Unforgivable Facts About Clint Eastwood, The Last Cowboy

February 23, 2018 | Scott Mazza

Unforgivable Facts About Clint Eastwood, The Last Cowboy


Few figures loom as large in Hollywood as Clint Eastwood. He's been a young heartthrob, a Spaghetti Western star, and an Oscar-winning filmmaker. But even though he's one of the most prolific men in Hollywood, his life behind the scenes has been even more...dramatic. A plane crash, vicious divorces, secret love children—the Man With No Name has some wild stories to tell.


Clint Eastwood Facts

1. He Lied About His Childhood

Clint Eastwood was born in 1931 in San Francisco. Many of his stories about his childhood revolve around the hardships of the Great Depression—but his ex tells a different story. Sondra Locke, Eastwood's longtime partner, scoffed when she heard Clint's stories about struggling through the Depression. Some of the "trials" of Eastwood's childhood? Living on the rich side of town, owning a swimming pool, and belonging to a country club.

Now, after Eastwood and Locke's brutal falling out, she had plenty of reason to smear him—but we're getting ahead of ourselves. For now, Clint was still just a boy, with his own share of problems.

Clint Eastwood facts Flickr, Silver Screen

 

2. He Was A Terrible Student

I doubt it will shock you to learn that Clint Eastwood wasn't exactly a mathlete. He struggled in school, and even though he attended summer school, his teachers still held him back in junior high. Teachers tried to get him to take part in sports or the band—two activities that played to his strengths—but Eastwood just couldn't be bothered. He was too busy getting into trouble.

Clint Eastwood FactsRawhide (1959), CBS Productions

3. He Liked Two Things

Eastwood jumped from school to school, but no matter the setting, teachers just couldn't get him to care about anything academic. He cared about just two things: Fast cars and easy women. Unlike James Dean, the fast cars never came back to bite him. The women on the other hand...

James Dean FactsWikimedia Commons

4. He Probably Didn't Graduate

Despite being a major celebrity who's active even today, a remarkable amount of Clint Eastwood's story remains a mystery. Infamously cagey, Eastwood likes to keep his messy personal life close to the chest. That's probably why we still don't know for sure whether or not he ever graduated high school. All his friends from those days say that he was too busy going off and having a good time to finish school.

Although, when you're out to find a good time—sometimes you end up finding a really, really bad time.

Clint Eastwood factsFlickr, John Irving

5. He Found His Dream Home

As a young man, Clint Eastwood visited Carmel-by-the-Sea—the town where he'd later be mayor—for the first time. He apparently remarked, "Someday, I'd like to live here," so good on you for chasing your dreams, Clint! Unfortunately, it wasn't all fond memories during that first visit. The reason he had to leave was downright disturbing.

Clint Eastwood factsGetty Images

6. He Had A One Night Stand

Clint Eastwood is still having lady trouble to this day—so imagine when he was a young hunk! While visiting Carmel, Eastwood couldn't just help but try and chase some local tail. Unfortunately, he got a little more than he'd bargained for. He had a one-night stand with a schoolteacher several years his senior. As you'll soon see, Clint Eastwood has a certain...effect on women.

He hooked up with her for some harmless fun—and ended up in a total nightmare.

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7. She Became Unhinged

Clint Eastwood wanted a one-night stand, but apparently, his lady friend wanted a little more. She grew utterly obsessed with him, and threatened to take her own life if he didn't stay in Carmel with her. And what did Eastwood do? He said, "See ya later," hoped she was bluffing, and skipped town. And this was just teenager Clint Eastwood, not even movie star Clint Eastwood! Imagine the hearts he'd break later on...

But if you think that might mean bad karma for Clint—well, that would certainly explain this next story...

Clint Eastwood FactsAmbush at Cimarron Pass (1958), ‎Regal Films Inc

8. He Got Drafted

Since he hadn't yet discovered acting, Clint Eastwood was still only interested in fast cars and easy women. Doesn't exactly sound like a prime candidate to join the Army, does he? Well, too bad Clint. He had no plans to enlist, but have you ever heard of a little thing called the draft? Eastwood had apparently been running around with the daughter of an officer at California's Fort Ord.

The officer wanted revenge, and whose name did he see come across his desk one day? Next thing Eastwood knew, he was stationed at Fort Ord—and it almost cost him his life.

