldiers chose to serve, but they don’t choose their war. As soon as those boots hit the ground, they have a mission and they risk everything for us. The things they see and do are challenging for us to even comprehend, but if we’re going to ask them to do it, we have to be willing to open our arms to them when they come home.”

Taya offers, “I’ve heard it said that when you reach out your hand to help a veteran up, they won’t grab your hand with two hands; they grab it with one and then reach behind them and pull another veteran up with their other hand. It’s so true. I’m excited to see what people will do, either in honor of Chris’s life or because they learned something from the movie or the book. We all have the opportunity to do a lot of good for a lot of people who could really use it. In the end, what better life could we have lived than to know we impacted people in a positive way, and Chris did that. I think the movie is one more way for him to serve.”

Eastwood concludes, “Chris always went one step beyond in everything he did, and that extended to his work with veterans. Ultimately, that led to tragedy, but that’s not what makes him an important guy or what makes this an important story. What we all hope is that it will remind people of the sacrifices of soldiers and their families and make people even more appreciative of those who have given so much in service of their country.”

About The Cast

BRADLEY COOPER (Chris Kyle / Producer), a two-time Academy Award-nominated actor, can currently be seen starring on Broadway in the role of John Merrick in “The Elephant Man.” Cooper previously performed the role at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in 2012. Directed by Scott Ellis, the Broadway production, also starring Patricia Clarkson and Alessandro Nivola, just opened to rave reviews and runs through Sunday, February 15, 2015.

Cooper recently wrapped production on an as-yet-untitled film directed by John Wells, in which he stars alongside Sienna Miller. In May 2015, Cooper will star in an untitled Cameron Crowe film, opposite Emma Stone and Rachel McAdams.

Earlier in 2014, Cooper lent his voice to the character Rocket Raccoon in the action adventure “Guardians of the Galaxy.” Directed by James Gunn, the film became the surprise hit of the summer, grossing more than $770 million worldwide.

Cooper earned his most recent Oscar nomination, for Best Supporting Actor, for his portrayal of the unhinged FBI Agent Richie DiMaso in David O. Russell’s drama “American Hustle,” starring opposite Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence. The film was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Cooper also received nominations for Golden Globe, BAFTA, Critics’ Choice and Satellite Awards, all in the category of Best Supporting Actor. In addition, the cast won the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award and the Critics’ Choice Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

In 2013, Cooper reunited with Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis in “The Hangover Part III,” the third installment of Todd Phillips’ blockbuster comedy trilogy, which collectively grossed more than $1.4 billion globally. Cooper reprised his role from “The Hangover,” which still ranks as the highest-grossing R-rated comedy domestically, and “The Hangover Part II,” which is the top-grossing R-rated comedy worldwide.

Previously in 2013, Cooper starred in the critically acclaimed drama “The Place Beyond the Pines,” directed by Derek Cianfrance and also starring Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes. The film was recognized by the National Board of Review as one of their top 10 films of 2013.

Cooper was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor for his performance in the David O. Russell-directed 2012 drama “Silver Linings Playbook.” The film, also starring Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver and Chris Tucker, was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Cooper was recognized by the National Board of Review for Best Actor and also won the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Actor in a Comedy for his performance. Additionally, he received nominations for a Golden Globe Award, for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical; a SAG Award, for Outstanding Male Actor in a Leading Role; an Independent Spirit Award, for Best Male Lead; and a BAFTA Award, for Best Actor in a Lead Role.

In March 2011, Cooper starred in the box office smash “Limitless,” and also served as a producer on the film, which was directed by Neil Burger and also starred Robert De Niro and Abbie Cornish. Cooper’s additional film credits include “The Words,” “The A-Team,” “New York I Love You,” “He’s Just Not That Into You,” “Hit and Run,” “Yes Man,” “All About Steve,” “Wedding Crashers,” “Wet Hot American Summer” and “Serena.”

Cooper made his Broadway debut in the spring of 2006 in Joe Montello’s production of “Three Days of Rain,” opposite Julia Roberts and Paul Rudd. In July 2008, Cooper joined the cast of the critically acclaimed Theresa Rebeck play “The Understudy,” which premiered at Williamstown Theatre Festival to rave reviews and sold out performances.

On television, Cooper played the character of Will Tippin on the hit ABC series “Alias,” which ran for five seasons. Cooper also starred in the F/X Drama “Nip/Tuck,” as well as Fox’s single-camera comedy “Kitchen Confidential,” based on the trials and tribulations of renowned chef Anthony Bourdain. His other television credits include “Jack & Bobby,” “Touching Evil,” and guest appearances on “Law & Order: SVU,” “Law & Order: Trial by Jury” and “Sex and the City.”

In March 2012, Cooper and Warner Bros. entered into a two-year first look deal for his Production Company 22nd & Indiana Pictures. In May 2014, Cooper joined forces with longtime friend and partner Todd Phillips to form a production company (currently unnamed) as producing partners for a three-year, first-look production deal with Warner Bros. Pictures.

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Cooper graduated with honors in the English program at Georgetown University. After moving to New York City, he obtained his Master of Fine Arts degree at the Actors Studio Drama School.

SIENNA MILLER (Taya Kyle) is currently co-starring in Bennett Miller’s acclaimed true-life drama “Foxcatcher,” with Steve Carell, Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo. She also recently completed work on John Wells’ as-yet-untitled drama, set for release in 2015, in which she is reunited with Bradley Cooper. Her other upcoming projects include “Unfinished Business,” with Vince Vaughn; a feature film biopic about infamous Boston gangster Whitey Bulger, starring with Johnny Depp; and “High Rise,” directed by Ben Wheatley.

