Clint Eastwood's Daughter Once Went Undercover With Actor William McNamara: Here's Why

While her father owes a large part of his career to playing heroes who save lives, Clint Eastwood's daughter — and fellow actor — Alison Eastwood, has made it her life's mission. It started in 2012 with the National Geographic series "Animal Intervention," which she co-produced and co-hosted with actor William McNamara. McNamara first came to fame working alongside Jodie Foster in "Stealing Home," and later began working with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. The actor's work with the organization helped bring attention to Japan's dolphin hunting business, with some of the footage he captured being used in the Oscar-winning documentary "The Cove." 

From there, McNamara teamed up with Eastwood for her series, and the two began to go undercover to find and help mistreated exotic animals. The duo revealed their methods on "Good Day LA," explaining how they would receive tips about people who were keeping large and usually wild animals — from monkeys to tigers to bears — in poor conditions, and show up to these sites to document what was happening while finding better living situations for the animals. Their work sometimes put them in danger.

"I definitely had some scary moments with big cats being housed in poorly constructed cages," Eastwood recalled (via Biopsychosocial Briefs). "I almost had my ankle taken off when a tiger pushed his paw under a weak fence and almost grabbed me." The series lasted just one season, but the stars didn't stop helping animals when the cameras were turned off.

While William McNamara believes that playing a serial killer made people afraid of him, the star is actually a vegan and has dedicated his life — and his own money — to helping animals, explaining to the Los Angeles Inquisitor that, as an animal activist, "You don't get paid. You end up going through your savings." McNamara spent years doing undercover work in Texas and ended up having to live in his car while using what money he had to pay for chemotherapy for Boo, his pit bull, who had cancer. 

During the heartbreaking 2025 California wildfires that saw a number of celebrities lose their homes, McNamara was less worried about himself and more concerned about the animals. Working with the Animal Advocacy Network, McNamara raced to save as many pets and livestock as he could. In one post McNamara made on Instagram, which sees him and others helping round up chickens, he claims they rescued over 300 animals. 

McNamara still works with Alison Eastwood, sitting on the board for her non-profit, Eastwood Ranch Foundation, which saves animals from high-kill shelters. While she may be a nepo baby who lives outside the spotlight these days, that doesn't keep Eastwood from using her family name to help bring attention to the cause, with celebrities like Matt Damon stopping by to help promote adopting rescue animals.