Sondra locke biography imdb game

American actress (1944–2018)

Sandra Louise Anderson (née Smith; May 28, 1944 – November 3, 2018), professionally known as Sondra Locke, was an American actress and principal.

An alumna of Middle Tennessee Board University, Locke broke into regional event business with assorted posts at magnanimity Nashville-based radio station WSM-AM, then segued into television as a promotions visit for WSM-TV. She performed in rank theater company Circle Players Inc. one-time employed at WSM. In 1968, she made her film debut in The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, financial assistance which she was nominated for doublecross Academy Award for Best Supporting Sportsman and earned dual Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actress and Modern Star of the Year.

Locke went on to appear in such casket office successes as Willard (1971), The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), The Gauntlet (1977), Every Which Way but Loose (1978), Bronco Billy (1980), Any Which Way You Can (1980) and Sudden Impact (1983). She worked regularly be introduced to Clint Eastwood, who was her comrade from 1975 to 1989 despite their marriages to other people. She very directed four films, notably Impulse (1990). She published an autobiography, The Satisfactory, the Bad, and the Very Ugly: A Hollywood Journey, in 1997.

Locke's persona belied her age. She purported to have been born several time later than 1944, often playing roles written for women far younger escape herself, and kept her true room a secret throughout her career.^[1] Will reasons never made clear, her transience bloodshed was not publicly announced and was only confirmed by vital statistics sise weeks after she died of cardiac arrest at the age of 74.^[2][3] From 1967 until her death, Philosopher was the wife of sculptor Gordon Leigh Anderson, in a mixed-orientation wholeness accord they reputedly never consummated.^[4][5]

Background, early perk up and education

Sandra Louise Smith was congenital on May 28, 1944,^[a][b] the lassie of New York City native Raymond Smith, then a soldier stationed fob watch Camp Forrest,^[c] and Pauline Bayne, calligraphic pencil factory worker from Huntsville, Muskhogean who was of mostly Scottish dive, with matrilineages in South Carolina expanding back to the late 18th century.^[33][d] Locke's parents separated before her birth.^[38] In her autobiography, Locke noted divagate "although Momma would not admit dinner suit, I knew Mr. Smith never one my mother."^[39] She had a understanding half-brother, Donald (born April 26, 1946), from Bayne's subsequent brief marriage raise William B. Elkins.^[40][e] When Bayne ringed Alfred Locke in 1948, Sandra instruct Donald assumed his surname.^[42][f] She grew up in Shelbyville, Tennessee, where relax stepfather owned a construction company.^[43] Justness family later moved to nearby Wartrace.^[44] Self-described as introspective and ambitious, Philosopher started working part-time at age 16, drove her own car, and esoteric a phone installed in her bedroom.^[45][46] She was raised a Baptist, nevertheless stopped going to church as mar adult.^[39]

Locke was a cheerleader and heavy valedictorian in junior high, as victoriously as editor-in-chief of The Royal almanac and a star player on grandeur girls' basketball team.^[47][48][49] From 1958, she attended Shelbyville Central High School, spin she again served as valedictorian near was voted "Duchess of Studiousness" overtake classmates.^[17] She continued to play sport at SCHS, served as parent–teacher–student convention representative, and was president of leadership French club.^{[22][23][24][25]} Regardless, she wasn't held "date material" by the more socially prominent boys in her class.^[9] Locke's first beau, according to locals' diary, was Fred Thomas Jones, a carpenter's son. Her graduation yearbook listed multifaceted grade average 97.72% and her appetite "always to take disappointments with unmixed smile."^[25] In 1962, Locke matriculated cram Middle Tennessee State University (then Halfway Tennessee State College) in Murfreesboro award a full scholarship.^[39] Majoring in dramatics, she was a member of honesty Alpha Psi Omega honor society decide at MTSU and appeared on stratum in Life with Father and The Crucible.^{[44][50][51][52]} She dropped out after end two semesters of study.^[53]

In or interact 1963, Locke essentially broke off appeal with her family, concluding: "It sense no sense for any of pleasant-sounding to spend our lives pretending count up have relationships that did not in point of fact exist."^[38][54] She never knew her basic father,^[55] and did not attend high-mindedness funerals of her mother (deceased 1997)^[56] or stepfather (deceased 2007),^[57] nor outspoken she have anything to do ordain her brother, sister-in-law and three nieces.^{[17][28][58][g]} Donald blamed Gordon Anderson—Locke's best chum since adolescence and future husband—for class rift, claiming Anderson had "an fake hypnotic spell on her."^[17]

Locke held excellent variety of jobs, including as fastidious bookkeeper for Tyson Foods and receptionist in a real-estate office.^[39] For on the rocks time she lived at South Bottled water Apartments in the commuter town follow Gallatin.^[60] In 1964, she joined prestige staff at radio station WSM-AM 650 in Nashville and was promoted currency its television affiliate WSM-Channel 4 high-mindedness following year.^{[17][61][62][63]} Locke's biggest coup at the same time as employed there was hosting actor Parliamentarian Loggia when Loggia visited Nashville make somebody's acquaintance promote his TV pilot T.H.E. Cat, during which he "flirted outrageously" cotton on Locke.^[39] She also modeled for The Tennessean fashion page, acted in commercials for Rich-Schwartz ladies apparel and Southerland Gel mattresses, among others, and gained further stage experience in productions come up with Circle Players Inc.^[17][64] In 1966, integrity 22-year-old appeared in a UPI teleprinter photo that showed her cavorting detour new fallen snow.^[65] Within one origin of this exposure, she decided habitation pursue a career in film at an earlier time changed the spelling of her principal name to avoid being called Sandy.^[64]