Clint Eastwood factsGetty Images

9. He Got On A Fateful Flight

Pretty much every young Clint Eastwood story starts the same way: He was off seeing one girl or another when... Well, this one is no different. He flew up to Seattle on a mission with Fort Ord, and just so happened to meet up with one of the many girlfriends he had up and down the West Coast. After their romp, it was time to fly home. He boarded a Douglas AD-1Q—unaware that the plane would never make it back to Fort Ord.

Clint Eastwood factsWikipedia

10. He Crashed Into The Ocean

Eastwood's plane took off without a hitch, but it soon became clear something was very wrong. First, the rear hatch wouldn't stay close properly. Next, the oxygen system failed. Navigation and intercoms soon followed. Then finally, as the plane was reaching its destination, it ran out of fuel. The pilot had no other options: They ditched the plane in the sea, several miles off the coast of San Francisco.

A few hours before, Eastwood had been enjoying a romp with his lady friend in Seattle—now he was fighting for his life.

Clint Eastwood factsGetty Images

11. He Wasn't Giving Up

The crash into the sea forced Eastwood to find a determination he'd never felt before. There was a moment where he fell to despair and thought his number was up—but then he thought, "Other people have made it through these things before." Why not him? He set his eyes on the shore and made like Dory. He just kept swimming.

Clint Eastwood FactsA Fistful of Dollars (1964),Constantin Film

12. He Had A Whirlwind Romance

Fortunately, Eastwood managed to finish his time at Fort Ord without any further brushes with death. He eventually moved to Los Angeles, where he finally met a girl who could make him settle down—at least, for a little while. A friend set him up on a blind date, and that's how he met Margaret Neville Johnson. She must have had something all his one-night stands lacked, because just a few months later, they tied the knot.

If only either of them had realized what they were getting themselves into...

Clint Eastwood factsGetty Images

13. They Went Long Distance

Clint Eastwood must have cared more about Maggie Johnson than his other flings, but it wasn't enough to get him to stop sleeping around. Maggie still had to finish university, so in the meantime, Eastwood took a job in Seattle. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder—well, in this case, it had the opposite effect. Another pretty young woman caught his eye, and he joined a local theatre group to get closer to her.

Turns out, he ended up getting way too close.

Clint Eastwood factsGetty Images

14. He Fathered A Love Child

Eastwood had barely seen his paper anniversary and he'd already gotten a girl pregnant—just not his wife. His flame up in Seattle quickly got pregnant, resulting in a daughter, Laurie, born in 1954. Laurie's mother never told Clint about the child and gave her up for adoption. Laurie Murray lived her entire life completely unaware that her father was one of the most famous men on Earth.

It wasn't until Laurie was in her 30s and went searching for her real parents that she found out—and I'm sure got the shock of a lifetime.

Clint Eastwood factsGetty Images

15. He Had The Look

For guys who look like Clint Eastwood, things just tend to work out. When Universal Pictures came to Fort Ord to shoot one day, a cameraman noticed Eastwood walking around. He thought, "That guy should be on camera!" so he introduced Eastwood to director Arthur Lubin. Lubin couldn't have agreed more. Most actors have to fight tooth and nail to get their foot in the door—and here's Clint Eastwood, minding his own business, when a big shot director comes up to him and arranges for his first audition.

However, Lubin must have regretted his decision the second he saw Eastwood try to act.

Clint Eastwood factsWikipedia

16. He Wasn't A Natural

Arthur Lubin thought he saw a certain movie star quality in young Clint Eastwood—but that illusion snapped as soon he saw him act. Eastwood's first audition was...less than ideal. The best Lubin could come up with was, "...maybe you should try some acting classes?" Yet still, despite Eastwood's lack of ability, Lubin still got him a contract with Universal that earned him $100 bucks a week.

It sure seems like Arthur Lubin really believed in Eastwood—but he might have had...let's call it an "ulterior motive."

Clint Eastwood factsFlickr, Ur Cameras

17. He Had An Admirer

One day, Clint Eastwood was just a regular working stiff, the next, a Hollywood director had plucked him from obscurity and given him a contract. Maybe he really did just have something special—but Eastwood's wife thought there was something more. Lubin was gay, and his obsession with Eastwood seemed a little more than professional courtesy.

