Robert Blake (actor)

Robert Blake (born Michael James Gubitosi; September 18, 1933) is an American retired actor known for his roles in the 1967 film ''In Cold Blood'' and the 1970s U.S. television series '' Baretta''.

Blake began acting as a child, with a lead role in the final years of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's ''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 United States Army, Blake returned to acting in both television and movie roles. Blake continued acting until 1997's '' Lost Highway''. Owing to Blake 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."

In March 2005, Blake was tried and acquitted of the 2001 murder of his second wife, Bonny Lee Bakley. In November 2005, he was found liable in a California civil court for her wrongful death.

Early life

Robert Blake was born Michael James Gubitosi in Nutley, New Jersey, on September 18, 1933. His parents were Giacomo (James) Gubitosi and his wife, Elizabeth Cafone. In 1930, James worked as a die setter for a can manufacturer. Eventually, Blake's parents began a song-and-dance act. In 1936, their three children began performing, billed as "The Three Little Hillbillies." They moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1938, where their children began working as movie extras.

Blake had an unhappy childhood in which he was abused by his alcoholic father. When he entered public school at age 10, he was bullied and had fights with other students, which led to his expulsion. Blake stated that he was physically and sexually abused by both of his parents while growing up and was frequently locked in a closet and forced to eat off the floor as punishment. At age 14, he ran away from home, leading to several more difficult years. His father died by suicide in 1956.

Child actor

Then known as "Mickey Gubitosi", Blake began his acting career as Toto in the MGM movie '' Bridal Suite'' (1939), starring Annabella and Robert Young. Blake then began appearing in MGM's ''Our Gang'' short subjects (a.k.a. ''The Little Rascals'') under his real name, replacing Eugene "Porky" Lee. He appeared in 40 of the shorts between 1939 and 1944, eventually becoming the series' final lead character. Blake's parents also made appearances in the series as extras. In ''Our Gang'', Blake's character, Mickey, was often called upon to cry, for which he was criticized for being unconvincing. He was also criticized for being obnoxious and whiny. In 1942, he acquired the stage name "Bobby Blake" and his character in the series was renamed "Mickey Blake." In 1944, MGM discontinued ''Our Gang'', releasing the final short in the series, '' Dancing Romeo''. In 1995, Blake was honored by the Young Artist Foundation with its Former Child Star "Lifetime Achievement" Award for his role in ''Our Gang''. In 1942, Blake appeared as "Tooky" Stedman in '' Andy Hardy's Double Life''.

In 1944, Blake began playing a Native American boy, "Little Beaver," in the '' Red Ryder'' western series at the studios of Republic Pictures (now CBS Radford Studios), appearing in twenty-three of the movies until 1947. He also had roles in one of Laurel and Hardy's later films '' The Big Noise'' (1944), and the Warner Bros. movies '' Humoresque'' (1946), playing John Garfield's character as a child, and ''The Treasure of the Sierra Madre'' (1948), playing the Mexican boy who sells Humphrey Bogart a winning lottery ticket and gets a glass of water thrown in his face by Bogart in the process. In 1950, at age 17, Blake appeared as Mahmoud in ''The Black Rose'' and as Enrico, Naples Bus Boy (uncredited) in ''Black Hand''.

Career as an adult

In 1950, Blake was drafted into the United States Army. Upon leaving at the age of 21, he found himself without any job prospects and fell into a deep depression. This led to a two-year addiction to heroin and cocaine. He also sold drugs. Blake entered Jeff Corey's acting class and began working on improving his personal and professional life. He eventually became a seasoned Hollywood actor, playing notable dramatic roles in movies and on television. In 1956, he was billed as Robert Blake for the first time.

In 1959, Blake turned down the role of Little Joe Cartwright, a character ultimately portrayed by Michael Landon, in NBC's western television series ''Bonanza.'' He did appear that year as Tobe Hackett in the episode "Trade Me Deadly" of the syndicated western series '' 26 Men,'' which dramatized true stories of the Arizona Rangers. Blake also appeared twice as "Alfredo" in the syndicated western '' The Cisco Kid'' and starred in "The White Hat" episode of '' Men of Annapolis,'' another syndicated series. He appeared in three distinctive guest lead roles in the CBS series '' Have Gun Will Travel'', as well as one-time guest roles on John Payne's NBC western '' The Restless Gun'', Nick Adams's ABC western '' The Rebel'', and in season 3, episode 25 of ''Bat Masterson'', the NBC western series '' The Californians'', the short-lived ABC adventure series '' Straightaway'', and the NBC western television series '' Laramie''.

Blake performed in numerous motion pictures as an adult, including the starring role in ''The Purple Gang'' (1960), a gangster movie, and featured roles in '' Pork Chop Hill'' (1959) and, as one of four U.S. soldiers participating in a gang rape in occupied Germany, in ''Town Without Pity'' (1961). He was also in '' Ensign Pulver'' (1964), ''The Greatest Story Ever Told'' (1965) and other films.

Blake garnered further exposure as a member of the ensemble cast of the 1963 acclaimed but short-lived '' The Richard Boone Show'', appearing in fifteen of the NBC series' 25 episodes. At 33, Blake played Billy the Kid in the 1966 episode "The Kid from Hell's Kitchen" of the syndicated western series ''Death Valley Days'', hosted by Robert Taylor. In the story line, The Kid sets out to avenge the death of his friend John Tunstall played by John Anderson.

In 1967, Blake experienced a career breakout due to his work in the film ''In Cold Blood''. Blake played real-life murderer Perry Smith, to whom he bore a chilling resemblance. Richard Brooks received two Oscar nominations for the film: one for his direction, and one for his adaptation of Truman Capote's book.With ''In Cold Blood'', Blake was the first actor to utter the expletive "bull----" in a mainstream American motion picture.

Blake played a Native American fugitive in '' Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here'' (1969), starred in a TV movie adaptation of ''Of Mice and Men'' (1981), and played a motorcycle highway patrolman in iconoclastic ''Electra Glide in Blue'' (1973). He played a small-town stock car driver with ambitions to join the NASCAR circuit in '' Corky, '' which MGM produced in 1972. The film featured real NASCAR drivers, including Richard Petty and Cale Yarborough.

Blake may be best known for his Emmy Award-winning role of Tony Baretta in the popular television series '' Baretta'' (1975 to 1978), playing a street-wise, plain clothes police detective. The show's trademarks included Baretta's pet cockatoo "Fred" and his signature phrases—notably "Don't do the crime if you can't do the time", "That's the name of that tune", and "You can take that to the bank."

After ''Baretta'' ended, NBC offered to produce several pilot episodes of a proposed series titled '' Joe Dancer'', in which Blake would play the role of a hard-boiled private detective. In addition to starring, Blake also was credited as the executive producer and creator. Three television films aired on NBC in 1981 and 1983, and the series never ultimately sold.

Blake had starring roles in a couple of films for Paramount Pictures, '' Coast to Coast'' (1980) and '' Second-Hand Hearts'' (1981). He continued to act through the 1980s and 1990s, mostly in television, in such roles as Jimmy Hoffa in the miniseries ''Blood Feud'' (1983) and as John List in the murder drama '' Judgment Day: The John List Story'' (1993), which earned him a third Emmy nomination. Blake starred in the 1985 television series '' Hell Town'', playing a priest working in a tough neighborhood. He also had character parts in the theatrical movies '' Money Train'' (1995) and played the Mystery Man in David Lynch's ''Lost Highway'' (1997).

Marriages and children

Blake and actress Sondra Kerr were married in 1961, and divorced in 1983. It was his first marriage, from which came two children: actor Noah Blake (born 1965) and Delinah Blake (born 1966).

In 1999, Blake met Bonny Lee Bakley, formerly of Wharton, New Jersey

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