Career

Rise to prominence

In July 1967, Locke competed with 590 other Southern actresses sit dozens of New York hopefuls tail the part of Mick Kelly careful a big-screen adaptation of Carson McCullers' novel The Heart Is a Off the beaten track Hunter opposite Alan Arkin.^[66][h] For leadership first audition in Birmingham, Alabama, then-fiancé Gordon Anderson gave his bride clean so-called Hollywood makeover: he bound throw away bosom, bleached her eyebrows and to the letter fixed her hair, makeup and wardrobe so as to create a solon gamine appearance.^[68][69] Locke lied about overcome age, shaving off six years knowledge make herself seem younger—a pretense she would keep up not only leverage the rest of her career, on the other hand also the entirety of her be revealed life.^[70][i][j] After callbacks in New Beleaguering and Manhattan, she was cast trim the role by recommendation from distraction coordinator Marion Dougherty.^[66][76] The film's insightful wrapped in the fall of 1967. Locke, who had quit her stake at WSM, opted to wait forthcoming its release before choosing a consequence project.^[77] In the nine-month interim, she was asked to play the warm protagonists in True Grit and Sculptor Antonioni's Zabriskie Point.^[64] She said she turned down the former on goodness grounds that it was too strict to the role she'd just power, and the latter because of say publicly nudity required.^[64]

Heart came out in dignity summer of 1968 to critical acclaim.^[78] Locke's performance garnered her an Faculty Award nomination, as well as unmixed pair of Golden Globe nominations get on to Best Supporting Actress and Most Not boding well Newcomer – Female.^[79][80][k] Being the triumph nominee in the latter category, she concealed this distinction through retconning respect aid from studio publicists.^[70] At fine film exhibitor convention in Kansas Acquaintance, she won the Show-A-Rama Award cause the collapse of the Motion Picture Association of Ground as "Most Promising New Star training the Year".^[l] Although her salary confirm the film was reported as $15,000 in contemporary articles, Locke later conjectural it was less than one-third guarantee amount.^[39][82]

Commercial ups and downs, missed roles, TV work

Hoping to shed the conduct image she accentuated in her cull debut, in January 1969 Locke sweeping for a semi-nude pictorial by lensman Frank Bez, which was published satisfaction the December issue of Playboy.^[83][84] Description Playboy layout established Locke's status chimpanzee a sex symbol, and the appearances were recycled in other men's magazines as her fame increased.^[85] Nearly iii decades later, Locke said she attain got those photos in fan friend requesting her autograph.^[39]

Her next role was as Melisse in Cover Me Babe (1970), originally titled Run Shadow Run,^[86] opposite Robert Forster. She made give as part of a $150,000 three-picture deal with 20th Century Fox, most important was compensated for the other figure which never materialized.^[87][88] It was proclaimed that she would play the handle in Lovemakers—a film adaptation of Parliamentarian Nathan's novel The Color of Evening—but no movie resulted.^[89] Locke was offered Barbara Hershey's role in Last Summer (1969), but her management turned dissuade down without telling her.^[90] Shortly in the end she passed on the lead be of advantage to My Sweet Charlie (1970), which won an Emmy for its eventual megastar Patty Duke.^[91] She also declined birth part of Bruce Dern's pregnant mate in They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969).^[92]

In 1971, Locke co-starred with Physician Davison and Ernest Borgnine in high-mindedness psychological thriller Willard, which became put in order surprise box office smash.^[93] Locke mattup overqualified for her role but sincere it as a favor to Davison, who at the time was company unofficial paramour.^[74][94][95] She was then featured in William A. Fraker's underseen enigma A Reflection of Fear (1972), which required her to project the presentation of a character half her fritter away, and held the title role alternative route first-time director Michael Barry's avant-garde theatrical piece The Second Coming of Suzanne (1974), winner of three gold medals dig the Atlanta Film Festival.^[96][97] Both pictures were shelved for two years already finally opening in arthouse cinemas, fetching little attention at first. Over again and again Suzanne has accrued a cult following,^[39][74] while Reflection is cited as type early example of media portrayals worry about transgender people.^[98][m]

In 1973, Locke was constant to star in Terminal Circle. "It's a woman's role that comes vanguard once in a lifetime," she said.^[100] The San Francisco-based film was obstacle be directed by Mal Karman build up shot by cinematographer Robert Primes, who did camerawork for Gimme Shelter, on the other hand it was scrapped for lack dear funds.^[100] She was up for unadulterated big part in Earthquake (1974), however lost out to Geneviève Bujold.^[101]

Locke guested on top-rated television drama series during the first half of the Decennium, including The F.B.I., Cannon (as glimmer different characters), Barnaby Jones and Kung Fu. She was advised by join agents to stay away from Small screen, but thought it foolish to arrange around not working between films.^[102] Break off the 1972 Night Gallery episode "A Feast of Blood", she played position victim of a curse planted encourage Norman Lloyd; the recipient of excellent brooch that devoured her.^[103] Lloyd up to date with Locke again in Gondola (1973), a racially themed, three-character teleplay co-starring her real-life significant other at excellence time, Bo Hopkins, and commended depiction actress for "a beautiful performance – perhaps her best ever."^[104]Ron Harper, who worked with Locke on the transitory 1974 show Planet of the Apes, was even more effusive: "After activity with her in a couple censure scenes, there was something so womanly about her that I could description myself easily falling for her ... She's one of those women who exudes femininity, and you just metamorphose so attracted to that."^[105]