Maggie put up with Eastwood's female lovers, but I guess a male lover would have been too much for her to take...

Clint Eastwood factsFlickr, Tom Simpson

18. He Faced A Ton Of Rejection

Ever heard the expression, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again?" Well, if you need proof, just look at the start of Clint Eastwood's career. His first real audition was for a movie called Six Bridges to Cross. The director thought he was a terrible actor and rejected him for every role. Then Eastwood tried out for Brigadoon...and The Constant Nymph...and The Severn Year Itch...and a whole pack of other movies.

Eastwood got the same result every time. He just didn't have the chops to make it in Hollywood—yet. He kept working on his craft, hoping one day he'd make it big—but the humiliations just kept coming.

Clint Eastwood factsFlickr, Jack Samuels

19. His Roles Weren't Glamorous

Eastwood's first major role for Universal Pictures? He accepted a role as a scarecrow...in the annual Christmas musical that the studio put on for their employees' children. Not exactly Oscar-bait now is it? But if Clint had learned one lesson in life, it was this: Keep your eyes on the shore, and just keep swimming. So that's what he did—and it started to pay off.

Clint Eastwood factsWikimedia Commons

20. He Terrified A Scene Partner

To Eastwood credit's, he knew he couldn't act, and he worked hard to get better. He remained self-conscious on camera, but as he took more acting classes, he slowly got better at the craft. His first breakthrough came when he realized he could play anger better than most. In one improvised scene with a young female acting student, Clint's rage was so believable that he left her in tears. Though, admittedly, he already had plenty of experience in making women cry...

It also helped matter that off-screen, Clint Eastwood was exactly the kind of tough guy Hollywood would soon be going crazy for.

Clint Eastwood factsFlickr, Jack Samuels

21. He Got Mugged

Note to any would-be muggers out there: If you see Clint Eastwood, maybe call it a night. One night in the 50s, Eastwood, his wife, and some friends went out to dinner at LA's legendary Trader Vic's tiki bar. As they approached the restaurant, a group of thugs approached and threatened them at gunpoint. The whole group wilted—except for Eastwood. His shocking response to the muggers was the stuff of Hollywood legend.

Clint Eastwood factsGetty Images

22. He Stood His Ground

As his party fumbled for their wallets, Eastwood stood tall. He allegedly looked at the thugs and growled, "Go on and pull that trigger, you little SOB, and I'll kill you before I hit the ground." The thugs immediately balked and ran off—probably a smart move. Though people thought Hollywood actors were made of soft stuff, they were in for a rude awakening if they tried to cross Clint Eastwood.

That's something a group of sailors learned the hard way...

Clint Eastwood factsGetty Images

23. He Fought Back

During another night on the town, a group of sailors on shore leave saw Clint Eastwood drinking with a friend at a bar on Highland Avenue. They took one look at Eastwood's boyish face and flowing hair and made him their target for the night. They accosted the pair and called Eastwood a slur—unaware of who they were messing with. In the ensuing fray, Eastwood took a punch to the face—but you should see the other guys.

Two of the sailors ended up in the hospital that night. Before he was even a movie star, Clint Eastwood was building up quite the legend. It couldn't save his marriage, though.

Clint Eastwood factsFlickr, Jack Samuels

24. He Cheated Constantly

It shouldn't surprise you to hear that Eastwood's marriage wasn't going great. Clint clearly didn't believe in the whole "always be faithful" part of his vows. He started cheating almost as soon as he said, "I do, and now that he was an actor, he had even more ladies to choose from. He even had an affair with the bodacious Mamie van Doren after he landed a tiny role in one of her movies.

Hey, with all the rejection he faced every day, Eastwood needed some way to blow off steam—but after years of struggle in Hollywood, Eastwood was finally about to get the big break he'd been waiting for.

Mamie Van Doren factsFlickr, Tom Simpson

25. He Got His Big Break

Sometimes, it only takes one part to change an actor's life forever. For Clint Eastwood, that role was Rowdy Yates in the TV Western Rawhide. The young, dumb cowboy wasn't exactly Dirty Harry, but it brought Eastwood into millions of homes—not to mention the fat paycheck that came with it. Eastwood was living every young actor's dream—but he would soon realize that there's a dark side to stardom.

