At the May1994 Cannes Film Festival Eastwood received France 's Ordre des Arts et des Lettres medal , and on March 27 , 1995 , he was awarded the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award at the 67th Academy Awards . His next film appearance was in a cameo role as himself in the 1995 children 's film '' Casper '' . Later that same year he expanded his repertoire by playing opposite Meryl Streep in '' The Bridges of Madison County '' . Based on the novel by Robert James Waller , the film relates the story of Robert Kincaid ( Eastwood ) , a photographer working for '' National Geographic '' who , while photographing historic covered bridges in Illinois , meets and has an affair with an Italian-born farm wife , Francesca ( Streep ) . Despite the novel receiving unfavorable reviews , '' The Bridges of Madison County '' film was a commercial and critical success . Roger Ebert wrote , " Streep and Eastwood weave a spell , and it is based on that particular knowledge of love and self that comes with middle age . " The film was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Picture and won a César Award in France for Best Foreign Film . Streep was also nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe
67th Academy Awards
67th Academy Awards
Clint Eastwood