Born in New York, Miller was educated in England and then studied drama at the Lee Strasberg Institute in New York. She first gained the attention of critics and audiences when she played the love interest of Daniel Craig’s character in Matthew Vaughn’s “Layer Cake,” earning an Empire Award nomination for Best Newcomer.

She has since received a number of other accolades for her film work, including an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Female Lead for her role in the 2007 film “Interview,” and a British Independent Film Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in 2008’s “The Edge of Love,” for which she also garnered a BAFTA Orange Rising Star Award nomination.

Miller’s film credits also include “Factory Girl,” “Casanova,” and “GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra,” which was a huge international box office hit in 2009. Miller played the role of The Baroness, for which she was named Supporting Actress of the Year at NATO’s CinemaCon.

In 2013, Miller was nominated for both a BAFTA TV Award and a Golden Globe, in the Best Actress in a Mini-Series or TV movie category, for her role in the acclaimed HBO original movie “The Girl.” The film explored the relationship between Tippi Hedren, played by Miller, and Alfred Hitchcock (Toby Jones), during the making of the classic “The Birds.”

An accomplished stage actress, Miller made her West End debut in 2005, playing Celia in the Young Vic’s production of William Shakespeare’s “As You Like It,” earning praise from critics and audiences for her performance alongside Helen McCrory and Dominic West. In 2009, she made her Broadway bow in Patrick Marber’s adaptation of “Miss Julie” entitled “After Miss Julie,” directed by Mark Brokaw and also starring Jonny Lee Miller. More recently, she starred in the 2011 West End revival of Terence Rattigan’s “Flare Path,” at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, directed by Trevor Nunn.

Miller also has a staunch devotion to humanitarian work. As an ambassador for Global Cool, she helped change legislation in India, tackling head-on the problems of climate change. She now serves as an ambassador for the children’s charity Starlight and the world relief organization International Medical Corps.

LUKE GRIMES (Marc Lee) co-stars as Elliot in the highly anticipated film “Fifty Shades of Grey,” which will be released on February 14, 2015.

Grimes recently wrapped production on the drama “Freeheld,” with Julianne Moore, Ellen Page, Steve Carell and Michael Shannon. His upcoming films also include the indie features “Shangri-La Suite,” in which he stars opposite Emily Browning under the direction of Eddie O’Keefe, and “Forever,” opposite Deborah Ann Woll.

Grimes made his feature film debut in “All the Boys Love Mandy Lane,” which premiered at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival. His other film credits include “Assassination of a High School President,” with Bruce Willis, which premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival; “Shit Year,” opposite Ellen Barkin, which premiered at Director’s Fortnight in Cannes; “The Wait,” with Chloë Sevigny; and “Squatters,” with Richard Dreyfuss. He more recently appeared in the action thriller “Taken 2,” with Liam Neeson.

On the small screen, Grimes starred in Greg Berlanti’s hit ABC series “Brothers & Sisters,” the FX drama pilot “Outlaw Country,” and HBO’s top-rated hit “True Blood.”

Hailing from Dayton, Ohio, the son of a Pentecostal pastor, Grimes spent his summers at church camp where he learned to play drums, leading to his other passion: music. He is the lead of an alt-country band called Mitchell’s Folly.

Prior to moving to Los Angeles, Grimes studied acting in New York City and received a degree from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

JAKE MCDORMAN (Biggles) starred this season opposite Analeigh Tipton on the ABC romantic comedy series “Manhattan Love Story.” He also recently had a recurring role on Showtime’s hit series “Shameless,” opposite Emmy Rossum. Previously, McDorman starred as Evan Chambers on the ABC Family series “Greek.” He also played the title role of convicted “Craigslist Killer” Philip Markoff in the Lifetime original film of the same name.

McDorman has appeared in several feature films, including the actioner “Live Free or Die Hard,” starring Bruce Willis; “Bring It On: All or Nothing,” with Hayden Panettiere; and “Aquamarine,” starring Emma Roberts. Upcoming, he will be seen in the independent films “Me Him Her” and “See You in Valhalla.”

His other television credits include guest roles on such series as “The Newsroom,” “Cold Case,” “CSI: Miami” and “House M.D.”

McDorman hails from Dallas, Texas, where he studied acting at the Dallas Young Actors Studio. At the age of 17, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue his acting career.

KEVIN LACZ (Dauber / Navy Technical Advisor) was born and raised in central Connecticut, and attended James Madison University in pursuit of his lifelong dream of becoming a doctor. However, when the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 claimed the life of a good friend’s father, he decided to leave school in favor of the military. A SEALs poster on the wall at a Navy recruiter’s office inspired Lacz to enlist in the Navy with orders for BUD/s (Basic Underwater Demolition / SEAL training). He went on to graduate with BUD/s Class 246. As a Hospital Corpsman, Lacz also attended 18-D Special Operations Combat Medic School at Fort Bragg before checking into SEAL Team THREE in Coronado, California. Soon after, he attended Army Sniper school and returned to Charlie Platoon where he began preparing for his 2006 deployment with Chris Kyle, Marc Lee, Ryan Job, and Mike Monsoor.