Sal Mineo factsWikipedia

26. He Hated His Big Break

Never a man to be content with what he had, it was only a few years before Clint Eastwood's big break started to feel like a curse. In case you haven't gleaned it thus far, Eastwood isn't the most happy-go-lucky kind of a guy. But here he was playing a cute young doofus on TV. As he filmed more and more seasons of the show, he grew more and more unhappy.

And so Eastwood did what most people would do when they're the lead on a TV show and they're miserable: He became a total diva.

Clint Eastwood factsWikipedia

27. He Didn't Work Hard

Some actors take pride in their commitment and professionalism. At least at this point in his career, Clint Eastwood was not one of them. He gained a reputation for being lazy on set. He rarely showed up on time, and soon, the crew knew to film his scenes later in the day, because otherwise they'd be twiddling their thumbs waiting for him to arrive.

And, if you think that his big break made Eastwood give up on his other bad habits, you'd be sorely mistaken...

Clint Eastwood factsWikipedia

28. His Cheating Grew More Blatant

Clint Eastwood cheated on his first wife for their whole marriage—and eventually, he stopped trying to hide it. Everyone on set saw him take women into his trailer, then emerge lazy, tired, and unwilling to work. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together. As always, many of these women were one-night stands—but one relationship was far more intense than all the rest.

Clint Eastwood factsWikipedia

29. He Took A Mistress

Roxanne Tunis was a stuntwoman who worked on Rawhide. Eastwood met her in 1959, and soon he was...showing her what the inside of his trailer looked like. Tunis must have had something special, because their fling soon turned into a full-blown affair that lasted years. Their adulterous relationship became an open secret on set—and it made it very hard to hide the scandal that was coming.

Clint Eastwood factsWikimedia Commons

30. He Didn't Learn His Lesson

OK, Eastwood didn't know about the secret love child he'd fathered in 1954, so we can't really hold that one against him. But what about his second secret love child? In 1964, Roxanne Tunis gave birth to a daughter, Kimber. Everyone on set knew they were an item, and everyone on set noticed when Kimber became pregnant. Kinda difficult to keep that under wraps...

Though Eastwood's wife never commented on Kimber, it seems impossible that she didn't know. Sadly, she had gotten into the habit of turning a blind eye to her husband's infidelities. Roxanne was just the tip of the iceberg.

Clint Eastwood FactsGetty Images

31. He Nearly Had A Third

Barely 30, Clint Eastwood already had two love children—but it could have been worse. He nearly had three! Never one to be content with just a single affair, Eastwood also fooled around with actress and competitive swimmer Anita Lhoest. Lhoest's biographer claims that the affair led to a pregnancy, but Lhoest got an abortion. But don't worry: Eastwood wasn't done having secret children just yet. He was just taking a break.

Oh, and by the way, if you think we've covered all the affairs from Eastwood's first marriage—not even close.

Clint Eastwood factsFlickr, James Vaughan

32. The List Of His Lovers Is Long

Restaurant critic Gael Greene. French model Cathy Reghin. Actresses Inger Stevens, Jean Seberg, Jo Ann Harris, Jill Banner, Catherine Deneuve, and Susan St. James. Oh, then don't forget columnist Bridget Byrne. Or singer Keely Smith. It seems Clint Eastwood never grew up past that boy who wanted nothing other than to chase women—getting married clearly did nothing to slow him down.

Clint Eastwood clearly had no trouble with the ladies, but he still felt stuck in his Rawhide rut. His big break had turned into an anchor, and he was desperate for any way out. That's why he took an offer most actors wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole.

Catherine Deneuve FactsWikimedia Commons

33. He Got An Offer He Couldn't Refuse

As Eastwood grew more and more miserable on Rawhide, his co-stars were out there getting movie offers. That's how he heard about this bizarre Western shooting in rural Spain. Some unknown Italian guy named "Sergio Leone" was at the helm, and he'd offered the lead to Eastwood's co-star Eric Fleming. Fleming laughed off the offer; he wasn't about to leave Hollywood to film a Western in Spain with an Italian!

But Eastwood would do anything to escape Rowdy Yates's shadow, so he jumped at the chance. I'd say he made the right decision...

