Sondra Locke: Biography

Filmgoers who have attributed the stardom of actress Sondra Locke to the "sponsorship" of her onetime soulmate Clint Eastwood are suffering from the dreaded SMS, or Short Memory Syndrome. These worthies have forgotten that Locke was Oscar-nominated for her portrayal of a suicidal small-town girl in Heart is a Lonely Hunter (1968) while Eastwood was still grinding out spaghetti westerns. It is true that Locke's flagging screen career was regenerated by her appearance in Eastwood's The Outlaw Josey Wales. It is also probable that she would not have been afforded the opportunity to play everything from supercilious heiresses (Broncho Billy) to foul-mouthed Federal witnesses (The Gauntlet) to vengeful murderers (Sudden Impact) without Eastwood's support and encouragement. The acrimonious "palimony" suit that followed the breakup of Locke and Eastwood served only to perpetuate the myth that Locke was a blonde nonentity coasting on the reputation of her live-in lover. That such a notion is idiotic has been proven by Sondra Locke's artistic achievements as director of such low-profile theatrical features as Ratboy (1990) and Impulse (1990) and such TVers as Death in Small Doses (1995). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide