Gordon Anderson (sculptor)

Gordon Leigh Anderson (born August 2, 1944) is an American retired sculptor, actor and fashion designer. He is the widower of actress Sondra Locke, to whom he was married for 51 years.

Early life Gordon Leigh Anderson was born on August 2, 1944, in Morrilton, Arkansas, the younger of Margaret Helen Leigh and William Basil Anderson's two sons."Death Notices". The Tennessean. January 18, 1986. p. 9C. He is a fourth great-grandson of Major John Buchanan, an early Middle Tennessee settler and the founder of Buchanan's Station on Mill Creek. Former Tennessee governor John P. Buchanan and University of Oklahoma president James S. Buchanan were his third great-uncles, and economist James M. Buchanan was his fourth cousin once removed.Harber, Susan (April 10, 2016). "Buchanan family fought hard to make a home on frontier". The Daily News Journal. pp. 1B, 4B.

At the time of Anderson's birth, his father was a corporal in the United States Army and was stationed at Camp Livingston, Louisiana. The family resided in Jonesboro, Arkansas, from 1946 to 1952.Staff (November 27, 1968). "Off the Beaten Path". The Jonesboro Sun. p. 3. They subsequently moved to Bedford County, Tennessee, where Anderson graduated from Shelbyville Central High School in 1962.

Anderson attended Middle Tennessee State University and George Peabody College for Teachers but did not graduate from either."MTSC Presents". The Rutherford Courier. November 2, 1962. p. 5. He also took a summer course at the Pasadena Playhouse in California and studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, eventually signing with the General Artists Corporation.Staff (September 14, 1966). "Off the Beaten Path". Jonesboro Evening Sun. p. 2.

Career Early in his career, he was billed under the stage name of Gordon Addison because there was another Gordon Anderson in the Actors’ Equity Association.Glover, William (June 21, 1966). "Playwright Pens Kooky, Cheeky Lines". Asbury Park Evening Press. p. 4.

Anderson made his off-Broadway debut in the Martinique Theatre production of Until the Monkey Comes in 1966, garnering a New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Actor and receiving a Theatre World Award nomination.Associated Press (December 21, 1969). "Ex-Local Man And Wife To Star In Film". The Jonesboro Sun. pp. 1–2. The play ran for 76 performances. This was followed by a year and a half of professional inactivity while Anderson managed the career of his movie star wife, Sondra Locke. The couple appeared together on television programs including To Tell the Truth and The Dick Cavett Show.

Anderson designed the $7,000 aqua sequined gown his wife wore to the 41st Academy Awards when she was nominated for The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1968). It received national attention in several fashion magazines, after which he was called upon to design dresses for Jane Fonda and Candice Bergen.

In 1969, it was announced that Anderson would co-star with his wife in a screen adaptation of Until the Monkey Comes with Robert Sickinger slated to direct, but no movie resulted.

By the early 1970s, Anderson devoted full time to sculpture and was in demand by private collectors.Jones, Will (November 19, 1972). "After Last Night". Minneapolis Tribune. p. 7D. Decades later, one of his creations, a miniature set of characters from Alice in Wonderland, was acquired by Demi Moore.

Anderson had voiceover roles in two of his wife's films, A Reflection of Fear (1972) and Ratboy (1986), voicing the titular character in the latter. According to his wife's autobiography, Clint Eastwood offered Anderson the role of Leonard James in Bronco Billy (1980), but at that point he had no interest in appearing in front of the camera. Sam Bottoms, a substantially younger actor, was cast instead.

Anderson used Eastwood's contacts in France to gain rare access to a guillotine, which he then manufactured replicas of.

Caritas Films, the production company Anderson and his wife formed following her disassociation from Eastwood, shut down in 2004 after failing to get any projects off the ground."Caritas Films". Bizapedia. Retrieved October 12, 2025.

Marriage to Locke

Anderson married Sondra Locke on September 25, 1967, at the First Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee, in what has been described as a marriage of convenience.Wright, Jeanne (May 30, 1989). "Clint and Sondra take their palimony tiff to private judge". Reno Gazette-Journal. p. 6D. There was no honeymoon for the newlyweds due to Locke's ongoing filming commitments for The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter. Anderson and Locke never had children, with Locke declaring in a 1969 interview that she didn't want any."Reaction Varied To 'Run Shadow Run' Film". Panama City News. Newspaper Enterprise Association. July 31, 1969. p. 4B. They had an open marriage and both spouses engaged in long-term extramarital relationships. In 1989, Locke stated that their marriage had never been consummated,Associated Press (May 9, 1989). "Live-in lover married to someone else". The Muscatine Journal. p. 2A. and in 1996, she confirmed that Anderson was gay.Hiscock, John (September 13, 1996). "Eastwood's lover remained married to gay husband". Calgary Herald. p. E5. The pair remained married until Locke's death on November 3, 2018.Dalton, Andrew (December 15, 2018). "SONDRA LOCKE: 1944–2018; Actress had long partnership with Eastwood". Houston Chronicle. p. A2. Locke left an estate worth $20 million (equivalent to $25.6 million in 2025), which Anderson inherited.Yaffe, Alva (April 20, 2020). "Her Last Years". . History by Day.

Filmography YearTitleRoleNotes1972A Reflection of FearAaronVoice"Gordon Anderson". AFI Catalog. Retrieved December 22, 2022.1986RatboyRatboyVoice

Selected stage credits YearShowRoleVenueNotes1962The Monkey's PawMr. WhiteBud Frank Theatre, Johnson City, Tennessee"Tenn. Annual Speech, Drama Tournament Held at East Tenn." The Collegian. May 4, 1962. p. 2.1962Life with FatherWhitney DayTucker Theater, Murfreesboro, Tennessee1963The Boy FriendPercival BrowneShelbyville Players, Shelbyville, TennesseeHieronymus, Clara (June 2, 1963). "History Made In Theater!". The Nashville Tennessean. p. 2F.1964Life with MotherClarence Day Jr.Belcourt Playhouse, Nashville, TennesseeHieronymus, Clara (February 16, 1964). "Several Days With the Days". The Nashville Tennessean. p. 2D.1964The InnocentsMilesCircle Theater, Nashville, TennesseeHieronymus, Clara (June 14, 1964). "Things Shift In Art World". The Nashville Tennessean. p. 2F.1966Until the Monkey ComesPhilip ArmitageMartinique Theatre, New York, New YorkBilled as Gordon Addison

Gordon Anderson (sculptor)

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