Clint Eastwood FactsA Fistful of Dollars (1964),Constantin Film

34. It Wasn't Much, But He Was Happy

Clint Eastwood made $15,000 for 11 weeks' work on the film Leone eventually titled A Fistful of Dollars. He also got a Mercedes-Benz as a bonus. Most actors would have been embarrassed by the movie, but Eastwood got to play the kind of tough anti-hero he'd always wanted to. He enjoyed the movies for what they were—but I doubt he ever imagined what this role would warp into.

Clint Eastwood FactsFlickr, yagisu

35. He Became A Legend

Though they took a few years to catch on in America, the three Spaghetti Westerns Eastwood made with Leone would go on to be some of the most iconic films in history. By the end of the 1960s, Eastwood had finally landed a role that eclipsed Rowdy Yates. The Dirty Harry movies soon followed, and just like that, Clint Eastwood was no longer the pretty-boy cowboy from Rawhide. He was Clint. Eastwood.

And just as his career was turning around, it looked like his marriage was looking up as well.

Clint Eastwood factsPicryl

36. He Finally Settled Down

Maggie Johnson put up with a lot while married to Clint Eastwood, but apparently, he turned a new leaf after making the Spaghetti Westerns. The pair had separated for a time, but now they wanted to give their marriage another shot. They even decided to start a family: Their first child, Kyle Eastwood, was born in 1968, a full 15 years after they first married. A daughter, Alison, followed in 1972.

Maybe Maggie thought Clint had finally changed. Spoiler alert: He had not.

Clint Eastwood factsGetty Images

37. He Had A "Somewhat Open Marriage"

Even in 1971, with one child already and another in the oven, Eastwood gave an interview where he claimed he had a "somewhat open marriage." I suppose what he meant was, "I am still married, but that doesn't stop me from sleeping with whomever I want." Maggie continued to put up with his womanizing, probably because she assumed that her husband's lovers were little more than some harmless fun—but soon, he started an affair that was unlike any that had come before it.

Clint Eastwood FactsPlay Misty For Me(1971),The Malpaso Company

38. He Met Someone Special

Right around the time of Alison's birth, Eastwood met the woman who would change his life forever: A young actress named Sondra Locke. It's hard to say for sure when exactly their affair began, but by 1975, the two of them were living together. Eastwood told her that he and his wife had no real relationship anymore, and she believed him.

Perhaps this tryst started like all the others for Eastwood, but he soon realized that Sondra Locke was like no woman he'd ever been with—and that's saying something.

Clint Eastwood factsWikipedia

39. He Fell Head Over Heels

The early days of Eastwood and Locke's relationship were full of passion. Locke recalled those years in her biography: "Clint seemed astonished at his need for me, even admitting that he'd never been faithful to one woman—because he'd 'never been in love before.'" Maybe he was even telling the truth! But while this romance started like a fairy tale—it ended like a horror story.

Clint Eastwood factsWikipedia

40. He Brought Her Into His House

First, Locke moved into the Sherman Oaks house that Eastwood had bought with his wife (they were still very much married, in case you forgot). Maggie had long since moved to their Pebble Beach estate, but Locke could never truly get comfortable in that house. The way she saw it, "it would always be Maggie's." They moved—but the specter of Eastwood's wife would continue to haunt them.

Clint Eastwood factsWikipedia

41. His Wife Set Ground Rules

Maggie Johnson soon realized that Sondra Locke was different from her husband's other mistresses—and she made her hatred plain. Johnson put strict rules on how much Locke could see their children, and she absolutely forbid her from ever stepping foot on the Pebble Beach property. It made Locke miserable, but that was the bed she'd made when she shacked up with a married man.

But while Eastwood's wife was a problem, that was just the beginning of the pain that this relationship caused.

Clint Eastwood factsGetty Images

42. They Never Had Children

I'm going to go ahead and make an assumption here: Clint Eastwood doesn't really believe in birth control. In the late 70s, Sondra Locke had two abortions before giving in and getting her tubes tied—though not without a pang of regret. She'd sometimes imagine the children she might have with Eastwood, but whether her choice or his, they never came to be.

At least one of her wishes would come true, though: Eastwood's wife had finally had enough.

Clint Eastwood factsGetty Images

43. His Wife Had Had Enough

In 1978, Maggie Johnson filed for legal separation after 25 years of marriage. With all of Eastwood's many, many affairs, she could always tell herself that she was still the number one woman in his life. With Locke, that was clearly no longer the case. It took years for the divorce to finally go through—with Johnson reportedly receiving a $25 to $30 million settlement.