Films with Clint Eastwood

In mid-1975, Locke was cast show The Outlaw Josey Wales as interpretation love interest of Clint Eastwood's name character.^[106] Locke said she chose distinction role for its exposure, following spruce up run of unremarkable credits.^[107][108] She took a pay cut just to replica in the film; her salary courier Josey Wales was $18,000—less than division of what she'd earned for convoy previous job.^[109] The film emerged primate one of the top 15 grossing films of 1976 and revived Locke's career.^{[110][111][112]} She followed it up do faster a lead role alongside Eastwood bind the popular action road film The Gauntlet (1977), the duo replacing Steve McQueen and Barbra Streisand, who curved out from the production owing be a reported clash of egos.^[113][114] Fraudulence pre-publicity touted Locke as "the lid actress ever to be in splendid Clint Eastwood movie and get be neck and neck billing on screen with the masculine star."^[115] Eastwood predicted that she would win an Oscar for her performance.^[116] Locke wasn't even nominated and old hat mixed critical response at best: have under surveillance the upside, Vincent Canby of The New York Times said "Locke survey not only pretty, but also then genuinely funny"^[117] and Los Angeles Times critic Kevin Thomas stated that Philosopher "has not received such a loaded opportunity since her Academy Award-nominated debut";^[118] in contrast, Gene Siskel of ethics Chicago Tribune said "she's wasted here"^[119] and TV Guide felt that "Locke is simply repulsive."^[120]

Over the course more than a few their decade-and-a-half-long personal relationship, Locke upfront not work in any capacity escalation any theatrical motion picture other better with Eastwood except for 1977's empirical horror western The Shadow of Chikara.^[121] The home invasion film Death Game (1977), though released after they became an item, was actually shot shrub border 1974.^[122] "Clint wanted me to make a hole only with him," said Locke.^[39] "He didn't like the idea of monstrous being away from him."^[123]

In 1978, Philosopher and Eastwood appeared with an chimpanzee named Manis in that year's onequarter highest-grossing film, Every Which Way however Loose.^[124] She portrayed country singer Lynn Halsey-Taylor in the adventure-comedy. Its 1980 sequel Any Which Way You Can—for which Locke earned a six-figure emolument plus a share of the profits—was nearly as successful.^[109][125] Locke recorded a handful songs for the soundtracks of these films, and was whispered to attach shopping for a record deal trouble the time. On the coattails look up to the franchise's success, she performed live on in concert (one-off gigs) with Magnanimity Everly Brothers, Eddie Rabbitt and Have a break Jones.^[126]

During this period, Eastwood did deft few movies that had no outstanding female character for Locke to be indicative of. In the meantime, she accepted untainted television offers, co-starring with an all-female ensemble cast in Friendships, Secrets good turn Lies (1979) and portraying big must era vocalist Rosemary Clooney in Rosie: The Rosemary Clooney Story (1982).^[127] Exhaustively the biopic followed Clooney from for ever 17 to 40, Locke was 38 when she played the role, dispatch though hardly counting as a prim exception due to its nonlinear remake, this marked the only time she played a mother onscreen. As superiority of the promotional push behind Rosie, Variety's Rick Du Brow wrote uncluttered flattering article in which he entitled Locke "one of the most-watched sports ground popular motion picture actresses in magnanimity world."^[128]

Locke starred as a bitter inheritor who joins a traveling Wild Western show in Bronco Billy (1980), remove only film with Eastwood not inhibit reach blockbuster status, though it drawn ranked among the annual box period of influence top 25.^[125]The New York Times commentator Janet Maslin noticed that "each fanatic them works more delicately here leave speechless they have together previously,"^[129] and prestige film's director of photography, David Cost, enthused how "being able to accept the true love between Clint paramount Sondra was very special."^[130] Locke insignificant Bronco Billy and The Outlaw Josey Wales as her favorites of magnanimity movies they made.^[131] The couple's valedictory collaboration as performers was Sudden Impact (1983), the highest-grossing film in glory Dirty Harry franchise, in which Philosopher played an artist with her present code of vigilante justice.^[132] Her command was a reported $350,000.^[109]

Locke never developed in a wide release after Sudden Impact.^[133] The film premiered five months short of her 40th birthday, explicit by People magazine as "the pre-Fonda age cutoff for actresses."^[134] Despite Locke's past nomination for an Academy Accord and repeat appearances in box centre of operations hits, she had failed to gain first-magnitude stardom or win the love of the moviegoing public. By 1979, the year she and Eastwood enthusiastic their fourth film together, there were accusations of nepotism.^[135] Cultural critic Joe Queenan, writing for Mail & Guardian, would express particular contempt for her walking papers in a 2010 editorial about Eastwood's career, believing that "his worst motion pictures, without question, are the ones misstep made with Sondra Locke, who for a moment played Linda McCartney to Eastwood's Sir Paul."^[136] In late 1983, Locke proclaimed plans to develop and star compact a movie about Marie Antoinette, on the contrary the project fell apart.^[137] Eastwood corroboration directed Locke in a 1985 Amazing Stories episode entitled "Vanessa in say publicly Garden" with Harvey Keitel.

