12/13/2018 – Got home from work, checked the internet and saw the sad news of Sondra Locke’s passing. So, quickly put together this tribute page to her and her movie career. Rest in peace Sondra Locke. Sondra Locke (1944-2018) was an Oscar®-nominated American actress and director. Growing up, I thought Sondra Locke was one of the most popular actresses working. Being a huge Clint Eastwood fan, certainly elevated her stature in my eyes. Eastwood and Locke would make 6 movies together between 1976 and 1983. Her IMDb page shows 30 acting credits from 1968-2017. This page will rank 16 Sondra Locke movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information.
Sondra Locke Movies Ranked In Chronological Order With Ultimate Movie Rankings Score (0 to 5 stars) *Best combo of box office, reviews and awards.
1968
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1968) ★★★ 1/2
1970
Cover Me Babe (1970) 1/2★
1971
Willard (1971) ★★★★
1973
A Reflection of Fear (1973) ★★
1974
The Second Coming of Suzanne (1974) No Stars
1976
The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) ★★★★ 1/2
1977
Death Game (1977) 1/2★
The Shadow of Chikara (1977) ★1/2
The Gauntlet (1977) ★★★★
1978
Every Which Way But Loose (1978) ★★★★
1980
Bronco Billy (1980) ★★★★
Any Which Way You Can (1980) ★★★★
1983
Sudden Impact (1983) ★★★★ 1/2
1986
Ratboy (1986) No Stars
2000
Clean and Narrow (2000) ★
2017
Ray Meets Helen (2017) 1/2★
Sondra Locke Movies Can Be Ranked 6 Ways In This Table
The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.
- Sort Sondra Locke films by co-stars of her movies
- Sort Sondra Locke films by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Sondra Locke films by yearly domestic box office rank
- Sort Sondra Locke films by how they were received by critics and audiences. 60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie.
- Sort by how many Oscar® nominations and how many Oscar® wins each Sondra Locke film received.
- Sort Sondra Locke films by Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score. UMR Score puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.
Been reading some stories about Eastwood and Locke. Wow! I guess the name “Dirty Harry” had a significance meaning in real life.
Hey Janice. I agree there is some pretty horrible stuff out there about Clint’s treatment of Sondra. I generally only think about the movies on the screen versus a star’s behavior off the screen. That being said….I think it is safe to say….that the end of their relationship was very difficult and combative….and it seems we have only heard one side of the story. At this point, I do not think Clint is going to provide his version. So I will continue our UMR policy of “sticking with movies”. Thanks for the visit and Locke tribute.
I have seen 4 Sondra Locke movies:
Sudden Impact – my favourite of the four
Every Which Way But Loose
Any Which Way You Can
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
Rest In Peace
Hey Flora. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on Sondra Locke. I have seen 7 of her movies. All 6 of the Clint movies and The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter. I would say my favorites would be Sudden Impact (like you) and The Outlaw Josey Wales. I liked his “ape’ movies back when I was a kid….re-visited them recently…..they have aged badly….and are difficult to watch. Good stuff. RIP.
How sad this happened on Nov 3rd and it’s only now being reported on.
RIP Sondra
According to her death certificate exclusively obtained from Los Angeles Department of Public Health, her immediate cause of death was cardiac arrest due to breast and bone cancer, which she had been battling for three years.
Locke passed away on November 3, 2018 at 74 years old. She was laid to rest at Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park & Mortuary. Locke was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the 1968 film, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter.
She went on to star in films Sudden Impact, The Gauntlet, and Willard.
Locke dated Eastwood for over 13 years when they first met on the set of the film The Outlaw Josey Wales in 1972.
After their relationship came to a halt, Locke filed a palimony suit in 1989 against Eastwood. She later agreed to drop the suit when Eastwood set up a $1.5 million deal with Warner Bros. for her to develop films.
In 1990, Locke beat breast cancer after undergoing a double mastectomy.
She is survived by her husband, fellow actor Gordon Anderson.
Hey Thomas….thanks for such a detailed comment on her passing. It still makes you wonder why it took 6 weeks for the public to find out. RIP Sondra Locke.
Hey April……I have no idea why it was not reported earlier. The first time I saw November 3rd I thought it was a typo.
i felt her performance in her last eastwood movie, sudden impact was her greatest screen performance. her role was filled with righteous anger, the need for vengeance, and a person broken by the world. rip.
Hey richard……thanks for stopping by and paying tribute to Sondra Locke. Good mini-review of her performance in Sudden Impact. RIP.
A severely underrated talent whom I became enamored with thanks to two unusual (and mostly forgotten films): The Second Coming of Suzanne and Death Game.
Hey Miriam. Being a huge Clint Eastwood fan, have to admit, I thought Sondra Locke was one of the best actresses working in the mid 1970s to 1983. I will have to see if I can find The Second Coming of Suzanne and Death Game…though my UMR scoring system has them ranked pretty low. Sad day.