In 2006, Lacz deployed to Ramadi, Iraq with Charlie Platoon, Task Unit Bruiser. The work he did as a platoon sniper and medic contributed to his task unit becoming the most highly decorated special operations task unit since Vietnam. Lacz personally conducted numerous sniper over watches, direct action missions, raids, and tribal engagements in support of the effort to halt the spread of violence through Ramadi. For his actions on his 2006 deployment, including acquiring numerous enemy kills and braving enemy fire to carry a fallen comrade to safety, Lacz was awarded a Bronze Star with a Combat “V” for Valor. Lacz’s 2006 deployment has been discussed extensively in the media and in books, including Dick Couch’s The Sheriff of Ramadi and Jim DeFelice and Johnny Walker’s Code Name: Johnny Walker, as well as Chris Kyle’s American Sniper.

In 2008, Lacz returned to Iraq, this time as a member of Delta Platoon. His focus was the Iraqi border with Syria and the interception of foreign fighters trying to infiltrate the country. He completed another deployment with Kyle, this time as a platoon sniper, medic, and breacher - a trifecta of certifications that made Lacz the only member of his platoon qualified to go on literally any operation they planned.

As a SEAL, Lacz gained extensive experience in Special Operations Combat Medicine, Special Operations Dive Chamber Medicine, Military Free-Fall HALO and HAHO Operations, Long-Range Target Interdiction Sniper work, Survival Evasion Resistance Escape (SERE) Training, Battlefield Interrogations, Close Quarters Combat (CQC), Counter-Terrorism Operations, and Naval Special Warfare Lead Breaching Operations. In addition to his Bronze Star, Lacz was awarded two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals with Combat “V”s for Valor and two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals.

Upon completing his enlistment, Lacz was honorably discharged from the Navy. Returning to Connecticut, he enrolled at the University of Connecticut and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Political Science in 2011. While earning his undergraduate degree, he also got married and started a family. In 2012, Lacz moved his family to Winston-Salem, North Carolina to pursue his Masters of Medical Sciences at Wake Forest University. He graduated in August 2014 and is a certified Physician Assistant. Currently, Lacz is preparing to begin work as a PA with the Eagle Fund at the Andrews Institute and EXOS Facility in Gulf Breeze, Florida.

His past military service influences him greatly as he seeks to actively support service members and veterans in his community and around the country. He also continues to work in the entertainment industry as an actor, stuntman and technical advisor, in addition to being a motivational speaker.

CORY HARDRICT (“D” / Dandridge) previously worked with Clint Eastwood in the hit drama “Gran Torino.” His other film work includes roles in “Transcendence,” “Warm Bodies,” “Lovelace,” “Battle: Los Angeles,” “He’s Just Not That Into You” and “Never Been Kissed,” to name only a few.

In addition, Hardrict has a number of films upcoming, including the indie titles “Spectral,” “Brotherly Love,” “Car Dogs,” “Walk of Fame,” and “Destined,” on which he is also serving as an executive producer.

Hardrict also has a long list of television credits, including recurring and guest roles on such series as “Eastbound & Down,” “Saving Grace,” “The Game,” “Lincoln Heights,” “Heroes,” “CSI: NY,” “Boston Legal,” “Without a Trace,” “CSI,” “Law & Order,” “Cold Case,” “ER,” “The Shield” and “NYPD Blue.”

NAVID NEGAHBAN (Sheikh Al-Obodi) recently starred on Showtime’s hit series “Homeland,” playing the role of the CIA’s most wanted terrorist, Abu Nazir. As a member of the cast, he shared in a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.

Negahban’s film credits include a leading role in the critically acclaimed feature “The Stoning of Soraya M.,” with Shohreh Aghdashloo and Jim Caviezel, and a starring role in the indie film “Words and Pictures,” with Clive Owen. He has also had significant supporting roles in films including “Brothers,” starring Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal; “Powder Blue,” with Jessica Biel and Forest Whitaker; and “Charlie Wilson’s War,” starring Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Amy Adams.

Negahban is known to television audiences for his recurring role on FOX’s eighth and final season of the hit show “24.” He has also had appearances on such series as “Person of Interest,” “The Mentalist,” “Arrow,” “Covert Affairs,” “Scorpion,” “CSI: NY,” “CSI: Miami,” “NCIS: Los Angeles,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “The Closer,” “Criminal Minds,” “The Unit,” “Las Vegas,” “Lost,” “JAG,” “The West Wing,” “Without a Trace” and “The Shield.”

Born in Mashhad, Iran, Negahban is fluent in English, Farsi and German.

KEIR O’DONNELL (Jeff Kyle) was seen last summer in the blockbuster “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.” Up next, he co-stars with Aaron Eckhart in the thriller “Incarnate.”

Born in Sydney, Australia, O’Donnell moved to Massachusetts at the age of 10 and went on to graduate from the HARTT School performing arts conservatory in Hartford, Connecticut. O’Donnell did several plays at repertory theatres on the East Coast before relocating to Los Angeles.

His early film credits include “Wedding Crashers,” with Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson and Bradley Cooper; “The Break-Up,” with Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston; the documentary “Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show”; and “When in Rome,” with Josh Duhamel and Kristen Bell. He played the principal character known only as The Laugh in the horror film “Amusement,” and was then seen as the lead villain in “Paul Blart: Mall Cop,” starring opposite Kevin James. O’Donnell has also been seen in various independent films, including “Flakes,” with Zooey Deschanel; “Noise,” opposite Tim Robbins; “Taking Chances,” with Justin Long; “The Runaways,” with Kristen Stewart; and “Free Samples,” with Jesse Eisenberg.

