The sex symbol confessed that "girls thought I was a jokea happy buffoon," before he met his wife. [204] The outcome, Locke said, sent a "loud and clear" message to Hollywood, "that people cannot get away with whatever they want to just because they're powerful. [100] The film was one of the top 15 grossing films of 1976 and revived Locke's career. [41] She first met Eastwood in 1972 when she unsuccessfully lobbied for the title role in his film Breezy (1973);[167] they became involved upon arrival at the shooting location of The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) in Page, Arizona. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. [182], The breakup affected Locke's social life. Locke's death received no television coverage except for a 15-second spot on ABC World News Tonight. "Hollywood stars to help Shelbyville native's film". [68][168][127][220][221] Unfazed by their 17-year age difference and that Locke was only three years younger than his mother[222][223] they soon went public with the romance, dining at paparazzi hotspot Spago on one of their early dates in November 1990. She passed away of cardiac arrest stemming from breast and bone cancer. [33] "He didn't like the idea of me being away from him. Sondra Elaine Locke, of Edmond, Oklahoma, passed away December 4, 2019. One April day while she was filming Impulse, she returned to their shared home to find that Eastwood had changed the locks and boxed up her clothes, the Post notes. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. [86][162][163][164][q] For a while in the early 1970s, she shared a liaison with married actor David Soul after they played siblings in an episode of Cannon. As an all-American hero, he was untouchable; his public did not want to hear that he was flawed. Failed to delete memorial. "[33], The case went to trial in September 1996. After-the-fact publicity claimed that 2,000 actresses tried out for the role. He's said things that were hurtful to my character and hurtful to me professionally. I have to admit I read that and I was like, Go mom, laughs Clea Newman Soderlund, speaking about her fathers posthumous memoir, Ezra Millers Messiah Delusions: Inside. [89][k], In 1973, Locke was attached to star in Terminal Circle. Unbeknownst to Locke, Eastwood eavesdropped on those consultations by means of a wiretap that he placed on their home phone in early March. Siskel & Ebert gave the film "two thumbs up". "If you love the craft of filmmaking as much as I do, it's hard to go back to acting after you've tasted the high of directing."[9]. [57], 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. Actress Sondra Locke, who was best known for making six movies with Clint Eastwood, has died at the age of 74. You can always change this later in your Account settings. Watson's period drama Our Very Own (2005) takes place in Shelbyville in 1978 and concerns a group of teenagers who want to meet Locke when she returns to town for the local premiere of Every Which Way but Loose. [42] She also played on the girls' basketball team, served as PTSA representative and was president of the French club. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. "[131] Locke was nonetheless grateful to have a platform at all, stating: "It was a miracle that a major publisher took it. "[41], For his part, Eastwood waved the lawsuit off as a "dime-novel plot,"[204] continuing, "it's all about money about getting something for nothing. It was never my fameit was his fame. From 1990 to 1993, her lawyer Peggy Garrity claimed, Locke proposed 30 films to the studio, all of which were turned down. [119] The couple's final collaboration as performers was Sudden Impact (1983), the highest-grossing film in the Dirty Harry franchise,[120] in which Locke played an artist with her own code of vigilante justice. Thanks for your help! Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. Watson said. In 1945, Locke briefly took the surname of her then-stepfather, Elkins, before her mother changed it again in 1948. "Sex Stars of 1969'". The enormous eyes set in a petite face gave her the perpetually childlike look of one of Margaret Keanes big-eyed child paintings. [168][r] After wrapping the film in December 1975, the couple shuttled between Eastwood's houses in Sherman Oaks and Carmel, as well as rented homes in San Francisco and Tiburon. She was 74 years old. Her legal name was changed four times during her first 24 years of life: from Sandra Smith to Sandra Elkins, to Sandra Locke, to Sondra Locke, to Sondra Anderson. Locke's persona belied her age, and she habitually played roles written for women much younger than herself. [33] When this became public knowledge a decade after the fact, Eastwood issued a statement: I adamantly deny and deeply resent the accusation that either one of those abortions or the tubal ligation were done at my demand, request or even suggestion. [2], Sandra Louise Smith was born on May 28, 1944,[a][b] the daughter of New York City native Raymond Smith, then serving in the military,[c] and Pauline Bayne, a pencil factory worker from Huntsville, Alabama, who