Clint Eastwood's various relationships explored: Maggie Johnson, Dina Ruiz, Christina Sandera, and more

Making himself a Hollywood icon with movies like Gran Torino and The Outlaw Josey Wales, Clint Eastwood has also made headlines with his love life.

He debuted in the 1955 Revenge of the Creature as a married man. His marriage with his first wife, Maggie Johnson, marks the actor's longest relationship to date. But ever since he signed the divorce papers, Eastwood has had several other relationships. He has been in both short and long-lived romances, some with fellow actors.

After his first wife, the Academy Award-winning actor tied the knot with Dina Eastwood, his last stint in marriage to date. But he has been known for dating Titanic star Frances Fisher and Christina Sandera. Sandera passed away on July 17, 2024.

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Exploring Clint Eastwood's relationships

Maggie Johnson (1953-1984)

Clint Eastwood met his first wife in 1953—he had just come out of the military while she was studying at the University of California in Berkeley. Shortly after meeting each other, they "hit it off right away," which was detailed in the book Clint Eastwood: A Biography written by Richard Schickel.

They met in May of that year, and tied the knot by December. However, their first year of marriage was "terrible" according to the Sully director as he wrote in his biography that he still often did "as [he] pleased" despite the ring on his finger.

Johnson and Eastwood had welcomed two children, Kyle and Alison, in 1968 and 1972, respectively, before calling it quits in their tumultuous marriage in 1979. Their divorce became official by 1984, although the former couple remained on good terms as their daughter Alison shared with Fox News in July 2022. She said:

"I'm so thankful that both of them are friends. We all celebrate Thanksgiving together."

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Frances Fisher (1988-1995)

Although Clint Eastwood and Frances Disher were both cast in the 1989 comedy action Pink Cadillac, it wasn't until the movie's pre-production party that they first met. According to the actress, it was love at first sight. She was quoted in the Eastwood's biography:

"He looked right at me, the way he does every other woman in the world, but it got to me too... And I felt like a big piece of the puzzle had fallen in place."

While they kept their relationship quiet early on, by 1992, Fisher and Eastwood were hand-in-hand on the red carpet. The following year, they welcomed their daughter, Francesca Ruth, but later in the year, their romance started to dissolve after the actress discovered Eastwood's affairs. They officially parted ways in the spring of 1995.

Talking about her breakup, Fisher told Los Angeles Times in September 1995 that "you’re doomed to just stop when things start getting tough."

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Dina Ruiz (1995-2014)

Dina Eastwood (Image via David Livingston/Getty Images)

The A Fistful of Dollars star met his second wife, Dina Ruiz, while he was still in a relationship with Fisher, if the timeline of their relationship is to be believed. In a conversation with Carmel Magazine on May 1, 2007, Clint Eastwood shared that they met shortly after Unforgiven came out in 1992 because Dina, who was a news anchor at the time, was interviewing him.

He recalled flirting with the news reporter a bit. He then shared that they attended a function held at Spanish Bay when they were seated together and ended up holding hands.

However, it wasn't until 1995 that they made it official with a proposal in September, and by the end of the year, they had said "I do" in a Hailey, Idaho courthouse. The couple welcomed their daughter, Morgan, in 1996.

They shared snippets of their family life in the reality show Mrs. Eastwood & Company which premiered in 2012, but in the middle of the show's airing, they had already fallen apart. It was a year later when Dina filed for divorce.

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Christina Sandera (2014-2024)

Clint Eastwood's last confirmed relationship to date was with Christina Sandera. The two met while Sandera was working as a hostess at the Mission Ranch Hotel and Restaurant that he owned in Carmel-by-the-sea, California.

They had kept their romantic life away from the public but were often photographed when they did red carpet events for his movie premieres and award shows. They were last photographed during the 2019 premiere of the Eastwood-directed film Richard Jewell in Hollywood. Sandera died on July 17 aged 61, as confirmed by the actor in a statement on his X account.

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Clint Eastwood had several intimate relationships throughout his marriages. The actor has eight known children with different women, including Maggie Johnson, Frances Fisher, Dina Ruiz, Jacelyn Reeves, and the undisclosed mother of his eldest, Laurie Murray.