His small screen credits include guest spots on “Lost,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” “Maron,” “My Generation,” “The Closer,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “CSI,” and “NCIS,” as well as recurring roles on “Sons of Anarchy” and Showtime’s “United States of Tara” and “Californication.”

The feature film “A Case of You,” selected for 2013’s Tribeca Film Festival, marked his producing and writing debut, with writing partners Justin Long and Christian Long. He also stars in the film, with Justin Long, Evan Rachel Wood, Vince Vaughn, Sienna Miller, Peter Dinklage, Sam Rockwell and Brendan Fraser.

About THe Filmmakers

CLINT EASTWOOD (Director / Producer) has been honored for his work as a director, producer and actor, including four Oscar wins for his work as a director and producer on the Best Picture winners “Million Dollar Baby” and “Unforgiven.”

Eastwood won his first Oscars, for Best Director and Best Picture, for his 1992 Western “Unforgiven,” which received a total of nine nominations, including one for Eastwood for Best Actor. Additionally, Eastwood won Golden Globe and Directors Guild of America (DGA) Awards, and the film garnered Best Picture honors from several critics groups.

In 2005, Eastwood again won Best Director and Best Picture Oscars for “Million Dollar Baby,” also earning another Best Actor nomination for his performance in the film. He also won his second DGA Award and another Best Director Golden Globe, as well as a Golden Globe nomination for the film’s score.

Eastwood has twice more earned dual Oscar nominations, in the categories of Best Director and Best Picture, for the dramatic thriller “Mystic River,” for which he also gained Golden Globe and DGA Award nominations, and the World War II drama “Letters from Iwo Jima,” which won Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Awards for Best Foreign Language Film and received Best Picture Awards from a number of film critics groups. “Letters from Iwo Jima” was the companion film to Eastwood’s widely praised drama “Flags of Our Fathers.”

In 2008, Eastwood’s “Changeling” received three Oscar nominations and Eastwood garnered BAFTA Award and London Film Critics Award nominations for Best Director, as well as a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Score. The film was also nominated for a Palme d’Or and won a Special Award when it premiered at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. He had received three earlier Palme d’Or nominations: for “White Hunter Black Heart,” in 1990; “Bird,” at the 1988 festival; and “Pale Rider,” in 1985. He also won his first Best Director Golden Globe Award for “Bird.”

He most recently directed and produced the big-screen version of the Tony Award-winning musical “Jersey Boys,” which tells the story of the origins of the iconic rock group The Four Seasons. In addition, he directed and produced the biographical drama “J. Edgar”; “Hereafter,” which received Italy’s David di Donatello Award for Best Foreign Film; and the historical drama “Invictus,” for which he won a National Board of Review Award and earned Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Award nominations for Best Director. He also starred in, directed and produced “Gran Torino,” for which he won a Best Actor Award from the National Board of Review.

Eastwood has also directed and starred in such films as “Blood Work,” “Space Cowboys,” “True Crime,” “Absolute Power,” “The Bridges of Madison County,” “The Rookie,” “Heartbreak Ridge,” “Sudden Impact,” “Honkytonk Man,” “Firefox,” “Bronco Billy,” “The Outlaw Josey Wales,” “The Eiger Sanction,” “High Plains Drifter,” and “Play Misty for Me,” which marked his directorial debut.

Eastwood first came to worldwide fame as an actor in such legendary Westerns as “A Fistful of Dollars,” “For a Few Dollars More,” “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” “Hang ‘Em High,” and “Two Mules for Sister Sara.” His film acting work also includes “Kelly’s Heroes,” “Escape from Alcatraz,” the “Dirty Harry” actioners, “Every Which Way But Loose,” “Any Which Way You Can,” “In the Line of Fire” and “Trouble with the Curve.”

Over the course of his illustrious career, Eastwood has received many lifetime achievement honors, including the Motion Picture Academy’s Irving Thalberg Memorial Award and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Cecil B. DeMille Award. He has also garnered tributes from the Directors Guild of America, the Producers Guild of America, the Screen Actors Guild, the American Film Institute, the Film Society of Lincoln Center, the French Film Society, the National Board of Review, and the Henry Mancini Institute. He is also the recipient of a Kennedy Center Honor and received the California Governor’s Award for the Arts. He recently received the Commandeur de la Legion d’honneur, presented by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

ROBERT LORENZ (Producer) is a two-time Oscar-nominated filmmaker who produces films with Clint Eastwood under the Malpaso Productions banner. In 2012, Lorenz made his feature directorial debut with “Trouble with the Curve,” starring Eastwood, Amy Adams and Justin Timberlake.

Lorenz received his first Oscar nomination in 2004 as a producer on Eastwood’s “Mystic River.” The following year he served as executive producer on the director’s Best Picture winner “Million Dollar Baby.” Lorenz went on to produce Eastwood’s World War II companion pieces, “Flags of Our Fathers” and “Letters from Iwo Jima.” The latter, which he produced along with Eastwood and Steven Spielberg, brought Lorenz his second Oscar nomination. Shot almost entirely in Japanese, “Letters from Iwo Jima” also won the Los Angeles Film Critics and National Board of Review Awards for Best Picture, as well as the Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Awards for Best Foreign Language Film.

In 2008, Lorenz teamed with Brian Grazer and Ron Howard to produce Eastwood’s true-life drama “Changeling,” which went on to receive three Oscar nominations, including one for Angelina Jolie as Best Actress. The same year, Lorenz and Eastwood produced “Gran Torino,” Malpaso’s highest grossing film to date.