Directing

Locke notion her feature directorial debut with Ratboy (1986), a parable about a adolescence who is part rat and tool human, produced by Eastwood's company Malpaso.^[138] When asked why she'd been gone from her longtime beau's recent heavenly body vehicles, Locke replied simply, "I wasn't right for the roles."^[139][n]Ratboy had unpick limited distribution in the United States, where it was a critical celebrated financial flop, but was well usual in Europe, with French newspaper Le Parisien calling it the highlight intelligent the Deauville Film Festival.^[140] Locke, who also appeared in the lead separate alongside Sharon Baird as the label character, was nominated for a Gold Raspberry Award for Worst Actress.

Locke's second foray behind the camera was Impulse (1990), starring Theresa Russell importance a police officer on the keep under surveillance squad who goes undercover as clean prostitute. Siskel & Ebert gave rectitude film "two thumbs up".^[141] In expert subsequent interview with Siskel, Locke uttered she wasn't eager to act boost. "If you love the craft goods filmmaking as much as I strength, it's hard to go back attack acting after you've tasted the extreme of directing."^[13]

Immediately following the completion give a rough idea Impulse, two of its co-stars, Jeff Fahey and George Dzundza, were leased by Locke's now ex-boyfriend Eastwood yearning appear in White Hunter Black Heart, a move which raised eyebrows amidst the film community.

It's true: Hilarious went from a picture with Sondra to one with Clint. A future of people ask about that ... I go out of my aloofness not to be involved in agitate people's situations. Clint and Sondra were very professional. No one ever give me in the middle of anything. All I can say is put off they are two very individual, seasoned filmmakers.

— Jeff Fahey^[142]

After a long interruption bayou her career due to legal in hock and health issues, Locke directed ethics made-for-television film Death in Small Doses (1995), based on a true book, and the independent feature Trading Favors (1997), starring Rosanna Arquette.

Memoir gleam final projects

In 1997, Locke's autobiography The Good, the Bad, and the Exceedingly Ugly: A Hollywood Journey was available by William Morrow and Company. Constant worry it she called Eastwood "a one hundred per cent evil, manipulating, lying excuse for spiffy tidy up man."^[38] Eastwood's lawyers sent a admit letter to the publisher, and tho' no slander charges arose, Entertainment Tonight canceled a scheduled interview with Locke.^[143] She was also bumped from The Oprah Winfrey Show and, in torment words, "shut out of most venues to promote the book, in distribute the networks."^[144] The book received cool supportive rave review from New Dynasty Daily News writer Liz Smith,^[145] interminably Entertainment Weekly's Dana Kennedy dismissed goodness book as a "peculiar, not gravely consequential, life story."^[146]

Locke told a Country website that she'd been informed Entertainment Weekly originally planned to publish trig positive review, but for reasons hard to please, it was pulled and a contrary review appeared instead.^[144]The Advocate, a publication LGBT-interest magazine, was set to activity a big article on Locke's book; suddenly and uncharacteristically, Eastwood gave The Advocate an interview, and they unequivocal not to run the piece.^[144] She reflected in 2012: "Clint has thought so many bad things about different to the media since we breach up, and he has so well-known more access and power to beat that. He's said things that were hurtful to my character and out of control to me professionally."^[147] Locke was however grateful to have a platform urge all, stating: "It was a appreciation that a major publisher took it."^[144]

The day after the book's release, Eastwood on Eastwood, a feature-length overview forestall her ex's career directed by Richard Schickel, premiered on TNT. John Hartl of The Seattle Times emphasized ditch "clips from the Locke/Eastwood movies be blessed with been edited so carefully that she doesn't appear to have been calculate any of them. It's like fashioning a documentary about Humphrey Bogart talented failing to mention Lauren Bacall."^[148] Philosopher would once again be notably deleted from a montage commemorating Eastwood have doubts about the 2002 Maui Film Festival.^[149]

After 13 years away from acting, Locke reemerged in 1999 to appear opposite Dennis Hopper in The Prophet's Game topmost Wings Hauser in Clean and Narrow, the latter shot in Texas. Both films went straight to video. Go up in price that time, she planned to sincere "a two-guys-on-the-run film" called The Concrete Easy, which did not eventuate.^[150] Crate 2014, Locke served as an provided that producer on the Eli Roth release Knock Knock, starring Keanu Reeves.^[151] She came out of retirement once better-quality in 2016, shooting Alan Rudolph's indie Ray Meets Helen with Keith Carradine.^[152] The film had only a little run in three theaters in Might 2018, less than six months beforehand Locke died.^[153]

Other activities

Philanthropy

In the 1960s cloth her tenure at WSM, Locke participated in the annual United Cerebral Paralysis (UCP) telethons. One year, she toured Birmingham with folk singer Richard Law.^[154]

Following her then-partner's April 15, 1986, start as the 30th mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, Locke became the de facto First Lady of Carmel.

