Latest news with #biography
Fox News
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Clint Eastwood's complicated love life, 'addictive' affairs exposed in new biography
NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! Clint Eastwood is a man of many layers. In a new biography written by filmmaker Shawn Levy, "Clint: The Man and The Movies," the legendary actor's life behind the camera is examined through past quotes from Eastwood and various peers who shed insight into his extensive romantic past and "addictive" affairs he had while married to his first wife, Maggie Johnson, and other partners. "His affairs, he later admitted to Richard Schickel, 'just became … I don't know … addictive … like you have to have another cigarette,'" Levy wrote in the book, quoting Eastwood. CLINT EASTWOOD REFLECTS ON DECADES IN HOLLYWOOD AND HIS DRIVE TO KEEP WORKING AS HE TURNS 95 Eastwood married Johnson in 1953. Throughout their 21-year marriage, Eastwood had many affairs with various women and fathered multiple children. "There were many other women, some from the ranks of classmates, some encountered at the nightspots and jazz clubs that he frequented, some from among his neighbors at the apartment complex in Studio City, near Universal, to which he and Maggie had moved when he first went under contract to the studio," Levy wrote in the book. "The atmosphere of that small apartment building — which, naturally, was centered around a swimming pool — not only encouraged sexual adventures but facilitated them; several of Clint's friends from Oakland, Seattle, and Fort Ord moved into the place or similar places nearby, meaning that there were always apartments readily available for a quick tryst — and buddies willing to help him cover his tracks." According to Levy, Eastwood was always upfront about his behavior and allegedly had an "understanding" with Johnson. "It wasn't entirely evident, though, that he needed such help. As a friend put it, 'Clint goes where he wants, does what he wants — goes to dinner with a girl if he wants. Maggie doesn't say a thing. Clint is the undisputed boss.' He referred to himself half-jokingly as a 'married bachelor,' but there were significant hints that his wife knew the score and was okay with it," Levy wrote. CLINT EASTWOOD 'S DAUGHTER SAYS 'VERY STRICT' DAD HAD THIS PIECE OF ADVICE GROWING UP "'Maggie and I have an understanding,' he was quoted as saying. 'I'm independent, a vagabond, and she accepts me as I am and doesn't strangle me with female possessiveness.' Speaking more broadly, he declared, 'Maggie doesn't chain me. The worst thing is owning people. I don't want to be owned by anybody — maybe shared, but not lock, stock, and barrel. "Love is respecting privacy, accepting faults. But I don't believe it's a one-way street. The sophisticated woman accepts that chances are a guy's not being 100 percent faithful. If she talks about it, it only makes it worse.'" Eastwood allegedly said of his relationship with Johnson, "There's no ownership in this marriage. My soul is my own. Maggie knows this. Possession is the worst thing. I'm hard to live with. … I'm moody, and lots of the time I'd rather be alone. … It took Maggie a while, but she learned." Though Johnson was aware of the trysts, Levy wrote, it's unclear if she knew just how extensive the affairs were. LIKE WHAT YOU'RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS "Their private life was another matter, as Maggie admitted some years later when she told an interviewer, 'We're not advocates of the total togetherness theory.' It's not clear that she was aware of just how many liberties Clint took, or, for that matter, whether she availed herself of any. "But they stayed together through these lean years, despite living near enough to her family for her to make other choices, so she either didn't know or didn't care about his sexual entanglements — or she believed that they were his business and nobody else's, not even hers," Levy wrote. "It seemed to some who knew the couple that she thrived. 'She's got more steel than a hardware store,' a friend noted. 'Clint talks to her about everything.' And Clint himself admitted, 'She is the very best friend I have. She loved me when no one else did.'" A representative for Eastwood did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. The couple, who had two children together during their marriage, got divorced in 1984. Eastwood and stuntwoman Roxanne Tunis welcomed a daughter, Kimber Lynn, in 1964, while he was still married to Johnson. Eastwood married Dina Ruiz in 1996, and the couple divorced in 2014. He also had long-term relationships with actresses Sondra Locke and Frances Fisher. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER The award-winning actor and director is a father of eight: Laurie Murray, Kimber Eastwood, Kyle Eastwood, Alison Eastwood , Scott Eastwood, Kathryn Eastwood, Francesca Eastwood and Morgan Eastwood. In July 2023, Eastwood announced his girlfriend of ten years, Christina Sandera, had died. "Christina was a lovely, caring woman, and I will miss her very much," he said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter at the time. A few days later, his daughter Morgan shared a photo with the couple, noting the "devastating" loss. "A devastating loss for our whole family," Morgan wrote of Sandera, who died at the age of 61 July 18. "Thank you Christina for being a good partner to my Dad. You will be missed." Sandera's cause of death was cardiac arrhythmia, the Monterey, California, County Department of Health said in a death certificate obtained by Fox News Digital. Two years after his loss, he said he had no plans to slow down professionally. In a recent interview with the Austrian newspaper Kurier, the director, who turned 95 in May, revealed he is in pre-production on a new movie, dispelling rumors that 2024's "Juror #2" would be his final film. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "There's no reason why a man can't get better with age," he explained. "And I have much more experience today. Sure, there are directors who lose their touch at a certain age, but I'm not one of them."
Fox News
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Gwyneth Paltrow thought Brad Pitt wasn't 'sophisticated enough' for her Hollywood tastes: book
Gwyneth Paltrow believed she was "smarter, better educated, more sophisticated" than Brad Pitt, according to a new biography. In an excerpt of "Gwyneth: The Biography," which was obtained by People, author Amy Odell detailed the early stages of the former couple's relationship and wrote about Paltrow's alleged concerns about Pitt. The pair met in 1993 during an audition for "Legends of the Fall." Paltrow didn't land the role, but later Pitt suggested her for the role opposite of him in the movie "Se7en." At the time, Paltrow was also offered a role in "Feeling Minnesota," which starred Keanu Reeves. "She consulted with a friend, who said, 'Well, who do you want to date, Brad Pitt or Keanu Reeves?' Gwyneth chose 'Se7en' and Pitt, and Cameron Diaz took the 'Feeling Minnesota' part," Odell wrote. Paltrow and Pitt dated for two years before they got engaged in 1996. "Her dad [Bruce Paltrow] loved Brad. Her friends loved Brad. They thought he was the nicest guy," Odell wrote. According to the author, Paltrow had doubts about her relationship with Pitt early on. "Gwyneth expressed doubts to a crew member [while making the 1996 film 'Emma'] that Pitt was right for her, and admitted she had a crush on Hugh Grant," Odell wrote. She continued, "He was brought up very religious, in Missouri. It's just a very different world from hers, growing up in Manhattan, going to Spence, I think she thought he wasn't sophisticated enough for her. She thought she was smarter, better educated, more sophisticated." The book also references an interview Paltrow previously gave on her relationship with Pitt. "Brad and I have very different upbringings. So when we go to restaurants and order caviar, I have to say to Brad 'This is beluga and this is osetra,'" Paltrow said, per People. Pitt and Paltrow eventually called it quits in 1997. Representatives for Pitt and Paltrow did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Clint Eastwood, 95, had 'long periods of being unfaithful' and saw marriage as 'confinement', tell-all claims
Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood reportedly wasn't a strong believer in monogamy, with a new biography claiming he viewed marriage as 'a form of confinement.' The revelation comes from author Shawn Levy, who explores the actor-director's life in his new book, Clint: The Man and The Movies. Drawing on interviews, reflections, and decades of public and private insight, the biography dives deep into Eastwood's storied film career, romantic entanglements, and complex personal life. Since his rise to stardom in the early 1960s, Eastwood's love life has drawn headlines—starting with a first marriage marred by infidelity, followed by on-set affairs, a high-profile romance with a woman 33 years younger, and reportedly fathering eight children. According to the book, Eastwood's friends were 'aware that he considered marriage to be a form of confinement, and he gave himself free rein when it came to other women.' Representatives for Eastwood have been contacted for comment. Levy himself weighed in on the star's outlook in a recent interview with Fox, noting, 'There's a part of him that respects the institution of marriage. But his personal liberty, I think, eventually has equal weight, if not more weight for him. 'He always tried to treat his partners with respect, but he also always followed his passions and instincts.' 'I think, in retrospect, it's an appetite,' Levy continued. 'It's something that he found pleasure in, something he could do. 'He did it before he was famous. He did it after he became famous. 'There were periods, long periods, of his life, when he was faithful to a partner. And there were periods when he was in between partners or when he was unfaithful to his principal partner.' Levy concluded, 'He was not faithful in the traditional sense. He found monogamy to be confining, just the way he found being a studio contract actor confining.' Even Clint seemed to acknowledge his wandering ways. In a 1963 Photoplay interview, he reflected on his first marriage to Maggie Johnson, 'One thing Mag had to learn about me was that I was going to do as I pleased. She had to accept that, because if she didn't, we wouldn't be married.' The couple separated in 1978 and finalized their divorce in 1984, ending a marriage that began in 1954. Years later, he opened up further to his authorized biographer Richard Schickel in the 1997 book Clint Eastwood: A Biography. He confessed that his affairs 'just became… I don't know… addictive… like you have to have another cigarette.' That 'addictive' pull led to a tangled love life that started long before he became a household name. He met Maggie on a blind date in 1953, shortly after being discharged from the military. The pair married just six months later and remained together for more than two decades, even as Eastwood's rising stardom brought a series of affairs. While still dating Johnson, he fathered a daughter, Laurie, with another woman — a fact he allegedly didn't know at the time. During his marriage, Eastwood began a 14-year affair with stuntwoman Roxanne Tunis, with whom he had another daughter, Kimber, in 1964. He later embarked on a highly publicized 13-year relationship with actress Sondra Locke, his co-star in The Outlaw Josey Wales. That affair was mired in controversy, ending in a bitter lawsuit after Locke accused him of emotional abuse and professional sabotage. She also