Personal life of Clint Eastwood

In 1959 during the second season of ''Rawhide'', Eastwood began a long-lasting affair (reportedly 14 years) with dancer and stuntwoman Roxanne Tunis. She was also married yet separated. She divorced him in December 1984, a month after Eastwood's own divorce and 10 months after the birth of Tunis and Eastwood's grandson, Clinton Gaddie (now Clint McCartney).}} Their relationship resulted in Eastwood's earliest legal child, daughter Kimber Eastwood (born Kimber Tunis; June 17, 1964). Kimber's existence was kept secret from the public until July 1989, when the ''National Enquirer'' revealed her identity. Her birth certificate does list Eastwood as the father, however.

Biographer Marc Eliot wrote that Eastwood's wife Johnson may not have known about the baby at the time: "It is difficult to say for sure that she actually knew about the baby, although it would have been nearly impossible for her not to. Everyone on the set knew ... and it is simply too difficult to keep a secret like that when the mother and the illegitimate child live in the same small town, especially when that small town is Hollywood." The source for the 1989 ''Enquirer'' article that originally broke the story claimed Johnson was aware of Kimber's existence at all times and even met Roxanne Tunis in person when making an unannounced visit to the set of ''Breezy'' in 1972. Actress Barbara Eden, a onetime ''Rawhide'' guest star and witness to the affair with Tunis, said Eastwood and Johnson "conducted a somewhat open marriage." Eastwood himself considered it something to return to for a rest. In an authorized 1971 profile in ''Screen Stars'', columnist Tim Chadwick wrote that Eastwood and Johnson "kept their distance from each other most of the time" and had "stayed together by staying apart!"

In 1992, Johnson granted a rare interview with biographer Douglas Thompson, talking generally about her ex-husband and his career, but had no comment when asked about Tunis. Neither Tunis nor any of her nine siblings have ever spoken to the media. However, sources close to the Tunis family agreed to be interviewed anonymously for McGilligan's book in the late 1990s. According to them, "Clint wanted to have a baby with his mistress [...] When she became pregnant, Clint was ecstatic." This directly contradicts the earlier Schickel biography of 1996, which spun the tale that Eastwood didn't even realize Tunis was pregnant until after Kimber had been born.

For her part, Kimber has answered media inquiries with candor. In 1989, amid revelations of her existence, she told the ''Sunday Mirror'': "Yes, Clint Eastwood is my father. I must speak to him about this. I am partly shocked and partly glad it is all out in the open." Following this confirmation, Kimber shared in an interview with ''Star'' that "Mom called him because she's expecting a check. He started screaming and yelling into the phone. He's so upset because he's guilty." In 1990, she told the ''Manchester Evening News'': "I'm cut off completely. He's furious with me. He's disowned me and his grandson." Later that year, Eastwood refused to attend his daughter's wedding to Denver businessman Doug McCartney, so she was given away by an uncle instead. Throughout the tabloid hubbub Eastwood maintained complete silence; as a result, major publications like ''People'' magazine still denied Kimber's existence as late as 1993.

Roxanne Tunis died after a brief illness on June 23, 2023, at the age of 93. Eastwood was devastated by the loss, their daughter reported. Tunis has been described posthumously as "one of Clint’s true loves." A family intimate told Radar Online: "Roxanne worshipped the ground he walked on. She didn’t give a damn about the fact that Clint was a star. She was never impressed with all the money and fame. All she ever wanted was to have and to hold Clint Eastwood the man." Provided by Wikipedia