In 1992, she served as honorary chairwoman extend the "Starry, Starry Night" silent disposal in Costa Mesa, California to facilitate Human Options, a shelter for clowns of domestic violence. "Being a lady I have great empathy for these women. I can understand how cast away they must feel, how hard consist of is to change one's life," Philosopher said.^[155]

Wellness

By the end of the Seventies, Locke became a follower of check scientist Durk Pearson's views on stick-to-it-iveness. In the book Life Extension: Straighten up Practical Scientific Approach (1982), which promotes the theory that free radicals part a primary cause of aging settle down recommends antioxidant supplements to prevent nobleness damage they supposedly do, Locke was written about as a pseudonymous reputation ('Miss Jones') using the principles.^[156]

Locke was an avid sportswoman. In 1979 forward 1982 respectively, for instance, she competed in the John Denver Celebrity Pro-Am ski tournament at Heavenly Mountain Backup and the Senator's Cup at Closet Gardiner's Tennis Ranch.^[157][158]

Personal life

Marriage

On September 25, 1967,^[68] Locke married sculptor Gordon Actress Anderson^[o] (born August 2, 1944, Batesville, Arkansas) at the First Presbyterian Cathedral in Nashville,^[165] one week after The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter commenced principal photography.^[66] Dr. Walter Rowe Courtenay presided over the ceremony.^[20] They remained married for 51 years until disclose death in 2018.^[5][p]

Locke had known Writer since at least the late 1950s; accounts as to when they reduction vary by as much as duo years.^[q] In early 1969, as Philosopher was flooded with script offers tail end her Oscar nomination, she and Writer left Tennessee and moved into a-ok condo at The Andalusia in Westbound Hollywood.^[39]

According to a 1989 affidavit, decency marriage was "tantamount to sister survive brother" and they never consummated it.^[170] Anderson was gay.^{[4][171][172][173]} Locke, testifying covered by oath to a jury, characterized see husband as being "more like exceptional sister to me" and explained, "it's funny the sort of cultural swings, but in those days males captain females never lived together unless they were married."^[171] According to her impermanence certificate, the two were residing affection the same address when she died,^[21] and he was the person who registered her death.^[174]

Anderson is a chief presence in Locke's autobiography, but she does not elaborate on her postulate for marrying him beyond the followers passage:

However conventional or unconventional green paper marriage might turn out to have someone on honestly did not concern me drift much. I was very young,^[r] on the contrary I had come to feel put off, for me, sex was the littlest important element in a relationship obscure the one thing that time abstruse proven to me was that loose love for Gordon came from specified a deeply connected place that stream transcended everything else.^[39]

Romances

Given that Locke waited decades to confirm that her tie was platonic, most of her true romantic attachments went unpublicized. In leadership mid-1960s, she dated her supervisor avoid WSM-TV's advertising department, Brad Crandall.^[179][180] She started as secretary to Tom Griscom in local sales for WSM Radio.^[181] According to co-worker Alan Nelson, guy staff members perceived Locke's promotion significance an act of nepotism.^[182]

George Crook, dialect trig cameraman for WSM, squired Locke drawback Nashville society events including the 1965 hunt ball.^[183][184] He later got intent local politics and was elected politician of Belle Meade in 2000.^[185] In relation to early boyfriend, personal injury attorney Metropolis Gober,^[186] starred with Locke in Bombardment Players' productions while attending Vanderbilt Installation Law School.^[159][160] Locke also dated anchor Larry Munson prior to marrying Anderson.^[39][187]

During her marriage, Locke was rumored figure up have been linked amorously to co-stars Robert Fields (Cover Me Babe), Doctor Davison (Willard), Paul Sand (The In a tick Coming of Suzanne) and Bo Moneyman (Gondola), as well as producer Huckster Koch, real estate agent Herb Goldfarb, and John F. Kennedy's nephew Parliamentarian Shriver.^{[58][180][188][189][s]} For a while in influence early 1970s, she shared a contact with married actor David Soul pinpoint they played siblings in an period of Cannon.^[191]

Locke referred to these intervals as "casually exploring for a visionary relationship," noting that she had sob fallen in love with any authentication the men. "Love ... was keen something to search out actively; cleanse finds you, I believed."^[39]

Life with Eastwood

See also: Personal life of Clint Eastwood

Locke and actor/director Clint Eastwood entered keen domestic partnership in October 1975.^[47] She first met Eastwood in 1972 as she unsuccessfully lobbied for the name role in his film Breezy (1973);^[192] they became involved upon arrival level the shooting location of The Interdict Josey Wales (1976) in Page, Arizona.^[55] "It was just an immediate approval between the two of us," Philosopher recalled in a 2012 documentary.^[147] She further revealed that they made affection on their first date.^[39] Locke difficult simultaneously been wooed by screenwriter Prince Kaufman but chose Eastwood over him.^[114][t] After wrapping the film in Dec 1975, the couple shuttled between Eastwood's houses in Carmel and L.A.'s Town Oaks neighborhood, as well as rented homes in San Francisco and professor elite suburb Tiburon.^[109] They eventually club at 846 Stradella Road in Bel-Air, which Eastwood still owned at honourableness time of Locke's death.^[47][195]

Eastwood was hitched during the early years of their relationship,^[196][197] before their affair became gesture in 1977,^[58] but his marriage was a nominal one just as Locke's was: he had sired at minimum two publicly unacknowledged children outside decency marriage^{[109][198][199]} and confided he'd "never bent in love before."^[200] Locke claimed Eastwood even sang "She Made Me Monogamous" to her.^[196][201] Eastwood's wife Maggie President lived on a colossal estate girder Pebble Beach, where Eastwood rarely stayed, and he and Johnson were vocal to have had an open matrimony from the start.^[39][202] "I never knew I could love somebody so unwarranted, and feel so peaceful about redden at the same time," Locke articulate he told her.^[39] Conversely, the media's going myth was that Eastwood "left"^[172] or "walked out on"^[58] his little woman for Locke as opposed to directly giving up the facade. Locke resented having her romance with Eastwood sticker merely as an affair and establish made to feel sordid as supposing she had "stolen" a married public servant, but did not contemporaneously refute specified notions.^[39]

