Robert Blake (actor)

Robert Blake
Blake in 1977
Born
Michael James Gubitosi

(1933-09-18)September 18, 1933
Nutley, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedMarch 9, 2023(2023-03-09) (aged 89)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other names
  • Bobby Blake
  • Lyman P. Docker
  • Mickey Gubitosi
OccupationActor
Years active1939–1997
Spouses
  • Sondra Kerr
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1961; div. 1983)​
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 2000; died 2001)​
  • Pamela Hudak
    ​
    ​
    (m. 2017; div. 2019)​
Children3

Robert Blake (born Michael James Gubitosi; September 18, 1933 – March 9, 2023), billed early in his career as Mickey Gubitosi and Bobby Blake, was an American actor. He was best known for starring in the 1967 film In Cold Blood, playing the title role in the late 1970s television series Baretta, and playing the Mystery Man in the 1997 film Lost Highway.[1]

Blake began his career in the 1930s performing as a child alongside his family in song and as a dancer but became famous as a child actor, with his lead role in the final years of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer-era of the Our Gang (Little Rascals) short film series from 1939 to 1944. He also appeared as a child actor in 22 entries of the Red Ryder film franchise. In the Red Ryder series and in many of his adult roles, the Italian-American actor was often cast as an American Indian or Latino character. After a stint in the U.S. Army, Blake returned to acting in both television and movie roles. Blake continued acting until 1997's Lost Highway. Owing to Blake's becoming one of the first child actors to successfully transition to mature roles as an adult, author Michael Newton called his career "one of the longest in Hollywood history".[2]

Blake was arrested in 2002 for the 2001 murder of his second wife, Bonny Lee Bakley. Blake was acquitted of the murder in criminal court in 2005,[3][4] though he was found liable in a civil court for her wrongful death.[5] Blake died in 2023.

  1. ^ Scott, A. O. (November 4, 2005). "In Cold Blood". The New York Times.
  2. ^ Newton, Michael (2008). Celebrities and crime. Infobase Publishing. pp. 84–90. ISBN 9780791094020. Retrieved May 18, 2013.
  3. ^ LeDuff, Charles (March 5, 2005). "Actor's Trial, Complete With Pulp Novel Characters, Draws to a Close". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 6, 2005. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  4. ^ LeDuff, Charles (March 17, 2005). "'Baretta' Star Acquitted of Murder in Wife's Death". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 8, 2005. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  5. ^ "Actor Is Ordered to Pay $30 Million in Killing". The New York Times. November 19, 2005. Archived from the original on April 2, 2009. Retrieved February 20, 2017.