A death certificate shows Locke died of cardiac arrest stemming from breast and bone cancer. She was 74 years old. In July 1967, Locke competed with 590 other Southern actresses and dozens of New York hopefuls for the part of Mick Kelly in a big-screen adaptation of Carson McCullers' novel The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter opposite Alan Arkin. She was 74. In 1972 she spoke to Clint Eastwood about a role in his film Breezy. Locke and Eastwood: she endured a toxic relationship with her co-star and lover, Locke in 1999. Clint Eastwood and Sandra Locke went to court Paul Harris/Getty Images While battling Clint Eastwood in 1989 in a multi-million dollar palimony suit, Sondra Locke … She was 74. Sondra Locke, actor in Clint Eastwood films, dies at 74 This article is more than 2 years old Actor starred in The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, before role in Eastwood’s The Outlaw Josey Wales The end was particularly messy, with Eastwood kicking her out of their home. “If you don’t want to do exactly as I tell you, you can pack your bags, girl, and get outta here,” she recalled. On her directing, Locke said: “I understood it would be at the risk of our relationship. https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/actress-sondra-locke-obit-1.4945961 And they were words that gave me the anger, the courage, and the initiative to go.”. By Reg Innell/Toronto Star/Getty Images. Sondra Locke was Clint Eastwood’s long term girlfriend who lived with him for over 13 years. Tired of playing second fiddle, she decided to make her own directorial debut. It was during that time that Locke began a relationship with Eastwood. Her sensitive performance as “Mick” gained Locke a nomination for the 1969 Academy Award category of best actress in a supporting role, and saw her go on to appear in films such as Cover Me Babe (1970) and Willard (1971). While she did not regret meeting the ‘Dirty Harry’ star, doing so set her on a trajectory away from the promise of her early success, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. Clint Eastwood Pays Off Sondra Locke Settlement ends a long, bitter suit. Sondra Locke, the Oscar-nominated actress who starred in several movies with Clint Eastwood —a romantic partner-turned-litigious opponent—has died. She continued to direct with 1990’s Impulse and 1997’s Do Me a Favor starring Rosanna Arquette. The recently deceased actress met the Hollywood actor in … “My biggest misfortune, my greatest regret, is that I wish I’d cut my time with Clint in half,” she said. By Marcus Errico Sep 25, 1996 1:15 AM Tags. Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty. Her headstrong and independent demeanour would prove to be her downfall (Rex), {{#verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}}, Sondra Locke: Actor who was overshadowed by Clint Eastwood, Honey Lantree: Drummer of The Honeycombs who defied Sixties sexism. She was the daughter of Raymond Smith, a military man stationed nearby, and Pauline Bayne. But despite her success in acting and, later, directing, Locke never seemed to fit in with the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. Her very headstrong and independent demeanour, however, would prove to be her demise. Despite turning her down for Kay Lenz – at 27 Locke was too old to play a 17-year-old, Eastwood remembered Locke’s talent and in 1975 invited her to meet. Sondra Locke’s journey through the triumphs and tragedies of fame is a plot worthy of its own Hollywood film. You'll get the latest updates on this topic in your browser notifications. Her career was in no small part overshadowed by her relationship, both on screen and off, with Clint Eastwood. The two began living together while filming The Outlaw Josey Wales in Page, Arizona, in October 1975, by which time, according to Locke, "He had told me that there was no real relationship left between him and Maggie." Locke sued him for palimony. Locke later filed another lawsuit for fraud after 30 projects were turned down by the company. Academy Award-nominated actress and director Sondra Locke, whose body of work included multiple collaborations with Clint Eastwood, has died. The actor, who has died aged 74, was the archetypal small-town wannabe who went to make it in Hollywood. Bayne married Alfred Locke, a carpenter, four years later. A rep for Locke did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment. She was 74, and her death only came to light in mid … Locke was nominated for the Oscar for best supporting actor for her role … And although he loved me for my childlike nature, he brought out the woman in me.”