Sondra Locke could now, for the first time in their relationship, say Clint was hers—but wait. There's one complicating factor we forgot to mention: This whole time, she was married too!

Clint Eastwood factsGetty Images

44. His Partner Was Married

That's right: Sondra Locke had a husband the whole time she'd lived with Eastwood. But, hers was no traditional marriage. Her husband was Gordon Anderson, a gay man who'd been her best friend since childhood. The two were extremely close, but they knew it would raise eyebrows if they started living together. So, they did the simple thing: They just got married and pretended to be just like any other man and wife!

Eastwood knew about their situation and even bought a house in West Hollywood for Anderson to live in. Both he and Locke claimed they didn't need a piece of paper to prove their commitment to each other—but in hindsight, maybe that was just the first red flag.

Clint Eastwood factsGetty Images

45. He Only Cheated A Little

Even Eastwood's friends could see that he was crazy for Locke. His longtime pal Fritz Manes claimed he was utterly devoted to her from at the very least 1976 to 1980—but "utterly devoted" meant something different to Clint Eastwood than it would to the rest of us. Locke was still his heart and soul, but he kept up several "maintenance relationships" during that time.

For instance, remember Roxanne Tunis, the mother of his second child? Yeah, they were still knocking boots now and then. Still, messy as it was, Locke and Eastwood seemed to have a good thing going—but it was only a matter of time before it fell apart like all the others.

Clint Eastwood factsWikipedia

46. He Kicked His Friend To The Curb

Fritz Manes stood by Eastwood's side for much of his career, producing several of his friend's movies. Then one day, Eastwood threw decades of friendship out the window in the worst way possible. While working with him on the movie Heartbreak Ridge, Manes got a phone call from Eastwood's secretary. Eastwood didn't even have the guts to fire his friend face-to-face—yet it still gets worse.

Manes stormed to the studio lot, only to find the locks changed on his office and all of his effects sitting outside next to the dumpster. They never spoke again after that day.

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47. He Wanted To Get Married Again

The first crack in Eastwood and Locke's relationship came after Maggie Johnson filed for divorce. Eastwood wanted to tie the knot, but Locke didn't want to divorce Anderson. Locke was in love, but she wasn't stupid: Clint Eastwood was a hard guy to tie down. She didn't want to dive into a marriage only to have it blow up in her face. She told Eastwood she'd get a divorce...if he agreed to go to couples therapy.

I bet you can imagine how that conversation went. So Locke stayed married, and as for Clint? Well, yet again, his eyes started to wander...

Clint Eastwood factsWikipedia

48. He Went Back To Cheating For Real

When you're a womanizer on the level of Clint Eastwood, a few "maintenance relationships" barely even count. In the 1980s, he started cheating like the old days. Animal rights activist Jane Brolin, actress Jamie Rose, and story analyst Megan Rose all became notches on Eastwood's bedpost—if there was even anything left of it at this point.

He'd told Locke she was the only woman he'd ever been faithful to—and he ended up betraying her worse than all of the others.

Clint Eastwood factsWikimedia Commons

49. He Had More Love Children

Add flight attendant Jaclyn Reeves to the list of Eastwood's lovers—but evidently, Clint fell for her more than the others. He conceived not one but two secret children with Reeves: Scott, born in 1986, and Kathryn, 1988. All while he was still living with Locke. And unlike the last time he'd fathered children, there was no real way for Locke to find out.

That would come later, once their relationship had already crashed and burned—for now, she still had to take the first step.

Clint Eastwood factsWikimedia Commons

50. She Broke It Off

Sondra Locke didn't know Eastwood had fathered two children—she maybe didn't even know he was sleeping around—but she definitely knew that the man she'd fallen in love with was gone. She put up with his mistreatment for years, but in 1989 she'd finally had enough. She ended their relationship, and since they had never married, that was that—except, it quickly got way messier than that.

Locke underestimated just how vengeful Clint Eastwood can be.

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51. He Kicked Her Out

Sondra Locke had been juggling her fizzling relationship with a career of her own. On top of her successful acting career, she was also one of the few working female directors in Hollywood. After her split from Eastwood, she went off to make her second film, Impulse. However, she returned home from a day of shooting to find that Eastwood had changed the locks on their home and moved all of her stuff into storage.

