Clint Eastwood has undoubtedly acquired a massively impressive film resume. He first achieved success with his Western TV series Rawhide and then went on to rise to international fame in Sergio Leone’s Dollars Trilogy, notably playing the character of the “Man with No Name.” He then scored various other roles though admittedly, at the time, the proverbial man still had that question, “Who is Clint Eastwood?”
But he soon proved to be a name worthy of being remembered, especially by women.
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The suave actor, who was described by Pauline Kael as “six feet four of a lean, tough saint, blue-eyed and shaggy-haired, with a rugged, creased, careworn face that occasionally breaks into a mischief-filled grin,” caught women’s hearts as easily as he played anti-hero roles. Though his irresistible heartthrob vibe and his fondness for the ladies turned out to be quite a handful, he got himself into a couple of affairs.
This could all get confusing, so we’re taking you down with us to every chapter of Clint Eastwood’s romantic history.
The First Wife: Maggie Johnson, 1953 – 1984
Eastwood met his first wife in early 1953 on a blind date in the San Francisco area. Margaret Neville “Maggie” Johnson was then a secretary for auto-parts supplier Industria American and a senior at U.C. Berkeley. Later that year, in October, Johnson announced their engagement, and two months after, they tied the knot in Pasadena. The couple shared two children, son Kyle Eastwood in 1968 and daughter Alison Eastwood in 1972.
But their marriage had too many problems, which Eastwood credited to them being ‘too young and not well enough established’. And in late 1978, Johnson filed for legal separation, but it wasn’t until 1984 that their divorce was finalized, and she was paid around $25 to $30 million.
The Second Wife: Dina Ruiz, 1996 – 2014
Eastwood met his second wife TV anchor Dina Ruiz when she interviewed him in April 1993. It wasn’t clear when the two started dating but rumors started to roll after Eastwood took Ruiz, 35 years his junior, to high-profile golf tournaments in 1995. Then in January 1996, the couple took the rumors down with an engagement announcement. They married two months later with Eastwood surprising Ruiz with a private ceremony on the Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas. By the end of the year, the couple welcomed their daughter, Morgan.
In 2013, Ruiz publicly announced that she and Eastwood had been living separately for quite some time though she didn’t disclose any details. After a few months, she filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences with a request for full custody of their then 16-year-old daughter and spousal support. Their divorce was finalized by the end of 2014.
The Extramarital Affairs: How many girlfriends have Clint Eastwood had?
Eastwood may have vowed “I do” only twice, but he most likely said I love you’s too many times.
The easy answer to the question would be: too many to count. As far as we know, Eastwood was involved in five major affairs during his two marriages – four named and one unnamed. And in between those, he was also rumored to have multiple flings. But of course, there still might be a whole lot of undisclosed relationships… so who really knows except for Eastwood himself?
Unnamed Woman, 1953
Before Eastwood married his first wife, Maggie Johnson, he was already involved with another woman. According to Patrick McGilligan, Eastwood’s biographer, the film actor/director was involved with an unnamed young woman after he left for Seattle. He got her pregnant, but their child, a girl, was given up for adoption.
It wasn’t until 2018, during the premiere of Eastwood’s film The Mule, that their daughter was publicly identified. Laurie Murray, born February 11, 1954, was adopted by Clyde and Helen Warren of Seattle. And according to her son, Lowell Thomas Murray IV, his biological grandmother never told Eastwood that she was pregnant and never spoke to him after the affair. Laurie was actually surprised when she began looking into her biological parents and found out that Eastwood was her father.
Roxanne Tunis, 1959 – 1973
But the unnamed young woman wasn’t the only affair he had during his marriage with Johnson. In 1959 during the second season of Rawhide, Eastwood started a long-term affair with stuntwoman and actress Roxanne Tunis, who was then married yet separated. The couple had a daughter, Kimber, in 1964, but her existence was kept secret from Eastwood and the public until July 1989, when the National Enquirer revealed her identity.