. Actress Sondra Locke, who was Clint Eastwood's girlfriend for more than 13 years, has died. She then was cast in 1976 film The Outlaw Josey Wales, the first of six movies the Locke would star in as Eastwood’s sidekick. Sondra Locke, Oscar-nominated actress… Sondra Locke, Oscar-nominated actress and frequent co-star of Clint Eastwood, died at her home on Saturday, Nov. 3, … ondra Locke, Oscar-nominated actor and former partner of Clint Eastwood, has died aged 74. Locke said: “I seemed to bring out the little boy in him. Want an ad-free experience?Subscribe to Independent Premium. Actress and director Sondra Locke, who was nominated for an Academy Award for her first film role in 1968’s The Heart is a Lonely Hunter and co-starred in six films with Clint Eastwood, has died. Locke was best known for the six films she made with Clint Eastwood in the late 1970s and early 1980s, including "The Outlaw Josey Wales," ''Every Which Way But Loose," and "Sudden Impact." In 1986, Locke made her directorial debut with Ratboy, a story about a boy who is half-rat and which was produced by Eastwood’s production company Malpaso. Coyote Ugly Turns 20: Where Is the Cast Now? Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Find out what your cat is trying to tell you with a new cat app, Princess Diana died when Harry was just 12 years old, Engineer Creates App To Translate Your Cat, The Sweetest Photos of Princes Harry with Diana, Sean Connery's Cause of Death Revealed Weeks After He Dies at Age 90. The pair married in 1967, despite Anderson being openly gay, and remained lifelong friends – and never divorced. The couple became inseparable and lived together for 13 years, although Eastwood was still married to his first wife, Maggie Johnson. Locke, who was nominated for an Academy Award for her first film role in The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, died on Nov. 3, according to Variety. Locke began her career in 1967 when she won a nationwide talent search for a supporting role in The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter opposite Alan Arkin. The pair clicked. The Gauntlet is a 1977 American action thriller film directed by Clint Eastwood, who stars alongside Sondra Locke.The film's supporting cast includes Pat Hingle, William Prince, Bill McKinney, and Mara Corday.Eastwood plays a down-and-out cop who falls in love with a prostitute (Locke) whom he is assigned to escort from Las Vegas to Phoenix in order for her to testify against the mob Locke and Eastwood parted ways in 1989 when she sued The Mule star for palimony after she alleged at the time he had changed the locks of their home and removed all of her belongings. For the first audition in Birmingham, then-fiancé Gordon Anderson gave his bride a so-called Hollywood makeover: he bound her bosom, bleached her eyebrows and carefully fixed her hair, makeup and outfit so as to create a more gamineappearance. “There are times I wish I had only read it, and never lived it,” she once said. The actor Sondra Locke, who has died aged 74 after suffering from cancer, was closely associated with the film star and director Clint Eastwood: they made six … She was born Sandra Louise Smith in Shelby, Tennessee, to Pauline Bayne, a factory worker and to Raymond Smith, a soldier, who left the family. If you would like to opt out of browser push notifications, please refer to the following instructions specific to your device and browser: Actress and Director Sondra Locke, Clint Eastwood's Former Girlfriend of 14 Years, Dies at 74. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. Credit: Sondra Locke was born May 28, 1944 as Sandra Louise Smith, probably in Madison, Alabama. Locke ended up writing a tell all book that got released in the mid 1990s titled The Good, the Bad, and the Very Ugly, and revealed a wealth of juicy information. The two settled. Sondra Locke, the Oscar-nominated actress and filmmaker, has died at the age of 74. Introducing ... PEOPLE's Products Worth the Hype, Clint Eastwood’s Kids, Granddaughter, First Wife and Girlfriend All Unite at Movie Premiere. Sondra Locke was an actor, producer, director and talented singer. Smith departed the scene before Sondra's birth. Halfway through the lawsuit Locke learned she had breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy as well as chemotherapy. Sondra Locke and Clint Eastwood in 1977’s “The Gauntlet.” ullstein bild via Getty Images She would win raves for the role along with nominations for a Golden Globe and an Oscar. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? During her time as a director, Locke largely stayed away from acting but returned to it in 1999 with small roles in The Prophet’s Game, and Clean and Narrow. Locke’s 1997 autobiography, The Good, the Bad and the Very Ugly, tells the story of a young girl from a painfully normal neighbourhood in Tennessee who dreamed of becoming an actor, but came from a family that shunned creativity. During her life, Locke survived breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy and chemotherapy. RELATED: Clint Eastwood’s Kids, Granddaughter, First Wife and Girlfriend All Unite at Movie Premiere. Oscar-nominated actress Sondra Locke has died of cancer at the age of 74. https://www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment/actress-sondra-locke-dead-at-74-1.4217780 Sondra Locke, actor, born 28 May 1944, died 3 November 2018. Locke said in one interview: “These were words that had been said in so many different ways, but never out loud. She was 74. After winning a talent competition lead by Warner Brothers, Locke starred in The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, a film about a deaf man and the friendships he makes when moving to a small town. She went on to star in Cover Me Babe, A Reflection of Fear and The Second Coming of Suzanne but her life took a turn when she was cast in Clint Eastwood’s The Outlaw Josey Wales as his love interest in 1975. However, multiple factors in their relationship, Locke’s independence among them, contributed to a breakup that would see Eastwood emerge without criticism and Locke struggle with lawsuits against him. CLINT Eastwood forced his former girlfriend Sondra Locke to have two abortions while constantly cheating on her, it has been claimed. Locked credited an argument with her mother, when she was 19, for spurring her on to leave home. She was 74. “I wouldn’t say I wish I never had the relationship, but I wish I’d found a way, I’d understood who he was, where it would end, five or six years earlier so I could have gotten on with things.”. The two met while on the set of The Outlaw Josey Wales, and while Eastwood was still married. Inspired by the “magic window” of her local cinema, she went on to clinch her first role in 1968’s The Heart is a Lonely Hunter – for which she gained an Oscar nomination. At school she was an outsider with few friends, finding comfort in the friendship of a boy called Gordon Anderson. Sputnik looks at her tempestuous relationship with Clint Eastwood, which ended with her suing him for fraud. In 1948, Bayne remarried Alfred Locke, who bestowed his surname on Pauline's children a… Text us for exclusive photos and videos, royal news, and way more. Actress Sondra Locke, who was Clint Eastwood‘s girlfriend for more than 13 years, has died. The short union ended in divorce. Nine years into Eastwood’s affair with Locke, who was 14 years his junior, he finally divorced Johnson. Her portrayal of a sensitive 16-year-old earned her the Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress as well as two Golden Globe nominations. She sued him again in 1995 for fraud, which she and Eastwood settled out of court, according to the Los Angeles Times at the time. Clint Eastwood and Sondra Locke in The Gauntlet, | After the drama of court Locke never returned to directing, although her acting career made a small comeback with supporting roles in independent features such as The Prophet’s Game (2000) and Clean and Narrow (2000), but neither secured a theatrical release. In 1945, her mother wed William B. Elkins, and they had a son, Donald, in 1946. Sondra Locke: Actor whose career was overshadowed by her association with Clint Eastwood. Others included Bronco Billy (1980) and Sudden Impact (1983). Over the course of their relationship, the two would continue to work together in such films as 1977’s The Gauntlet, Every Which Way But Loose, Any Which Way You Can, Bronco Billy and Sudden Impact. In 1972, Eastwood met married actress (later director) Sondra Locke at a meeting in his office on the Universal Studios Lot. Sondra Locke and Clint Eastwood co-stared in six films together. Sondra Locke died on Nov. 3, 2018, of cardiac arrest as a result of both breast and bone cancer. Actress Sondra Locke, who was Clint Eastwood ‘s girlfriend for more than 13 years, has died. And when I did, that was the beginning of the end.”. Get push notifications with news, features and more. … Eastwood at first supported her ambitions, helping her with the rather odd film Ratboy (1986). According to the death certification issued by the Los Angeles Department of Public Health, Locke… They also lied about her age, shaving off s… As news of Locke's passing broke, … Read our full mailing list consent terms here. She settled out of court for a directing deal with Warner Bros, as well as a hefty sum – and the house she lived in with Eastwood.