"This short cigar belongs to a man with no name. This long gun belongs to a man with no name. This poncho belongs to a man with no name. He's going to trigger a whole new style in adventure. A Fistful of Dollars is the first motion picture of its kind. It won't be the last!"

(Tagline when the film was released)

A wandering gunfighter plays two rival families against each other in a town torn apart by greed, pride, and revenge...

In late 1963, an offer was made to Eastwood's co-star Eric Fleming on Rawhide to star in an Italian made western, originally to be named The Magnificent Stranger (A fistful of dollars) to be directed in a remote region of Spain by a relative unknown at the time, Sergio Leone.

However, the money was not much, and Fleming always set his sights high on Hollywood stardom, and rejected the offer immediately.

A variety of actors, including Charles Bronson, Steve Reeves, Richard Harrison, Frank Wolfe, Henry Fonda, James Coburn and Ty Hardin were considered for the main part in the film, and the producers established a list of lesser-known American actors, and asked the aforementioned Richard Harrison for advice.

Harrison had suggested Clint Eastwood, whom he knew could play a cowboy convincingly. Harrison later said: "Maybe my greatest contribution to cinema was not doing Fistful of Dollars, and recommending Clint for the part".

Leone reportedly took to Eastwood's distinctive style quickly, and commented that "I like Clint Eastwood because he has only two facial expressions: one with the hat, and one without it."