was of mostly Scottish descent, with matrilineages in South Carolina extending back to the late 18th century. [179] "I never knew I could love somebody so much, and feel so peaceful about it at the same time," Locke said he told her. "[96], In 1975, Locke was cast in the western film The Outlaw Josey Wales as the love interest of Clint Eastwood's eponymous character. [33], During her marriage, Locke was rumored to have been linked amorously to co-stars Robert Fields (Cover Me Babe), Bruce Davison (Willard), Paul Sand (The Second Coming of Suzanne) and Bo Hopkins (Gondola), as well as producer Hawk Koch, real estate agent Herb Goldfarb, and John F. Kennedy's nephew Robert Shriver. Try again later. Even though Locke played the leading female role, Locke's autobiography provides a convoluted recollection of the casting process for, Gordon Anderson went by the stage names 'C.B. [92], Locke guested on top-rated television drama series throughout the first half of the 1970s, including The F.B.I., Cannon (as two different characters), Barnaby Jones and Kung Fu. [155] She started as secretary to Tom Griscom in local sales for WSM Radio. [62] They also lied about her age, shaving off six years to make her seem younger[63][h] a pretense Locke would keep up for the rest of her career. The supercalifragilistic Lin-Manuel Miranda, The Golden Globes are quirkyand thats a good thing, How The Sopranos gave us Trump training wheels, Rockos Modern Life was even loonier than you thought, The years best movies,according to our critic. "Eastwood is target of another Locke Lawsuit". [208] As had happened with the previous lawsuit, this ended in an out-of-court settlement, in May 1999. [93] In the 1972 Night Gallery episode "A Feast of Blood",[94] she played the victim of a curse planted by Norman Lloyd; the recipient of a brooch that devoured her. [156] According to co-worker Alan Nelson, who died eight months after Locke, he and other staff members believed her promotion resulted from nepotism. The stars tell all about their relationship off-camera and on in an excerpt from the rich new oral history. It was only when she tried to step away from Clint's s Continue Reading 22 2 Savannah Thompson In the meantime, she accepted some television offers, co-starring with an all-female ensemble cast in Friendships, Secrets and Lies (1979) and portraying big band era vocalist Rosemary Clooney in Rosie: The Rosemary Clooney Story (1982). [o] In early 1969, as Locke was flooded with script offers after her Oscar nomination, she and Anderson left Tennessee and moved into a condo at The Andalusia in West Hollywood. Arthur Knight and Hollis Alpert. This translated into a period of great productivity while they were together. She also portrayed the singer and actress, Rosemary Clooney in the CBS television movie "Rosie: The Rosemary Clooney Story" in 1982. [33], According to a 1989 affidavit, the marriage was "tantamount to sister and brother" and they never consummated it. His accent wasnt so theatrical, and he was way funnier than Baz Luhrmann gives him credit for. Locke also later proved herself an idiosyncratic director with the curious fantasy Ratboy (1986), in which she starred. The actress wrote in her autobiography that she found out he was her father "sometime during grammar school," but phrased all references to him in ambiguous past tense and evaded specifying years. Cast Album of PAINT YOUR WAGON". 0 cemeteries found in Westwood, Los Angeles County, California, USA. The legendary directors death this week brings, Why Margot Kidder Was the Definitive Lois Lane, The late actresss fierce, funny reporter made, Scene Stealer: The True Lies of Elisabeth Finch, Part 1, The Johnny DeppAmber Heard Defamation Trial: The Makings of a Remarkable Moment in American Celebrity. She won the part after a nationwide search to find a suitable newcomer. Sondra Locke later proved herself as a film director. Smith may have died before Locke learned of him. During this period, Eastwood did a few movies that had no prominent female character for Locke to play. [86][87] She was then featured in William A. Fraker's underseen mystery A Reflection of Fear (1972), which required her to project the image of a character nearly half her age, and held the title role in The Second Coming of Suzanne (1974), winner of three gold medals at the Atlanta Film Festival. Locke went on to appear in such box 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). However, their relationship ended acrimoniously, coloring both their legacies and entwining them in two ugly lawsuits. Over time Suzanne has developed a cult following,[33][69] while Reflection is cited as an early example of media portrayals of transgender people. According to the Associated. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. "Say, is that C.J. [38][44][45] She dropped out after completing two semesters of study. [126] In a subsequent interview with Siskel, Locke said she wasn't eager to act again. In Eastwoods more rough-and-tumble outings she could only appear incongruous. She was nominated for her screen debut in. Sondra Locke (1944 - 2018) was an Academy Award-nominated actress and frequent co-star of Clint Eastwood. The second lawsuit also ended in a settlement for Locke. [33] For a time she lived in the commuter town of Gallatin. People can say, He made her famous; he gave her movies. He didnt give me moviesI did a job, she said. [113] She was awarded the West Hollywood property (valued at $2.2 million), $450,000 cash and unspecified monthly support payments as well. Terry Semel, then the C.E.O. Ken Beck, Last edited on 16 February 2023, at 16:19, Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress Motion Picture, Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer Female, Laurel Award for Female Supporting Performance, Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad, List of female film and television directors, List of Middle Tennessee State University people, Locke Exercises Control Over Ratboy, Her Career, Sondra's a Nice Girl, Despite What Studio Says, "Gordon Leigh Anderson, Sondra Louise Locke", "Clint Eastwood's Longtime GF, Sondra Locke Died from Cardiac Arrest", 1959 Shelbyville Central High School Yearbook, 1960 Shelbyville Central High School Yearbook, 1961 Shelbyville Central High School Yearbook, Sondra L Anderson, "United States Public Records, 1970-2009", Sondra L Anderson, Phone Number, Address & Background Info, "Picturing the Past 160: Sondra Locke on TV", Obituary: Sondra Locke, actress known for her troubled association with Clint Eastwood, "Sondra Locke's The Good, the Bad, and the Very Ugly: The Woman with a Name", Pauline Bayne, "Alabama County Marriages, 1809-1950", WALKER COUNTY, GA - VITAL RECORDS MARRIAGES, "Oscar-nominated actress, Tennessee native Sondra Locke dies at 74", "Sondra Locke in The Crucible: MTSU theater production, 1963", "Sondra Locke, Oscar-Nominated Actress for 'The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter,' Dies at 74", Oscar-nominated actress, Channel 4 alumna Sondra Locke dead at 74, The Official Tennessee Radio Hall Of Fame Community Public Group | Facebook, "Sandra of Shelbyville Becomes Sondra of the Cinema", "Nashville Actress Gets Starring Movie Role", Sondra Locke They Call Her 'The Beautiful Fake': A selfless husband with a flair for fooling catapulted this shy officeworker to overnight stardom, "Winners & Nominees: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture 1969", "Oscar Ceremony 1969 (Actress In A Supporting Role)", "Hard Work vs. Jinx, or The Luck of Sondra Locke", (Podcast) Willard (1971) Episode 53 Decades of Horror 1970s, "Exclusive Interview: Actress Sondra Locke on Gender-Bender Chiller A REFLECTION OF FEAR", "Rod Serling's Night Gallery: the Second Season; A Feast of Blood (NIGHT GALLERY #22 - original air date January 12, 1972)", Top 1976 Movies at the Domestic Box Office, Sondra Locke | Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos, Lots of bullets fly, but 'Gauntlet' is full of blanks, The Gauntlet - Movie Reviews and Movie Ratings, "Eastwood's Ex-Lover Says He Torpedoed Her Career", Top 1978 Movies at the Domestic Box Office, Eastwood Stars and Directs 'Bronco Billy', "DVD Extra: New 'Dirty Harry' Set Showcases Sondra Locke", "Exclusive Interview with Sondra Locke: Magic in films and the real world", "Book Review: 'The Good, the Bad and the Very Ugly', "Voltage taking Eli Roth's Knock Knock with Keanu Reeves to Cannes", "BWW Interview: Keith Carradine on the New Encores! Actress. Family members linked to this person will appear here. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. [43] One student, Cameron Watson, was inspired by Locke and is now an actor/director. . Jeanne Miller. [196][197][198] When her contract had yielded zero directing assignments three years in, Locke became convinced the deal was a sham. "[42], Locke held a variety of jobs, including as a bookkeeper for Tyson Foods and secretary in a real-estate office. An alumna of Middle Tennessee State University, Locke broke into regional show business with assorted posts at the Nashville-based radio station WSM-AM, then segued into television as a promotions assistant for WSM-TV. He didnt make me famous. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/195334615/sondra-locke. "[105] Eastwood predicted that she would win an Oscar for her performance. [122] Eastwood then directed Locke in a 1985 Amazing Stories episode entitled "Vanessa in the Garden". She made it as part of a $150,000 three-picture deal with 20th Century Fox, and was compensated for the other two which never came to fruition. [238], Cinematographer David Worth credits Locke with his big break. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. [239] She is admired by such actresses as Frances Fisher and Rosanna Arquette, who applauded the strength of her directorial accomplishments, however short-lived. Joyce Haber (1972-11-08). "Being a woman I have great empathy for these women. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. Gordon Addison Broadway and Theatre Credits, Sandra Locke appeared with Clint Eastwood in hit films, "Sondra Locke: a charismatic performer defined by a toxic relationship with Clint Eastwood", Eastwood's Ex Tells All in Unflattering New Book, A Fond Farewell to Sondra Locke (1944 2018), "Eastwood Unforgiven: Locke's Lawsuit Spins Saga of Love and Power in Hollywood", "Oscar-nominated actress Sondra Locke dies at 74", "Videotapers' Syndication $$ Whopper for Nashville", "Suing Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke Strikes with Magnum Force", "Clint Eastwood gets top role in outlaw film". Chapel Hill Funeral Home & Memorial Gardens. Play. If Sudden Impact, their last film together, seemed brutal, that was nothing compared to the fallout from the couples relationship, which ended in 1989 with accusations from both sides: Locke pointed to Eastwoods infidelities and his tapping of her phone, while he complained that his generosity was being exploited by Locke and her close friend Gordon Anderson (a childhood friend whom she had married in 1967, though he was openly gay). [123] When asked why she'd been absent from her longtime beau's recent star vehicles, Locke replied simply, "I wasn't right for the roles. GREAT NEWS! "I think it meant just as much to her. Sondra Locke, an actress who received an Oscar nomination for her first film and starred in a series of movies with Clint Eastwood, with whom she had a turbulent relationship, died on Nov. 3 2018 at her home in Los Angeles. Eight years before they met, she had already received Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for her accomplished debut as Mick, a southern teenager who befriends a deaf-mute man (Alan Arkin) in the 1968 adaptation of Carson McCullers novel The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter. [131] She had simultaneously been wooed by screenwriter Philip Kaufman but chose Eastwood over him. Try again. She was born in Oklahoma City on April 8, 1940 to Warren and Voicey Marie Matherly. The actress died after a cardiac arrest as a result of breast and bone cancer, according to a death certificate obtained by Associated . Sondra Locke Sondra Locke, an Oscar-nominated actress for "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" and a frequent co-star of her ex-husband Clint Eastwood, whom she successfully sued for fraud in 1995, died on Nov A Space Odyssey," died on Jan. Use this page to find out if She was born Sandra in Shelbyville, Tennessee, to Pauline Bayne, a factory worker, and Raymond Smith, a soldier. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. "[118] Locke cited Bronco Billy and The Outlaw Josey Wales as her favorites of the movies they made. [33] Locke later defensively declared: "Clint is not good at direct communication. She also acted in a handful of projects, making her final turn in the 2017 romantic comedy Ray Meets Helen. [214], A lifelong nonsmoker (save for a few film roles),[215] Locke practiced Transcendental Meditation[216] and worked out with weights, though she hated running. [97] Locke said she chose the role for its exposure,[98] following a run of unremarkable credits. [210][v] The agreement with Warner Bros., Locke said, was "a happy ending. Earl Wilson. 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 films together and had a 13-year relationship, which ended acrimoniously. [130], Locke's death was kept secret until December 13, when Radar Online broke the news the day before Eastwood's latest blockbuster The Mule (2018) opened in theaters nationwide, citing the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. "For Human Options, the Light Is Bright". People stopped calling. 2:09. I understood it would be at the risk of our relationship, Locke said to the Post, referring to her desire to move away from Eastwood films. Debbie Reynolds during her high-school years, in the late 1940s. I felt it was like social extortion of a kindblackmail or whatever you want to call it, he said. Several major publications prefaced news of her death by tagging Eastwood's name atop the article,[238] which received criticism by some who deemed it a sexist epitaph,[235][243][244] with fans online pointing out that Locke was an Oscar nominee prior to meeting Eastwood. Sondra Locke, the Oscar-nominated actress who made six movies with live-in lover Clint Eastwood before . In 1989, Claudia Puig of the Los Angeles Times described her lawsuit against Clint Eastwood as a "precedent-setting legal case, as it raises the question of whether a woman, who is legally married to one man, can claim palimony rights from another. If you were in Clint Eastwood movies, you were in the Clint Eastwood movie business, she explained. cemeteries found in Westwood, Los Angeles County, California, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. [w], In 2015, after a 25-year period of apparent remission,[228] Locke's cancer returned and metastasized to her bones. The two women got into a row just before New Year's Eve, Locke recalling, "I wanted to hit her, to pull every hair out of her head. [59][g] For the first audition in Birmingham, then-fianc Gordon Anderson gave his bride a so-called Hollywood makeover: he bound her bosom,[61] bleached her eyebrows[33] and carefully fixed her hair, makeup and outfit so as