Clint Eastwood’s ex-lover actress Sondra Locke passed away aged 74

Actress and director Sondra Locke passed away on November 3 at the age of 74. She was Clint Eastwood‘s girlfriend for more than 13 years.

The actress died from breast and bone cancer. She was reportedly laid to rest at Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park & Mortuary.

Sondra Locke was an actress who was nominated for an Academy Award for her first film role in the film “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.” She was born in 1944 as Sandra Louise Smith and raised in Shelbyville, Tennessee.

The star changed her named to Sondra in her early 20s. In 1967, she and won a nationwide talent search for the part of teenager Mick Kelly for the movie “The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter.”

For more on this story go to our Twitter account @amomama_usa. In the movie, she starred opposite Alan Arkin, who was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar.

The actress also received Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actress and Most Promising Newcomer. She’s also starred in “Cover Me Babe,” “Willard,” “A Reflection of Fear,” and “The Second Coming of Suzanne.”

Locke featured in TV roles for “The F.B.I.,” “Cannon,” “Barnaby Jones,” “Kung Fu,” “A Feast of Blood,” and “Gondola.” In 1976, she started working with Clint Eastwood in “The Outlaw Josey Wales.”

That was followed by “The Gauntlet,” “Every Which Way But Loose,” “Any Which Way You Can,” “Bronco Billy,” and “Sudden Impact.” In 1986, the actress tried her hand at directing.

She successfully directed “Ratboy,” 1990’s “Impulse,” 1995’s TV movie “Death in Small Doses,” and “Do Me a Favor,” starring Rosanna Arquette. Locke had a controversial relationship of more than 13 years with Eastwood.

In 1989, she sued him for palimony and for fraud in 1995. She also and sued Warner Bros. for allegedly conspiring with Eastwood to sabotage her directorial career.

In all three cases, she settled out of court. The actress and director underwent a double mastectomy in 1990 and later wrote a book.

Her autobiography was called “The Good, the Bad, and the Very Ugly – A Hollywood Journey,” and it was published in 1997. Her recent acting credit was on “Ray Meets Helen.”

She is survived by her husband Gordon Anderson.

Eastwood is well-known for having many casual relationships with different women. He’s also been married before and has 7 children.