Hey, at least it wasn't a dumpster! But still, Locke was furious. She tried to keep things civil, but clearly, Clint Eastwood wasn't a particularly "civil" guy. Locke decided it was time to get what was hers.

Clint Eastwood FactsCity Heat (1884),Malpaso Productions

52. She Wanted Money

Locke gave up on the whole "amicable" thing and went for the jugular: She sued Eastwood for palimony. She wanted to get back at Eastwood—but I doubt she realized what it would take. She faced the indignity of Eastwood describing her as nothing more than a "part-time roommate," and thus clearly ineligible for palimony payments.

That has got to sting—but that's nothing compared to learning about Clint's darkest secret.

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53. She Learned His Secret

Already in the middle of a heated court battle, Sondra Lock got a phone call that turned her whole world upside down. An investigative journalist tracked down her number just to deliver chilling news: Eastwood's secret children were a secret no longer. The journalist told her everything, and Locke went numb with shock.

She summed up it later on: "For at least the last four years, Clint had been living this double life, going between me and this other woman, and having children with her. Two babies had been born during the last three years of our relationship, and they weren't mine." And as if it couldn't get any worse...

Clint Eastwood factsGetty Images

54. She Lost Her Fight

The case dragged on for over a year, and in that time, Sondra Locke received devastating news: She had breast cancer. She soon underwent treatment, and it simply sucked the will to fight right out of her. She agreed to a settlement that included a lump sum, monthly payments, and a directing deal at Warner Bros. Locke had been through hell and back, but at least she got something.

And as for Clint? He was already off with his latest catch.

Clint Eastwood factsFlickr, Thomas Hawk

55. He Didn't Waste Any Time

Eastwood met Frances Fisher, the next major woman in his life, in 1988—yes, before his split with Locke. They first ran into each other on the set of Eastwood's maligned comedy Pink Cadillac. They started a simple, non-exclusive affair before going public with their relationship in 1990—right around the time that Eastwood settled with Locke.

Fisher later said, "I simply felt that this was it, the big one. I had no idea that every woman he meets probably feels as I did." Soon, though, like all the others, she learned Clint Eastwood isn't exactly Prince Charming.

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56. He Wanted His Oscar

Eastwood and Fisher had one child together: Francesca. Her birth marked the first time ever that Eastwood was present at the birth of one of his children. Maybe he was finally learning? Well, maybe not...Eastwood made Fisher keep her pregnancy a secret for as long as was humanly possible. After all, he had just released Unforgiven, and as he put it, "I don't want that kinda thing taking attention away from my Oscar race!"

Way to have your priorities in order there, Clint...

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57. She Got Out

It's honestly a miracle that Eastwood and Fisher lasted five years. About a month before Francesca's birth, a 39-year-old woman from Washington confronted him and claimed he was her real father (Hope you didn't forget about that first love child!). OK, that's a red flag. Then, soon after that, Fisher learned about Eastwood's other two kids with Jaclyn Reeves. Seeing a pattern here?

Fisher and Eastwood split up in 1995. Probably a good call, Frances.

Clint Eastwood factsShutterstock

58. He Moved On

Frances Fisher hadn't even moved out of Eastwood's home before he'd started dating Dina Ruiz—a news anchor 35 years his junior. In a classic Clint move, he started bringing Ruiz to public events before he'd even announced that he and Fisher—the mother of his latest child—had broken up.

Clint Eastwood factsShutterstock

59. They Didn't Make It

Eastwood and Ruiz wed in 1996. They stayed together for nearly 20 years—but in 2012, Ruiz pushed her luck. She signed on for a reality show called Mrs. Eastwood & Company, which would follow her and her friends around. I don't know about you, but 81-year-old Clint Eastwood doesn't exactly seem like a reality show kind of guy...Dina jokingly said, "I hope we're still married when this is over!" while promoting the show on Chelsea Lately.

She got her wish: The show's last episode aired in July 2012—and they didn't announce their separation until August 2013...

Clint Eastwood FactsShutterstock

60. We Don't Know How He Does It

So, I bet you're wondering: How the heck did this guy manage to do all that...while directing dozens of hit movies, winning four Oscars, getting 11 nominations, AND getting elected mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea? Well, that's one secret that still hasn't seen the light of day...

Clint Eastwood FactsShutterstock

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5


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