to create a more gamine appearance. She was 74. Nearly three decades later, Locke said she still got those photos in fan mail requesting her autograph. "[33] She had a maternal half-brother, Donald (born April 26, 1946) from Bayne's subsequent brief marriage to William B. [166], Locke referred to these intervals as "casually exploring for a romantic relationship," noting that she had not fallen in love with any of the men. Eastwood was secretly involved with another woman and had two children with her. Try again later. When the former husband and wife square off in a Virginia courtroom this week, it will mark the culmination of a divorce that has been without comparison in the annals of modern American celebrity. In the seven years after their split, Locke filed two lawsuits against him, first for palimony in 1989, fighting him in court for a year, all while battling breast cancer and undergoing a double mastectomy, settling in 1990; then for fraud in 1996, when a producing and directing deal at Warner Bros, which was part of the settlement in the original suit (and which spawned no movies), turned out to have been underwritten by Eastwood without Lockes knowledge. [128] She reflected in 2012: "Clint has said so many bad things about me to the media since we split up, and he has so much more access and power to do that. Locke never appeared in a wide release after Sudden Impact. "Locke Turns To 'Ratboy' To Escape Clint's Maze". She later sued Clint Eastwood for both palimony and fraud, but settled both cases. Late in the 1970s, Locke became pregnant by Eastwood twice;[100] she terminated both pregnancies. How did it come to this? "[195], Locke battled Eastwood in court for 19 months; she developed breast cancer during proceedings and said the treatments sapped her will to fight. [204] Before any court decision could be made, Locke settled the case with Eastwood for an undisclosed amount of money. In 1997, Locke's autobiography The Good, the Bad, and the Very Ugly: A Hollywood Journey was published by William Morrow and Company. "[33], Locke and actor/director Clint Eastwood entered a domestic partnership in October 1975. According to the Associated Press, Locke died on November 3 at her Los Angeles home of cardiac arrest stemming from bone and breast cancer. Locke was an accomplished actress, making her debut in the 1968 drama The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter alongside Alan Arkin. [199] She began to seek corroboration and came across incriminating printouts from WB's bookkeeping records. Paul Newman and Joanne Woodwards Daughters Appreciated the Fuck Hut Detail Too. The pair began dating on the set, sparking a relationship that would last for 13 years and spawn five more movies, the last being Sudden Impact in 1983. Oops, we were unable to send the email. So she filed another suit, alleging that Eastwood defrauded her, and that the Warner Bros. deal she had been given was not real. [241][242], Numerous outlets faced pushback over their chosen headlines for Locke's obituary. Bayne was also wed to painter Thomas H. Nelson between marriages to William Elkins and Alfred Locke, for less than eight months. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. "[43], Commercial ups and downs, missed roles, TV work. [234] In absence of any explanation, many surmised that Locke had to have requested the blackout in her final wishes, perhaps to keep her true age from being exposed. Her closest friends had been the wives of Eastwood's colleagues: Maria Shriver, Cynthia Sikes Yorkin and Lili Fini Zanuck, all 1011 years younger than Locke and married to film industry heavyweights Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bud Yorkin and Richard D. Zanuck respectively. [33] 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 for Circle Players Inc.[42][57] In 1966, the 22-year-old appeared in a UPI wire photo that showed her cavorting in new fallen snow. [189] At any rate, she called divorce lawyer Norman Oberstein to explore her options should the separation be permanent. "[212] "I feel elated. Search above to list available cemeteries. She was the daughter of Raymond Smith, a military man stationed in the area, and Pauline Bayne. [209] By then, Locke had fired Garrity and hired Neil Papiano to represent her. [41] Peggy Garrity, Locke's former counsel, recalled the courtroom drama in her book In the Game: The Highs and Lows of a Trailblazing Trial Lawyer (2016). How Should a Cinephile Grapple with Bertoluccis Tainted Legacy? Alan Rudolph, Keith Carradine, Sondra Locke and Jennifer Tilly in Person at the Music Hall for RAY MEETS HELEN. [72] Locke's performance garnered her an Academy Award nomination, as well as a pair of Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actress and Most Promising Newcomer Female. "Sondra Locke: A match for the macho Clint Eastwood". [59][71], The film came out in the summer of 1968 to critical acclaim. They automatically assumed I was working exclusively with Clint.. Locke is remembered as an early pioneer for women in Hollywood. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request.