Earlier in 2014, Lorenz produced Eastwood’s big-screen version of the Tony Award-winning musical “Jersey Boys,” which tells the story of the origins of the iconic rock group The Four Seasons. He also recently produced Eastwood’s “J. Edgar,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio; “Hereafter,” starring Matt Damon; and “Invictus,” for which he earned a Producers Guild of America Award nomination. “Invictus,” starring Damon and Morgan Freeman in Oscar-nominated performances, also received Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Director.

ANDREW LAZAR (Producer) formed Mad Chance in 1995 with a mandate to focus on smart, intriguing material in every genre and budget range. His debut was the Shakespeare-influenced teen comedy “10 Things I Hate About You,” starring Heath Ledger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Julia Stiles.

Lazar recently wrapped “Mortdecai,” an action comedy based on the book by Kyril Bonfiglioli, which is set to be released January 23, 2015. Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Paul Bettany and Olivia Munn star in the film, directed by David Koepp. Lazar is currently in pre-production on the fantasy action movie “Lore,” based on the graphic novel of the same name, with Dave Green directing and Dwayne Johnson starring. Among his many other additional upcoming credits, Lazar is working alongside Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way to adapt the cult classic Japanese manga Akira, with Jaume Collet-Serra directing.

Lazar’s recent producing credits include Peter Segal’s “Get Smart,” starring Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson and Alan Arkin; “I Love You Phillip Morris,” written and directed by John Requa and Glenn Ficarra and starring Jim Carrey, Ewan McGregor, and Leslie Mann; “Jonah Hex,” starring Josh Brolin, John Malkovich, Megan Fox, Michael Fassbender and Michael Shannon; and “Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore,” starring Bette Midler, James Marsden, Christina Applegate and Neil Patrick Harris, which was the sequel to the earlier hit “Cats & Dogs,” starring Tobey Maguire, Sean Hayes, Susan Sarandon and Alex Baldwin.

His film credits also include the critically acclaimed “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,” which marked George Clooney’s directorial debut, starring Sam Rockwell, Drew Barrymore, Julia Roberts and Clooney; “Catch That Kid,” starring Kristen Stewart, Corbin Bleu and Max Thieriot; Danny DeVito’s “Death to Smoochy,” starring Edward Norton, Robin Williams and Catherine Keener; Clint Eastwood’s “Space Cowboys,” starring Eastwood and Tommy Lee Jones; “The Astronaut’s Wife,” starring Johnny Depp and Charlize Theron; Nora Ephron's lottery comedy “Lucky Numbers,” starring John Travolta and Lisa Kudrow; Henry Bromell’s “Panic,” starring William H. Macy and Neve Campbell; the Wachowskis’ directorial debut, “Bound,” starring Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly; and Richard Donner’s “Assassins,” starring Sylvester Stallone and Antonio Banderas.

PETER MORGAN (Producer) grew up in Los Angeles, where he attended the prestigious USC Film School. Soon thereafter, at the age of 26, he sold his first screenplay, “Poison Ivy.” He went on to executive produce the resulting film, starring Drew Barrymore, which became somewhat of a cult classic and generated four sequels.

Early in his career, Morgan was mentored by Dick Clark, who gave him his first overall deal and taught him how to sell his ideas for film and television. He formed his own company with his writing and producing partner, which was housed at New Line Cinema. There, Bob Shaye and Mike DeLuca further mentored Morgan, financing a number of films and television projects.

Finding new talent was and remains a great motivator for Morgan. While working for Ashton Kutcher and running his feature division at Katalyst Films, he discovered Jason Hall and introduced the writer to CAA. They developed a dark comedy at Katalyst called “Spread,” which Kutcher starred in and produced alongside Morgan.

Morgan went on to executive produce such films as “Killers,” with Kutcher, and the comedy “Identity Thief,” a spec he discovered and brought to Jason Bateman, who starred in the film alongside Melissa McCarthy.

Among many other projects, Morgan is currently developing “Rasputin” with Leonardo DiCaprio’s company Appian Way.

JASON HALL (Screenwriter / Executive Producer) was born in Lake Arrowhead and attended Philips Exeter Academy and USC, where he studied theatre before finding his way into the cinema department. He began his career working primarily as an actor on such shows as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “CSI: Miami,” but always had a passion for the filmmaking side.

Like other actors looking to control their own destiny, he began writing and it quickly evolved to a full-fledged career. His feature debut, “Spread,” was produced by and starred Ashton Kutcher. He then co-wrote the thriller “Paranoia,” starring Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman and Liam Hemsworth under the direction of Robert Luketic.

Hall is the product of a military family: his grandfather was a WWII vet; his uncle was a Marine in Vietnam; and his half-brother was disabled in the Army during Desert Storm. Having witnessed the effects of war on those who fight, he was intrigued by the remarkable story of Chris Kyle. After meeting Kyle, he was honored to be entrusted with helping to tell his story on screen. “American Sniper” marks his third produced screenplay.

Hall currently has several diverse projects in development, including “Thank You for Your Service,” the film adaptation of David Finkel’s book for producer Steven Spielberg; “Rasputin,” for Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way; and “Robin Hood 2058.”

CHRIS KYLE (Author) joined the U.S. Navy in 1999 and served with the SEALs (Team Three) until 2009, achieving the rank of Chief Petty Officer. For his bravery in battle, Chief Kyle was awarded two Silver Stars, five Bronze Stars with Valor, and numerous other citations, including the Grateful Nation Award, given by the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs.

Following multiple combat tours in Iraq and elsewhere, he became chief instructor for training Naval Special Warfare sniper teams, and he authored the Naval Special Warfare Sniper Doctrine, the first Navy SEAL sniper manual.

A native Texan, Kyle devoted much of his spare time after leaving the Navy to supporting and raising awareness for veterans. His memoir, American Sniper, which was reviewed and approved by the Department of Defense prior to publication, appeared in January 2012 and became a #1 New York Times bestseller, selling more than one million copies and appearing in twenty-two languages.

On February 2, 2013—two months shy of his thirty-ninth birthday—Kyle was killed while he and a friend were helping a troubled veteran. Thousands attended his public memorial service at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. He is buried at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin. His second book, American Gun: A History of the U.S. in Ten Firearms, was posthumously published four months later and reached #2 on the New York Times bestseller list.

Chief Kyle is survived by his wife, Taya, and their two children. In her husband’s honor, Taya has founded the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to aiding military and first-responder families.

SCOTT MCEWEN (Author) is a trial lawyer based in San Diego, California. His coauthored works include Eyes on Target (with Richard Miniter), as well as three novels: the Sniper Elite series (with Thomas Koloniar).

JIM DEFELICE (Author) has written fourteen New York Times bestsellers, including American Sniper and Code Name: Johnny Walker: The Extraordinary Story of the Iraqi Who Risked Everything to Fight with the U.S. Navy SEALS. His novels include the popular Rogue Warrior series, written with Richard Marcinko, founder of SEAL Team Six.

TIM MOORE (Executive Producer) was an executive producer on the action hit “Need for Speed,” starring Aaron Paul. He was also a producer on the 2011 drama “In the Land of Blood and Honey,” which marked Angelina Jolie’s directorial debut. The film received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Language film, the Stanley Kramer Award from the Producers Guild and the Best Foreign Film Award at the NAACP Image Awards.

Moore has overseen the physical production of all of Clint Eastwood’s films since 2002. He most recently executive produced the big-screen version of the Tony Award-winning musical “Jersey Boys.” In 2009, he executive produced the critically acclaimed drama “Invictus,” starring Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman, which received widespread acclaim and several Oscar and Golden Globe nominations, including a Golden Globe nod for Best Picture – Drama. In addition, Moore was an executive producer on “J. Edgar,” “Hereafter,” “Gran Torino” and “Changeling,” and served as a co-producer on the dual World War II epics “Flags of Our Fathers” and the award-winning “Letters from Iwo Jima,” which was Oscar-nominated for Best Picture.

His work with Eastwood also includes the dramas “Mystic River,” which earned six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, and “Million Dollar Baby,” which won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Additionally, he was an executive producer on Rob Lorenz’s “Trouble with the Curve,” starring Eastwood, Amy Adams and Justin Timberlake, and co-producer on Alison Eastwood’s directorial debut, “Rails & Ties.”

Moore has also worked several times with director Rowdy Herrington over the last two decades, including as a producer on the ESPY-nominated biopic “Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius.” Their earlier collaborations include the films “A Murder of Crows,” “Road House” and “Jack’s Back.”

Moore’s other producing credits include Steve Buscemi’s “Animal Factory” and Arne Glimcher’s “The White River Kid.” For television, he was the production manager on the telefilm “Semper Fi” and produced the telefilm “Stolen from the Heart.”

Before starting his film career, Moore attended UCLA, where he met John Shepherd. The two have gone on to produce four independent features together: “Eye of the Storm,” “The Ride,” “The Climb” and the aforementioned “Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius.”

SHEROUM KIM (Executive Producer) has been a senior executive at Bradley Cooper’s 22nd & Indiana Pictures since its inception in 2012. She is currently spearheading the development of several projects with Warner Bros. Pictures.

She began her career at the William Morris Agency in 2006 and, the following year, moved to Warner Bros. first as Jon Berg’s assistant, then later working with Greg Silverman. In 2011, she worked as an assistant to director Dennis Dugan on the feature comedy “Just Go With It,” starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston.

Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Kim graduated with honors from the University of California, with degrees in Political Science and Cinema-Television.

The initial slate of films produced under the pact included such hits as “Practical Magic,” starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman; “Analyze This,” teaming Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal; “The Matrix,” starring Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne; “Three Kings,” starring George Clooney; “Space Cowboys,” directed by and starring Clint Eastwood; and “Miss Congeniality,” starring Bullock and Benjamin Bratt.

Under the Village Roadshow Pictures banner, Berman has subsequently executive produced such wide-ranging successes as “Training Day,” for which Denzel Washington won an Oscar; the “Ocean’s” trilogy; “Two Weeks’ Notice,” pairing Bullock and Hugh Grant; Eastwood’s “Mystic River,” starring Sean Penn and Tim Robbins in Oscar-winning performances; “The Matrix Reloaded” and “The Matrix Revolutions”; Tim Burton’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” starring Johnny Depp; the blockbuster “I Am Legend,” starring Will Smith; the acclaimed drama “Gran Torino,” directed by and starring Clint Eastwood; director Guy Ritchie’s hit action adventure “Sherlock Holmes,” starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, and its sequel, “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows”; and Baz Luhrmann’s “The Great Gatsby,” which won the AACTA Award for Best Picture, one of 13 wins, from the Australian Film Institute. Most recently, Berman served as executive producer on the blockbuster hit “The LEGO Movie,” directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and featuring an all-star vocal cast; the drama “The Judge,” starring Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall; and the Wachowskis’ science fiction action adventure “Jupiter Ascending,” starring Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis, set for a February 2015 release.

