LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Acting legend Clint Eastwood’s former mistress Roxanne Tunis has died at the age of 93. Eastwood had a daughter with Tunis during their 14-year-long affair. In a statement to Radar Online, Tunis’ daughter with Eastwood, Kimber, announced the death of her mother after a “brief illness” on June 23.
Kimber, 59, told the outlet, “My mom passed after a brief illness.” She added that Eastwood was “just as sad as I am,” after she informed him of her mother's death.
Who was Roxanne Tunis?
Tunis was born on April 13, 1930, in Scranton, Pennsylvania. As a young woman, she was interested in acting and dancing and moved to Los Angeles in her late 20s, per IMDb. She was trained in dance by the legendary Martha Graham.
Kimber said that Tunis was interested in transcendental meditation, healthy foods and vegan diets. She said of her mother, “She loved painting, drawing, writing and traveling. She was a devoted daughter, mother, grandmother, sister, friend and deeply religious. Our lives are forever changed.”
Tunis met Eastwood when she was working as a stuntwoman on the TV show, ‘Rawhide’, in 1959. The duo had an affair from 1959 to 1973 before parting ways. In 1964, she gave birth to Kimber. During the time of her affair with Eastwood, both of them were married - Tunis to Jack Watson Scheck Jr, whom she married in 1956 and divorced in 1984, and Eastwood to Maggie Johnson, whom he divorced in 1964.
Tunis collaborated with Eastwood in two movies, his 1973 directorial ‘Breezy’ and the 1978 action comedy ‘Every Which Way But Loose’. Apart from that, Tunis also appeared in films like ‘Take Her, She’s Mine’ (1963), ‘Blue City’ (1986). She also featured in 1968's ‘Hang 'Em High’ starring Eastwood.
'They were very open about the fact they were lovers'
Sources reportedly told RadarOnline that Tunis “was one of Clint's true loves.” They said, "He maintained a healthy relationship with Roxanne until the end, and is devastated by the loss and for his daughter Kimber."
An insider told the outlet, “Roxanne worshipped the ground [Clint] 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.”
A Hollywood TV industry veteran reportedly revealed that Eastwood and Tunis did not behave in a secretive way during their affair. They said, “On the set, they were very open about the fact they were lovers. After Clint would finish a scene, he'd amble over to Roxanne and stroll around the set with his arm affectionately around her,” adding, “She was usually in his dressing room trailer. With his influence, he had her elevated from extra girl to being a bit player.”
In 1992, The National Enquirer interviewed an insider who said that when Tunis told Eastwood in the '60s that she was expecting a child, ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ star said he “would not leave his wife to marry her.” Sources revealed, “He told her would take good care of her and the baby financially. In return, he wanted total secrecy from Roxanne.” Tunis never spoke about the affair even once in the media.