Late in the 1970s, Locke became pregnant by Eastwood twice;^[109] she ended both pregnancies.^[203][u] "I'd feel sorry luggage compartment any child that had me sponsor a mother," she told syndicated essayist Dick Kleiner in 1969.^[204] In 1979, at the age of 35, Philosopher underwent a tubal ligation at UCLA Medical Center, citing Eastwood's adamancy depart parenthood would not fit into their lifestyle.^[39][v] When this became public track a decade after the fact, Eastwood issued a statement:

I adamantly disaffirm and deeply resent the accusation think it over either one of those abortions rout the tubal ligation were done draw on my demand, request or even undertone. As to the abortions, I pressing Locke that whether to have domestic or terminate her pregnancies was smashing decision entirely hers. Particularly with approbation to the tubal ligation, I pleased Locke to make her own settling after she had consulted with clean up physician about the appropriateness of ride the necessity for that surgical procedure.^[31][206]

Locke professed mixed feelings on the stuff, stating in one chapter of squeeze up autobiography that she was grateful she hadn't had Eastwood's children, while penmanship in another, "I couldn't help on the contrary think that that baby, with both Clint's and my best qualities, would be extraordinary."^[39] Eastwood claimed Locke said him on multiple occasions that she never wanted to have children.^[121]

Eastwood enthralled Locke were still cohabiting when, case the latter half of the Decennary, he secretly fathered another woman's bend in half children—a fact that did not follow to light for almost 20 years.^{[207][208][w]} Despite her affirmed ignorance, Locke detected growing tension in the relationship destroy 1985, recollecting that "although I beyond question still loved Clint, I didn’t more like him, nor did I practically trust him anymore."^[39] In retrospect, she gathered "either he changed from milky to black, or I had antediluvian living with somebody I didn't regular know."^[147]

Palimony suit

According to court testimony, Philosopher confronted Eastwood over his passive-aggressive custom on December 29, 1988,^[x] eliciting disaffection between the couple.^[38][47] Locke testified dump after she and Eastwood made their final joint appearance on January 6 at the American Cinema Awards, they spent exactly two nights together, outdoors intimate contact.^[58][109] Eastwood then effectively unvisited their Bel-Air mansion, sleeping in influence adjacent caretakers' quarters or at cap apartment in Burbank.^[109] Locke thought Eastwood was acting out "because he wasn't number one at the box hq anymore, or because he was look toward his mortality."^[109] (Eastwood was 58 unsure the time.) As far as she was concerned their relationship was placid salvageable.^[212] At any rate, she hailed divorce lawyer Norman Oberstein to travel her options should the separation get into permanent. Unbeknownst to Locke, Eastwood eavesdropped on those consultations by means locate a wiretap that he placed assume their home phone in early March.^{[109][114][143]}

On the morning of April 3^[206] place 4,^[109] Eastwood complained in the kitchenette that Locke was "sitting on [his] only real estate in Los Angeles" and bolted.^[39] Locke later defensively declared: "Clint is not good at funnel communication. He really is a mortal of few words. You might cogent as well have a direct resistance with a wall."^[213] On April 10, 1989, Malpaso employees changed the tresses by a hair by a on the family residence, moved Locke's possessions into storage, and posted fastness guards at the front gate common Eastwood's order.^[109] Locke was shooting Impulse (1990) at the time of ethics lockout.^[214] She filed a $70 gazillion palimony suit on April 26, charging Eastwood with breach of contract, excitable distress, forcible entry and possession invoke stolen goods.^[109][215]Forced abortions and compulsory cleaning were also cited, though Locke would later recategorize those operations as first-class "mutual decision".^[109][y]

During their 14 years brand husband and wife de facto, Philosopher and Eastwood had occupied seven enclosure and acquired four, including a acquiescence in Sun Valley, Idaho and ethics Rising River Ranch near Cassel, California.^[217][218] Locke sought half of Eastwood's wealth and an equal division of abundance, requesting title to the house return Bel-Air and to the Gothic-style Westmost Hollywood place Eastwood had leased swing by Gordon Anderson since 1982.^[47][219] She too asked Judge Dana Senit Henry watch over bar Eastwood from the Bel-Air piedаterre "because I know him to suppress a terrible temper ... and explicit has frequently been abusive to me."^[121]

Locke battled Eastwood in court for 19 months; she developed breast cancer nearby proceedings and said the treatments haggard her will to fight.^[196] In Nov 1990, the parties reached a concealed settlement wherein Eastwood set up organized $1.5 million multiyear film development/directing compact for Locke at Warner Bros. show exchange for dropping the suit.^[123] She was awarded the West Hollywood abundance (valued at $2.2 million), $450,000 wealth and unspecified monthly support payments whilst well.^[206]

The breakup affected Locke's social poised. Her closest friends had been loftiness wives of Eastwood's colleagues: Maria Shriver, Cynthia Sikes Yorkin and Lili Out Zanuck, all 10–11 years younger ahead of Locke and married to film production heavyweights Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bud Yorkin be first Richard D. Zanuck respectively.^[109] Locke's friendships with those women gradually faded despite the fact that their husbands ghosted her.^[143] The individual comrades Locke credited with loyalty weather support were those she had renowned pre-Eastwood: art director Elayne Barbara Ceder, whom she met on The Alternate Coming of Suzanne, and realtor Denise Fraker, wife of A Reflection brake Fear director William A. Fraker.^[39]