For You
There was a lot of buzz around this affair with Eastwood’s colleagues allegedly knowing about the baby. Actress Barbara Eden who guested once on Rawhide, also commented that Eastwood and Johnson were somewhat in an open marriage which highlighted the actor’s 1971 interview with reporter Tim Chadwick saying that they don’t believe in togetherness.
Sondra Locke, 1976 – 1989
After breaking it up with Tunis and whilst married to Johnson, during the production of The Outlaw Josey Wales in Page, Arizona, Eastwood started living together with actress Sondra Locke. At the time, they were both in marriages with no real relationship. According to Eastwood, there was nothing really left between him and Johnson. On the other hand, Locke was married to her openly gay bestfriend Gordon Anderson. It was a marriage of convenience, and it was never consummated.
Their lives were like two puzzle pieces that fit snugly together. Eastwood confessed to Locke that he was astonished by his need for her despite never being able to be faithful to one woman. The actor even made up a song about it which he called “She Made Me Monogamous”. It was definitely unlike his past affairs – even with his reported 14-year-long relationship with Tunis. The two didn’t have any children, but they aborted twice, and Locke had her tubal ligation during the late 1970s.
During their cohabitation, Eastwood was still discreetly keeping up several maintenance relationships. Their relationship slowly disintegrated after Eastwood had finally divorced Johnson, but Locke remained married to Anderson. According to Locke, she would have been willing to divorce Anderson if Eastwood had agreed to couples therapy with her, but he didn’t.
They had an ugly break-up in 1989 when Locke sued Eastwood for palimony after the alleged changing of the locks of their home and removing all of her belongings. They settled, but she filed suit again in 1995 for fraud which they settled out of court.
Jacelyn Reeves
Eastwood had a very private affair with flight attendant Jacelyn Reeves while he was still living with Sondra Locke. He fathered two children with her, a son named Scott in 1986 and a daughter named Kathryn in 1988. Their affair was only exposed in 1990 via an article published in the Star tabloid.
Frances Fisher, 1988 – 1995
Eastwood first met actress Frances Fisher on the set of Pink Cadillac in 1988. The two had a non-exclusive, intermittent affair for two years before they went public. The couple shared a daughter, Francesca, who was born in 1993. Due to issues on Eastwood’s side, they ended their relationship in 1995.
Other Affairs and Casual Dating
During his marriage with Johnson and long-term affair with Roxanne Tunis, Eastwood was also involved with the following women:
- In 1955 during the film Star in the Dust, Eastwood had an affair with actress Mamie Van Doren. She starred while he had an uncredited role.
- During the late 1950s to early 1960s, he was involved with competitive swimmer Anita Lhoest. According to Lhoest’s biographer Ria Brown, the swimmer terminated a pregnancy by Eastwood without telling him.
- In the 1970s, he had a fling with restaurant critic Gael Greene whom he started seeing after she interviewed him on the set of Two Mules for Sister Sara.
- According to McGilligan, Eastwood also had affairs with his co-stars Inger Stevens on Hang ‘Em High, Jean Seberg on Paint Your Wagon, Jo Ann Harris on The Beguiled.
- Aside from co-starts, he also had relationships with actresses Jill Banner, Catherine Deneuve, and Susan St. James, singer Keely Smith, columnist Bridget Byrne, and socialite Joan Lundberg Hitchcock.
Eastwood went back to his habitual womanizing in the early 1980s:
- He was involved with story analyst Megan Rose, actress Jamie Rose, and animal rights activist Jane Brolin.
- Following his split from Locke, he dated Barbara Streisand, co-star Marisa Berenson, Carmel mayor Jean Grace, actress Dani Crayne, and model Barbara Minty.
After his split with Ruiz, Eastwood was linked with photographer Erica Tomlinson-Fisher (not related to his former fling Frances Fisher) and restaurant hostess Christina Sandera.
The Road to Forever
After two failed marriages, who is Clint Eastwood currently in a relationship with?
It’s Christina Sandera, the restaurant hostess with whom he was previously linked. The two first met at his Mission Ranch Hotel, and then they realized that they really hit it off. And so, they started dating in early 2014. An insider shared that Clint Eastwood is really happy with her and is head over heels for her, but the Hollywood icon has no plans of marrying the third time.