His upcoming projects include Ron Howard’s action adventure “In the Heart of the Sea,” based on the Nathaniel Philbrick bestseller about the dramatic true journey of the whaling ship Essex; and George Miller’s “Mad Max: Fury Road.”

Berman got his start in the motion picture business working with Jack Valenti at the MPAA while attending Georgetown Law School in Washington, DC. After earning his law degree, he landed a job at Casablanca Films in 1978. Moving to Universal, he worked his way up to a production Vice President in 1982.

In 1984, Berman joined Warner Bros. as a production Vice President, and was promoted to Senior Vice President of Production four years later. He was appointed President of Theatrical Production in September 1989, and in 1991 was named to the post of President of Worldwide Theatrical Production, which he held through May 1996. Under his aegis, Warner Bros. Pictures produced and distributed such films as “Presumed Innocent,” “GoodFellas,” “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,” the Oscar-winning Best Picture “Driving Miss Daisy,” “Batman Forever,” “Under Siege,” “Malcolm X,” “The Bodyguard,” “JFK,” “The Fugitive,” “Dave,” “Disclosure,” “The Pelican Brief,” “Outbreak,” “The Client,” “A Time to Kill,” and “Twister.”

In May of 1996, Berman started Plan B Entertainment, an independent motion picture company at Warner Bros. Pictures. He was named Chairman and CEO of Village Roadshow Pictures in February 1998.

TOM STERN (Director of Photography) earned both Oscar and BAFTA Award nominations for Best Cinematography for his work on Clint Eastwood’s drama “Changeling.” Stern, who has enjoyed a long association with Eastwood, more recently lensed Eastwood’s big-screen version of the musical “Jersey Boys.” He also served as the cinematographer on Eastwood’s “J. Edgar”; “Hereafter”; “Invictus”; “Gran Torino”; the World War II dramas “Flags of Our Fathers” and “Letters from Iwo Jima”; the Oscar-winning dramas “Million Dollar Baby” and “Mystic River”; and “Blood Work,” which marked Stern’s first film as a director of photography.

Stern most recently completed work on the upcoming film “Broken Horses,” for director Vidhu Vinod Chopra. His collaborations with other directors include “Sleepless Night,” from Frédéric Jardin, and the worldwide blockbuster “The Hunger Games.” He also shot Rob Lorenz’s “Trouble with the Curve,” Pavel Lungin’s “Tsar,” Susanne Bier’s “Things We Lost in the Fire,” Christophe Barratier’s “Paris 36,” Alison Eastwood’s “Rails & Ties,” Tony Goldwyn’s “The Last Kiss,” John Turturro’s “Romance & Cigarettes,” Scott Derrickson’s “The Exorcism of Emily Rose” and Rowdy Herrington’s “Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius.”

A 40-year industry veteran, Stern has worked with Eastwood for more than three decades, going back to when Stern was a gaffer on such films as “Honkytonk Man,” “Sudden Impact,” “Tightrope,” “Pale Rider” and “Heartbreak Ridge.” Becoming the chief lighting technician at Malpaso Productions, he worked on a wide range of films, including Eastwood’s “The Rookie,” “Unforgiven,” “A Perfect World,” “True Crime” and “Space Cowboys.” As a chief lighting technician, he also teamed with such directors as Michael Apted on “Class Action,” and Sam Mendes on “Road to Perdition” and the Oscar-winning “American Beauty,” among others.

JAMES J. MURAKAMI (Production Designer) was honored in 2008 with Oscar and BAFTA Award nominations for his work as the production designer on Clint Eastwood’s period drama “Changeling,” set in 1928. His production designs on that film, as well as Eastwood’s “Gran Torino” were nominated for Art Director’s Guild Awards, in the period and contemporary categories, respectively. He more recently worked with the director on the big-screen version of the musical “Jersey Boys,” and also served as the production designer on the dramas “Hereafter,” “Invictus” and “J. Edgar.”

Murakami’s first film with Eastwood as a production designer was the acclaimed World War II drama “Letters from Iwo Jima.” He had previously collaborated with Eastwood’s longtime production designer Henry Bumstead, first as a set designer on “Unforgiven” and later as an art director on “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.”

Murakami was the production designer on Rob Lorenz’s “Trouble with the Curve,” starring Eastwood, and Alison Eastwood’s directorial debut feature, “Rails & Ties.”

In 2005, Murakami won an Emmy Award for his work as an art director on the acclaimed HBO series “Deadwood.” He had earned his first Emmy Award nomination for his art direction on the series Western the year prior.

His many feature film credits as an art director include the Tony Scott films “Enemy of the State,” “Crimson Tide,” “True Romance” and “Beverly Hills Cop II”; David Fincher’s “The Game”; Peter Hyams’ “The Relic”; Martin Brest’s “Midnight Run” and “Beverly Hills Cop”; Barry Levinson’s “The Natural,” for which he received an Oscar nomination; and John Badham’s “WarGames.” He also served as a set designer on such films as “The Scorpion King,” “The Princess Diaries,” “The Postman,” “Head Above Water,” “I Love Trouble” and “Sneakers.”

CHARISSE CARDENAS (Production Designer) worked on the films “Runner Runner,” “The Lincoln Lawyer” and “The Take,” a Toronto Film Festival selection. Her other feature credits as production designer include “The Killing Room,” a Sundance Film Festival selection, and “Broken.” She was named the Production Designer to Watch by the Hollywood Reporter’s Top 35 under 35.

