Sondra Locke

"This Is How a Woman Gets Written Out of Her Own Obituary

Sondra Locke has died. She was a film director and Oscar-nominated actress, but by 'The Hollywood Reporter'’s account, she was just Clint Eastwood’s money-grubbing ex-girlfriend."

Hazel Cills

at least there is a growing push-back on this misogynist nonsense

a mansplained obituary is not OK

A striking actress and a pioneering female director, whose career was sabotaged by Hollywood’s insecure male egos. She’s more than her ex-boyfriend. Any article that leads with his name should be ashamed of itself.

 Sondra Locke b. May 28, 1944 - November 3, 2018

Sondra Locke is an American born actress and director. 

Locke appeared in small theatre productions before she was cast in her debut role in the 1968 adaptation of The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter directed by Robert Ellis Miller. She was nominated for an Academy Award for her star making role.

In 1975 Locke was cast in The Outlaw Josey Wales playing Clint Eastwood’s love interest. A role I always found disturbing as her ingenue looks made her appear childlike and she is attacked and stripped with dreadful intent of rape by the 'Indians' who attack the little band of settlers trying to make it across the West to their Homestead heaven. 
The two began a personal relationship that lasted until 1989, and for the entirety of their relationship she only appeared in one movie without him. 

Despite their intertwined professional and personal relationship Locke would later reveal that Eastwood was verbally and physically abusive to her throughout their relationship and also pressured her into having two abortions and a tubal litigation [look it up!].

In 1986 Locke made her directorial debut with Ratboy, about a humanoid rat. While the film was a commercial and critical failure it nevertheless caused Eastwood to become extremely jealous of Locke and her desire to direct. Locke continued to pursue directing projects and by 1989, as she was working on her second film, Impulse, her relationship with Eastwood ended with him locking her out of their mutual home.

Locke sued Eastwood for palimony and as part of the resulting lawsuit was given a production deal with the WB. In 1996 she sued Eastwood for sabotaging her directorial career and in 1999 sued WB for conspiring with Eastwood to make sure her directorial projects were never made. Both lawsuits ended in financial settlements for Locke. 

Locke was able to direct two more films, the 1995 television movie Death in Small Doses which featured a young Evan Rachel Wood in her first role, and the 1997 film Do Me A Favor starring Rosanna Arquette. 

After her settlements she would never make another film as a director.

She died at the age of 74 due to breast and bone cancer and is survived by her husband, Gordon Anderson.