Gordon Anderson | |
|---|---|
 Anderson in 1961 | |
| Born | Gordon Leigh Anderson (1944-08-02)August 2, 1944 (age 81) Batesville, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Other names | Gordon Addison |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active |
|
| Spouse | |
Gordon Leigh Anderson (born August 2, 1944) is an American retired sculptor, actor and fashion designer. He is the widower of actressSondra Locke, to whom he was married for 51 years.
Gordon Leigh Anderson was born on August 2, 1944,[1] inBatesville, Arkansas, the younger of Margaret Helen Leigh and William Basil Anderson's two sons.[2] The family resided inJonesboro, Arkansas, from 1946 to 1952.[3] They subsequently moved toBedford County, Tennessee, where Anderson graduated fromShelbyville Central High School in 1962.[4]
Anderson attendedMiddle Tennessee State University andGeorge Peabody College for Teachers but did not graduate from either.[5][6] He also took a summer course at thePasadena Playhouse and studied acting at theAmerican Academy of Dramatic Arts, eventually signing with theGeneral Artists Corporation.[7]
Anderson made hisoff-Broadway debut in theMartinique Theatre production ofUntil the Monkey Comes in 1966, garnering aNew York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Actor and receiving aTheatre World Award nomination.[8] The play ran for 76 performances.[7] 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 includingTo Tell the Truth andThe Dick Cavett Show.[3]
Anderson designed the $7,000 aqua sequined gown his wife wore to the41st Academy Awards when she was nominated forThe Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1968). It received national attention in several fashion magazines, after which he was called upon to design dresses forJane Fonda andCandice Bergen.[8]
In 1969, it was announced that Anderson would co-star with his wife in a screen adaptation ofUntil the Monkey Comes, but no movie resulted.[8]
By the early 1970s, Anderson devoted full time tosculpture and was in demand by private collectors.[9] Decades later, one of his creations, a miniature set of characters fromAlice in Wonderland, was acquired byDemi Moore.[10]
Anderson had voiceover roles in two of his wife's films,A Reflection of Fear (1972) andRatboy (1986), voicing the titular character in the latter.
Anderson married Sondra Locke on September 25, 1967, at theFirst Presbyterian Church inNashville, Tennessee, in what has been described as amarriage of convenience.[11] There was no honeymoon for the newlyweds because Locke was filmingThe Heart Is a Lonely Hunter.[10] Anderson and Locke never had children, with Locke declaring in a 1969 interview that she didn't want any.[12] They had anopen marriage and both spouses engaged in long-term extramarital relationships.[13][a] In 1989, Locke stated that their marriage had never been consummated,[14] and in 1996, she confirmed that Anderson was gay.[15] The pair remained married until Locke's death on November 3, 2018.[16] Locke left an estate worth $20 million (equivalent to $25.6 million in 2025), which Anderson inherited.[17]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | A Reflection of Fear | Aaron | Voice | [18] |
| 1986 | Ratboy | Ratboy | Voice | [18] |
| Year | Show | Role | Venue | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | The Monkey's Paw | Mr. White | Bud Frank Theatre, Johnson City, Tennessee | [19] | |
| 1962 | Life with Father | Whitney Day | Tucker Theater, Murfreesboro, Tennessee | [5] | |
| 1963 | The Boy Friend | Percival Browne | Shelbyville Players, Shelbyville, Tennessee | [20] | |
| 1964 | Life with Mother | Clarence Day Jr. | Belcourt Playhouse, Nashville, Tennessee | [21] | |
| 1964 | The Innocents | Miles | Circle Theater, Nashville, Tennessee | [22] | |
| 1966 | Until the Monkey Comes | Philip Armitage | Martinique Theatre, New York, New York | Billed as Gordon Addison[b] | [23] |