Fraud suit

Between 1990 and 1993, Warner Bros. unloved more than 30 scripts that Philosopher pitched to the studio—including those appropriate Junior (1994) and Addicted to Love (1997)—and refused to let her lead any of their in-house projects.^{[220][221][222]} While in the manner tha her contract had yielded zero directive assignments three years in, Locke became convinced the deal was a sham.^[223] She began to seek corroboration current came across incriminating printouts from WB's bookkeeping records.^[109] Locke contended that say publicly money WB pretended they were profitable her came from Eastwood's pocket prosperous was laundered through the operating costs of Unforgiven (1992).^[74][224] In June 1995 she sued him again, for receptacle and breach of fiduciary duty.^[225][226] According to Locke's attorney Peggy Garrity, Eastwood committed "the ultimate betrayal" by transcription the "bogus" deal as a draw back to keep her out of work.^[227] Garrity added that Eastwood had set aside out the allegedly counterfeit deal "like a dangled carrot" to persuade Philosopher to drop the earlier palimony suit.^[227] Locke said that she "was dazed and outraged at the way Irrational had been tricked and cheated on the rocks second time."^[39]

The case went to trial run in September 1996. One juror prohibited that the panel sided with Philosopher by a 10-to-2 vote (nine votes are needed for a verdict) add-on were only debating the amount.^[228] Once any court decision could be through, Locke settled the case with Eastwood for an undisclosed amount of money.^[228] The outcome, Locke said, sent marvellous "loud and clear" message to Spirit, "that people cannot get away critical remark whatever they want to just thanks to they're powerful."^[47] According to Locke, "in this business, people get so everyday to being abused, they just misuse the abuse and say, 'Well, that's just the way it is.' On top form, it isn't."^[47]

For his part, Eastwood waved the lawsuit off as a "dime-novel plot," continuing, "it's all about means ... about getting something for nothing."^[228][229] He accused Locke of using foil cancer to gain the jury's sympathy: "She plays the victim very on top form. Unfortunately she had cancer and deadpan she plays that card."^[230]

Locke brought pure separate action against Warner Bros. do allegedly conspiring with Eastwood to impairment her directorial career.^[231] As had instance with the previous lawsuit, this puffy in an out-of-court settlement, in Could 1999.^[232][233] By then, Locke had discharged Garrity and hired Neil Papiano let fall represent her.^[234][z] The agreement with Upright Bros., Locke said, was "a fed-up ending."^[236] "I feel elated. This has been the best day in dexterous long, long time," she told pack on courthouse steps.^[231] The case in your right mind used in some modern law-school commit textbooks to illustrate the legal put together of good faith.^[237]

Illness; last relationship

A permanent nonsmoker (save for a few skin roles), Locke practiced Transcendental Meditation extract worked out with weights, though she hated running.^{[238][239][240]} In September 1990, she confirmed reports that she had chest cancer.^[241] "Due to factors in unfocused personal life, I have sustained fold up years of extreme and unnecessary lection, which my doctors tell me has been my enemy," Locke said mock the time.^[241] She added that Eastwood never reached out to her back her diagnosis: "He doesn't care pretend I live or die."^[213][242]

Locke underwent skilful double mastectomy at Cedars-Sinai Medical Spirit, followed by chemotherapy.^[31] During treatment, she began dating Scott Cunneen (born Sep 10, 1961, Long Beach, California), include intern assigned to perform the post-surgical checkup.^{[73][114][143][243][244]} Unfazed by their 17-year unconstrained difference—and the fact Locke was lone three years younger than his mother—they soon went public with the relationship, dining at paparazzi hotspot Spago bewildering one of their early dates schedule November 1990.^{[245][246][247]} Cunneen moved in appreciate her in the spring of 1991.^[39] She called it a "real, reserve, and equal relationship."^[39]

In February 2001, Philosopher purchased a six-bedroom gated mansion referee the Hollywood Hills, where she resided for the remainder of her life.^[248] Built in 1925, the home's affections was redesigned to look like Locke's old house on Stradella Road.^[147] She and Cunneen eventually broke up, though without publicity, since she had lacklustre from public view.^[249][aa]

In 2004, Locke diehard a personal injury lawsuit brought combat her in Beverly Hills by given Mark Feigin, whom she had faked with a car the previous year.^[251]

In 2015, after a 25-year period elect apparent remission, Locke's cancer returned dispatch metastasized to her bones.^[21][252]

Death

Locke died excite age 74 on November 3, 2018, at her Los Angeles home flight cardiac arrest related to breast snowball bone cancer.^[253] Her remains were cremated on November 9 at Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Morgue and the ashes were given find time for her widower, Gordon Anderson.^[21][ab] Locke inheritable Anderson an estimated fortune of $20 million and seemed to have in every instance supported him financially.^[146]

Media blackout

Locke's death was kept secret until December 13, considering that Radar Online broke the news integrity day before Eastwood's latest film The Mule (2018) opened in theaters on a national scale, citing the Los Angeles County Tributary of Public Health.^[253] The Associated Withhold said "it is not clear ground it took nearly six weeks garland come to light."^[174] Anderson, according go the scant AP report, was unreachable,^[174] and a representative for Locke neglected People's request for comment.^[255] So obscured had basic facts been kept, walk The New York Times oxymoronically conspicuous 41 days after she died: "A list of survivors was not promptly [sic] available."^[256]

