Sandra Louise Anderson (née Smith; May 28, 1944 – November 3, 2018), professionally known as Sondra Locke, was an American actress and director.
An alumna of Middle Tennessee State University, Locke broke into regional show business with assorted posts at the… Sandra Louise Anderson (née Smith; May 28, 1944 – November 3, 2018), professionally known as Sondra Locke, was an American actress and director.
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. She performed in the theater company Circle Players Inc. while employed at WSM. After making her screen debut in a locally shot short subject in 1966, she transitioned to feature films in The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1968), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and earned dual Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actress and New Star of the Year.
Locke went on to appear in the box-office successes 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). She worked regularly with Clint Eastwood, who was her companion from 1975 to 1989 despite their marriages to other people. She also starred in Cover Me Babe (1970), A Reflection of Fear (1972), The Second Coming of Suzanne (1974), The Shadow of Chikara (1977), and Ratboy (1986). Her television credits include guest roles on such hit series as Night Gallery (1971), The F.B.I. (1972), Cannon (1973–1975), Kung Fu (1974), and Barnaby Jones (1975). She directed four films, notably Impulse (1990), and authored an autobiography in 1997. Her final film was Ray Meets Helen (2018).
Locke's persona belied her age. She claimed to have been born several years later than 1944, often playing roles written for women far younger than herself, and kept her true age a secret throughout her career. For reasons never made clear, her death was not publicly announced and was only confirmed by vital statistics six weeks after she died of cardiac arrest at the age of 74. From 1967 until her death, Locke was the wife of sculptor Gordon Leigh Anderson, in a mixed-orientation union they reputedly never consummated.
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