**Clint Eastwood’s Treatment of Women Branded Abusive in New Biography**
*Published Sept. 19, 2025, 5:45 p.m. ET*
Oscar-winning actor and director Clint Eastwood has been accused of cruelty and manipulation throughout his personal life in a new biography, 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. The biography charts Eastwood’s illustrious seven-decade career but also highlights allegations of psychological abuse and serial infidelity, painting a portrait of a man whose private life is marked by damaging behavior toward women.
### Eastwood’s Dark and Scary Side
“Levy doesn’t pull any punches,” a publishing source said. “He makes it clear that while Eastwood is rightly celebrated as a filmmaker, his personal conduct – particularly his relationships with women – reveals a far uglier side. It will make many stars grateful they never worked for Eastwood or were a woman in his life.”
Born in San Francisco in 1930, Eastwood rose to fame in the 1960s with Sergio Leone’s *A Fistful of Dollars* and cemented his reputation with Don Siegel’s *Dirty Harry.* Over his career, he directed more than 40 films, winning Academy Awards for *Unforgiven* (1992) and *Million Dollar Baby* (2004). His latest film, *Juror #2*, was released last year.
However, Levy’s book delves into Eastwood’s personal life in detail, revealing that he has fathered at least eight children with six women, and that his marriages often overlapped with multiple affairs.
### Disturbing Details Revealed
Much of the book focuses on Eastwood’s relationship with actor Sondra Locke, who lived with him from 1975 to 1989. Locke alleged that Eastwood coerced her into having two abortions and later locked her out of their home, leading to a protracted legal battle that laid bare his controlling behavior.
“The treatment of Sondra Locke is presented as particularly cruel,” the source added. “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.”
### A Complex Public Image
The biography contrasts these personal controversies with Eastwood’s public image as a symbol of American masculinity. Critics have long noted the tension between his iconic, often violent antihero screen roles and his later directorial work featuring unusually complex female characters.
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.
### Longstanding Controversies
Controversies surrounding Eastwood’s treatment of women have been public for decades. Locke’s 1990s lawsuit garnered widespread attention, and earlier profiles have noted his pattern of affairs and abrupt 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
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 status as a cinematic icon.
“The book shows two Eastwoods,” a source explained. “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.”
https://radaronline.com/p/ugly-side-of-clint-eastwood-revealed-branded-an-abuser/
