EXCLUSIVE: The Very Ugly Side of Clint Eastwood Revealed After Oscar-Winner Was Branded an 'Abuser'
Clint Eastwood's darker side is highlighted in a new book.
Sept. 19 2025, Published 5:45 p.m. ET
Clint Eastwood's treatment of women has been branded abusive in a new biography, with the Oscar-winning actor and director accused of cruelty and manipulation throughout his personal life, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The 95-year-old star of Dirty Harry and Unforgiven is the subject of Clint: The Man and the Movies, a major new book by film historian Shawn Levy. It charts Eastwood's seven-decade career but also highlights allegations of psychological abuse and serial infidelity, portraying a man whose private life is marked by damaging behavior toward women.
Eastwood's Dark And Scary Side
A new book on Eastwood highlights alleged allegations against him.
"Levy doesn't pull any punches," a publishing source said. "He makes it clear that while Eastwood is rightly celebrated as a film-maker, his personal conduct – particularly his relationships with women – reveals a far uglier side. It will make may stars grateful they never worked for Eastwood or were a woman in his life."
Eastwood, born in San Francisco in 1930, rose to fame in the 1960s with Sergio Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars and later cemented his reputation with Don Siegel’s Dirty Harry. He went on to direct more than 40 films, winning Academy Awards for Unforgiven in 1992 and Million Dollar Baby in 2004.
His latest film, Juror #2, was released last year. But Levy's book examines in detail Eastwood's personal life, noting he has fathered at least eight children with six women and that his marriages overlapped with numerous affairs. Much of the focus falls on his relationship with actor Sondra Locke, with whom he lived from 1975 to 1989.
Disturbing Details Revealed
The Hollywood director was accused of abusing his partner, Sonda Locke.
Locke alleged Eastwood coerced her into having two abortions and later locked her out of their home, ultimately leading to a protracted legal battle that exposed his controlling behavior.
"The treatment of Sondra Locke is presented as particularly cruel," our source said. "The biography makes clear that Eastwood could be charming in public, but behind closed doors, he was capable of deliberate psychological manipulation and vindictive behavior when relationships soured."
The biography also places these personal controversies alongside Eastwood's public image as a symbol of American masculinity. Critics have long noted the tension between his iconic screen roles – often violent antiheroes – and his later directorial work, which included unusually complex female characters.
Eastwood has often included strong female characters in his films.
In The Beguiled (1971), Eastwood played a wounded soldier dominated by women, while Tightrope (1984) cast him as a detective confronting misogyny. These films suggest Eastwood was at times willing to interrogate his own persona, even as his private life told a darker story.
The controversies around Eastwood's treatment of women have been public for decades. Locke's lawsuit in the 1990s attracted widespread attention, and earlier profiles noted his pattern of affairs and sudden dismissals of partners.
Feminist critics have repeatedly pointed out the irony of Eastwood championing strong female characters on screen while allegedly mistreating women in his personal life.
Two Sides To Eastwood
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The 95-year-old's last directed film was 2024's 'Juror #2.'
Despite these accounts, Eastwood's career has endured. His reputation for bringing films in on time and under budget made him one of Hollywood’s most bankable directors, while his performances – from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly(1966) to Gran Torino (2008) – secured his place as a cinematic icon.
"The book shows two Eastwoods," a source said. "On one side, he's the tireless craftsman who gave Hollywood some of its greatest films. On the other hand, he's a man whose relationships were marked by control, abuse, and betrayal. That contradiction is at the heart of his story."