For television, Cardenas’ production design credits include collaborations with Jon Turtletaub, Guy Ritchie and McG’s Wonderland Sound and Vision. Her credits include the series “Jericho” and the telefilms “Spaced” and “Suspect.” She also won a Broadcast Design Award for her work on Al Gore’s Current Network. Additionally, she designed the pilot for Amazon’s crime series “Bosch,” from creator Michael Connelly.

Cardenas earlier served as a set designer on such films as “The Postman,” “Lethal Weapon 4,” “The Deep End of the Ocean,” “End of Days” and “Almost Famous.” She moved on to be an art director on television projects, including Jerry Bruckheimer’s “Without a Trace” and J.J. Abrams’ “Alias.” In 2004, she earned an Emmy nomination for her work on “Arrested Development.”

A native of Los Angeles, Cardenas began her career in the entertainment industry soon after graduating with Master of Architecture from Cal Poly and Bachelor of Arts in Art History from UCLA.

JOEL COX (Editor), who has worked with Clint Eastwood for almost 40 years, won an Academy Award for Best Editing for his work on the director’s “Unforgiven.” He received another Oscar nomination for the editing on Eastwood’s “Million Dollar Baby,” and earned a BAFTA Award nomination for his work on “Changeling.” More recently, Cox edited the big-screen version of the musical “Jersey Boys.”

Apart from his work with Eastwood, Cox recently edited Denis Villeneuve’s drama “Prisoners” and Rob Lorenz’s film directing debut, “Trouble with the Curve.”

In addition, Cox has served as editor on the Eastwood-directed films “J. Edgar,” “Hereafter,” “Invictus,” “Gran Torino,” “Letters from Iwo Jima,” “Flags of Our Fathers,” “Mystic River,” “Blood Work,” “Space Cowboys,” “True Crime,” “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” “Absolute Power,” “The Bridges of Madison County,” “A Perfect World,” “The Rookie,” “White Hunter Black Heart,” “Bird,” “Heartbreak Ridge,” “Pale Rider” and “Sudden Impact.”

Their relationship began in 1975 when Cox worked as an assistant editor on “The Outlaw Josey Wales.” Since then, Cox has worked in the editing room on more than 30 films that have, in some combination, been directed or produced by or starred Eastwood.

Early in his career, Cox worked alongside his mentor, editor Ferris Webster, as a co-editor on such films as “The Enforcer,” “The Gauntlet,” “Every Which Way But Loose,” “Escape from Alcatraz,” “Bronco Billy” and “Honkytonk Man.” His other credits as an editor include “Tightrope,” “The Dead Pool,” “Pink Cadillac” and “The Stars Fell on Henrietta.”

GARY D. ROACH (Editor) most recently teamed with Joel Cox as editors on Clint Eastwood’s big-screen version of the musical “Jersey Boys.” Together with Cox, he also edited the widely praised dramatic thriller “Prisoners,” for director Denis Villeneuve.

Roach has worked with Clint Eastwood since 1996, beginning as an apprentice editor on “Absolute Power.” He quickly moved up to assistant editor on the films “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” “True Crime,” “Space Cowboys,” “Blood Work,” “Mystic River,” “Million Dollar Baby” and “Flags of Our Fathers.”

The award-winning World War II drama “Letters from Iwo Jima” marked Roach’s first full editor credit, shared with Joel Cox. Roach gained his first solo editor credit on Alison Eastwood’s directorial debut film, “Rails & Ties.” He continued his collaboration with Clint Eastwood and Joel Cox on “Changeling,” for which he earned a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Editing. His film editing credits also include Eastwood’s “Gran Torino,” “Invictus,” “Hereafter” and “J. Edgar,” and Rob Lorenz’s “Trouble with the Curve.”

In addition, Roach was a co-editor on the Eastwood-directed “Piano Blues,” a segment of the documentary series “The Blues,” produced by Martin Scorsese. Continuing his documentary work, Roach went on to co-edit a film about Tony Bennett called “Tony Bennett: The Music Never Ends,” and a documentary on the life of Dave Brubeck called “In His Own Sweet Way.”

DEBORAH HOPPER (Costume Designer) has worked with filmmaker Clint Eastwood for over 25 years. Recently, Hopper and Eastwood were honored with The Most Distinguished Collaborators Award by the Costume Designers Guild. Hopper previously earned a Costume Designers Guild Award nomination, as well as a BAFTA Award nomination, for her period costumes for Eastwood’s true-life drama “Changeling,” starring Angelina Jolie. In addition, Hopper was named Costume Designer of the Year at the 2008 Hollywood Film Festival.

Hopper also recently designed the costumes for Eastwood’s “Jersey Boys”; “J. Edgar,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio in the title role; the contemporary drama “Gran Torino,” which Eastwood starred in and directed; and “Invictus,” starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. Hopper also designed the costumes for the Eastwood-directed films “Hereafter,” “Letters from Iwo Jima,” “Flags of Our Fathers,” “Million Dollar Baby,” “Mystic River,” “Blood Work” and “Space Cowboys.”

She began her association with Eastwood as the woman’s costume supervisor on the 1984 film “Tightrope,” which Eastwood produced and starred in. She held the same post on the films “The Rookie,” “Pink Cadillac,” “The Dead Pool,” “Bird,” “Heartbreak Ridge” and “Pale Rider,” before overseeing all costumes on Eastwood’s “True Crime,” “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” and “Absolute Power.”

Earlier in her career, she won an Emmy for her work on “Shakedown on the Sunset Strip,” a telefilm set in the 1950s.