Clint Eastwood

Sergio Leone, an italian making westerns in spain, needed only a couple of actual americans for the most prominent speaking roles of his films. Struggling actor Clint Eastwood made several, but they were only shown in Italy. When they were finally released in USA, they, and Eastwood along with them, became a surprise hit. He was almost 40 at the time.

In his following second era, he reached the goal of so many actors: action lead-man.

Later he turned to directing and it turned out he was great at this too! He is a pretty safe bet on quality, some more than others, but that bad-ass charm has never worn off.