claimed he pressured her into multiple abortions during their time together. In the midst of that relationship, Eastwood quietly fathered two more children — Scott and Kathryn — with flight attendant Jacelyn Reeves. By the early '90s, he was romantically involved with actress Frances Fisher, with whom he had a daughter, Francesca. That relationship ended after Eastwood was photographed kissing TV reporter Dina Ruiz, whom he would go on to marry in 1996. With Ruiz, Eastwood welcomed his youngest daughter, Morgan, and for years it appeared he had settled down. But their marriage unraveled in the 2010s, with Ruiz citing emotional distance and the revelation of Eastwood's new relationship — with her friend's ex-wife, Erica Tomlinson-Fisher. Eastwood and Ruiz officially divorced in 2014. Shortly afterward, Eastwood met restaurant hostess Christina Sandera at his Carmel hotel, the Mission Ranch. Despite a 33-year age gap, their relationship lasted a decade and marked one of his longest and most stable romances. Tragically, Sandera passed away in July 2024 at the age of 61. In total, Eastwood is believed to have fathered at least eight children with six different women, though he has never publicly confirmed the full count.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Kennedy clan at war: Savage new matriarch blacklists family members... feuds explode... and fierce 'f***' rants erupt behind the scenes
Jerry Oppenheimer is a bestselling biographer who has written two books about the Kennedys, The Other Mrs. Kennedy, about the life of Ethel Skakel Kennedy and RFK Jr. and The Dark Side of the Dream. America's ' Royal Family ' – the Kennedys – has a newly crowned queen, quietly anointed by the clan's powerful matriarch Ethel Kennedy at 96, the Daily Mail has learned exclusively.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Gwyneth Paltrow was taught X-rated move from A-lister's wife as a teen, bombshell tell-all claims
Forget health class, Gwyneth Paltrow got an unforgettable lesson in the birds and the bees from the future wife of a Hollywood heartthrob, according to a juicy new biography. In the tell-all Gwyneth: A Biography by Amy Odell, it's alleged that the now 52-year-old actress and wellness mogul got an unexpected education in sex during a visit to one of her mom's TV sets. Odell claims that while the Oscar winner was in 10th grade, she tagged along to Florida, where her mother Blythe Danner was filming the 1990 movie Judgment. There, young Gwyneth reportedly struck up a friendship with a then up-and-coming makeup artist — Sheryl Berkoff — who would later go on to marry none other than Rob Lowe. Paltrow admitted as much on Lowe's Literally! podcast in July 2020. 'First of all, she was dating Keanu Reeves, who was my celebrity crush. And she was so cool,' the Shakespeare in Love actress said. 'She knew that I was sneaking cigarettes, and she would come smoke with me behind the trailer. And, she taught me how to give a blow job, and you know, all the classic Sheryl stuff,' she told the actor. 'And I just worshipped her. I thought she was literally the coolest chick of all time. And she was so awesome to me!' Paltrow gushed. The actress would later live with Lowe and Berkoff when she first moved to Los Angeles after dropping out of college to pursue acting. The teen's own charisma drew many of her fellow classmates to her at the Spence, the private girls school she attended. An excerpt of the book given to US Weekly, claims 'She established herself as an interesting person — someone people wanted to hang out with,' recalled the head of the middle school at the time, Kate Turley. 'It was easy for her to make her way. But other students seemed to feel threatened.' Odell said, 'One classmate recalled, 'Not one person had a doubt that she was going to be famous.' After all, she might spend a weekend with someone like [her godfather] Steven Spielberg. But she was also polarizing.' One of those polarizing incidents was apparently when Paltrow, who had inherited her father Bruce Paltrow's bawdy sense of humor, allegedly drew some X-rated art in the school library. 'One day, Spence's rather humorless librarian approached [head of school and Gwyneth's advisor James] Dawson, outraged that a student had drawn, on the partition of a study cubicle, an erect penis. She sent all four girls — Gwyneth among them — who had been in the library at the time to Dawson,' Odell wrote. 'Dawson made an ominous threat: 'All right, folks, this is completely uncalled for and obnoxious, so I'm going to suspend you all and put it on your college record.' 'I didn't do it,' said one girl, who left. The second girl said she didn't have anything to do with it either.' 'Down to the third girl and Gwyneth, Dawson doubled down on his ultimatum, prompting the other girl to insist she wasn't responsible and leave.' Paltrow lived with Lowe and Berkoff for a while when she first moved to Los Angeles and has remained close to the couple; Pictured in Los Angeles in December 2015 'Dawson now faced just Gwyneth. 'Gwyneth, you drew the erect penis in the library,' he said. 'I'm not really sure what you're talking about,' she said. He presented a picture the library had given him of the masterpiece. 'Oh, that penis,' Gwyneth said. 'I wasn't sure what we were talking about.'' 'Dawson pointed out that the other students had had to suffer through the confrontation with her. 'Come on, where's your sense of humor?' He often found her amusing, but replied, 'In the library, are you kidding me?' Gwyneth became annoyed when she had to clean it up.'