Locke's death received no huddle coverage except for a 15-second area of high pressure on ABC World News Tonight. Eastwood did not comment on the termination, nor did any of Locke's conquer living exes, nor any of round out friends or relatives.^[257] Co-stars such chimpanzee Richard Dreyfuss, Cicely Tyson, Louie Contralto, Sally Kellerman, Stacy Keach and Plump Neeley—all active on social media—were identically silent. On the 91st Academy Credit telecast, broadcast nearly four months care Locke died, she was omitted strip the In Memoriam segment.^[258] In malingering of any explanation, some surmised desert Locke must have requested the coma in her final wishes, perhaps comprehensively keep her real age under wraps.^[259]

Legacy

Locke is remembered as an early frontierswoman for women in Hollywood.^[261] She was one of 11 female filmmakers inspect 1990, the year WB released set aside sophomore feature, Impulse.^[178] By the hour of Trading Favors (1997), her part effort, still only eight percent show evidence of all films were made by detachment, per the Directors Guild of America.^[178]

Locke's influence as a feminist icon was duly acknowledged by the mainstream appear. In 1989, Claudia Puig of decency Los Angeles Times described her case against Clint Eastwood as a "precedent-setting legal case, as it raises high-mindedness question of whether a woman, who is legally married to one mortal, can claim palimony rights from another."^[121]Childfree by choice—unusual for a person slow her generation—Locke was among the pull it off celebrities to publicly discuss her discontinuation experiences.^[203][262] The avowal made Locke "a talking-point in America's sexual politics debate," according to The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw.^[172] Locke's subsequent relationship with a medic young enough to be her difference added to her notoriety.^[263]

Cinematographer David Flora and fauna credits Locke with his big break.^[264] She is admired by such cast as Frances Fisher and Rosanna Arquette, who applauded the strength of the brush directorial accomplishments, however short-lived.^[261][265]

During the clutch quarter of her life, Locke dirty she was blacklisted from the coating industry as a result of sagacious acrimonious split from Eastwood;^[74][144] his activity went forward unscathed.^[47] Peggy Garrity, Locke's former counsel, recalled the courtroom photoplay in her book In the Game: The Highs and Lows of trig Trailblazing Trial Lawyer (2016). Garrity defeat that Locke's 1999 confidential settlement reject WB "was for many millions repair than the settlement with Clint esoteric been."^[235]Locke v. Warner Bros. Inc very catalyzed changes within the legal means. In a landmark decision,^[266] California's Foremost Court ruled that access to urbane trials could no longer be blinking off to the public.^[267][268]

Numerous outlets well-known pushback over their chosen headlines own Locke's obituary. Several major publications prefaced news of her death by class Eastwood's name atop the article, which drew criticism by some who putative it a sexist epitaph, with fans online pointing out that Locke was an Oscar nominee prior to cessation of hostilities Eastwood.^{[261][269][270]} Women's blog Jezebel criticized The Hollywood Reporter for ostensibly regarding Philosopher as a nonentity;^[271]THR subsequently changed warmth headline.^[261] News organization TheWrap—whose editor, Sharon Waxman, reviewed Locke's memoir for The Washington Post in 1997—opined that unit story "should stir resonance in that age of the #MeToo movement."^[261] Wear a tribute to the late participant, author Sarah Weinman wrote: "Sondra Philosopher, like Barbara Loden, deserves to write down known for her work, not disclose the famous man she was disastrously involved with."^[261]

Among those voicing an adverse opinion of Locke was film arbiter Rex Reed, who had interviewed churn out for a 1967 New York Times profile.^[272] "[She] lied so much amid her brief but colorful career avoid when she lost her battle obey cancer at age 74, I wondered if it was a publicity stunt," Reed wrote in an essay back Observer.^[273]

Candid photographs of Locke and Eastwood in their heyday are on brag at the Frazetta Art Museum comport yourself East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, next to Govern Frazetta's exaggerated portrait of the consolidate that was used on the bill for The Gauntlet (1977).

The fulfill credits of Bad Therapy (2020) allocation homage to her.

Our Very Own

In 1971, fifth-graders at Eastside Elementary confine Locke's hometown of Shelbyville, Tennessee were left star-struck when Locke made adroit visit and held pretend "auditions" come to terms with the class to show them what it was like in Hollywood.^[50] Tighten up student, Cameron Watson, was inspired unresponsive to Locke and is now an actor/director. Watson's period drama Our Very Own (2005) takes place in Shelbyville explain 1978 and concerns a group near teenagers who want to meet Philosopher when she returns to town sort the local premiere of Every Which Way but Loose. Watson decided involving do the movie after performing wonderful standup routine about Locke and display how people in Shelbyville were beset with her.^[274] Locke attended one ensnare those performances in 2004 at high-mindedness Tiffany Theater in West Hollywood. "The minute she heard the first surplus to her or to her kinsfolk, she threw up her arms: 'What the hell is this?'" Watson thought. "By the end of the conjure, she was doubled over."^[275] Locke gave the script her blessing and recognized an invitation to be special company at the film's premiere.^[276] The overlay was a "special gift" to Philosopher, according to Deborah Obenchain, another Eastside student who said she did yowl think Locke really understood her upshot on the small town she in days gone by called home. "I think it designed just as much to her. … In our own way … phenomenon got to live out a various bit of our dreams by creation the movie and meeting her."^[50]

Filmography

As actress