The late Robert Blake, a remarkable actor primarily renowned for his parts in “Baretta” and the silver screen adaptation of Truman Capote’s novel “In Cold Blood,” passed away at 89.
On Thursday, Noah Blake, the son of the celebrated actor, verified his father’s passing to The Post. Blake’s loved ones affirmed that he died from heart disease in his LA home.
Michael Gubitosi, born on September 18th, 1933, had a long and fruitful Hollywood career spanning over six decades. Sadly, however, his accomplishments have been overshadowed by the accusations that he murdered his second wife Bonny Lee Bakley.
On a fateful May 4th in 2001, 44-year-old Bakley was ruthlessly shot while sitting in her partner’s car after eating at an eatery located outside of Studio City.
Despite Blake adamantly proclaiming his innocence, he was found not guilty of Bakley’s murder in 2005.
Following the trial, Blake expressed to the Associated Press that he was eager for a successful restart of his career.
“I’d like to give my best performance,” he stated back in 2006. “I’d like to leave a legacy for [daughter] Rosie about who I am. I’m not ready for a dog and fishing pole yet. I’d like to go to bed each night desperate to wake up each morning and create some magic.”
Blake skyrocketed to celebrity status as a child actor, headlining the beloved “Our Gang” film series.
His most memorable role was in the 1967 rendition of Truman Capote’s gripping, factual novel “In Cold Blood.”
He’s career spanned many decades, and he starred in an impressive range of films. His iconic roles include leading parts in the classics “Treasure of the Sierra Madre” from 1948, “Electra Glide in Blue” from 1973, and his last movie was 1997’s “Lost Highway”.
In 1975, Blake was rewarded with the highly-coveted Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series due to his remarkable portrayal of Det. Tony Baretta on “Baretta,” a role he held for four consecutive seasons.
His iconic cop character, who was accompanied by a chatty cockatoo named Fred, had several well-known catchphrases that he would often recite. These included “That’s the name of that tune,” “You can take that to the bank” and “Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.”
Blake was further nominated for three other Emmy awards.
Robert Blake was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards and won one in 1976, taking home the prize for Best Actor in a Television Series (Drama) with his stunning performance as Baretta.
However, the actor’s Hollywood career was marred by scandal when he was arrested for his alleged role in Bakley’s murder.
The prosecution argued that he sought to contract hitmen in order to murder Bakley, whom he had married two years prior when she became pregnant with his child. Nevertheless, the jurors were not persuaded by this allegation.
In November 2005, eight months after his acquittal, a civil jury found Robert Blake liable for the death of Bonny Lee Bakley and ordered him to pay her family $30 million – leaving him destitute.
“If you want to know how to go through $10 million in five years, ask me how,” he said after the verdict. “I was a rich man. I’m broke now.”
Despite his lack of success, he managed to appear in one last picture – the 1997 thriller “Lost Highway,” featuring Bill Pullman and Patricia Arquette. This is documented on his IMDb page.
In 2019, Rose Lenore revealed to People Magazine that she was pursuing her father Blake’s career in acting with enthusiasm. She expressed the joy of “becoming someone else” when performing on stage. Fulfilling a long-held dream of hers, this daughter of Blake and Bakley is certain to make a lasting impression!
Rose recalled her youth as “complicated”, for she had not even turned one when the tragedy of losing her mother struck.
It had been decades since she last saw Blake, having grown up with her half-sister Delinah for most of her childhood. Before their reunion at the People interview, it had been nearly a lifetime since they were together.
“When Rosie was 2 weeks old, I held her in my hands, and I asked God to take care of her ’cause I’m an old man and tomorrow is guaranteed to nobody,” Blake said in 2003. “I said, ‘God, if you please take care of Rosie, I will never, ever ask you anything again for the rest of my life.’”
In 2019, Blake candidly discussed his childhood with “20/20”; he shared that growing up had been tumultuous because of the unpredictable behavior exhibited by his father. Furthermore, Blake stated that when it became obvious to him and others that he was successful despite these challenges, resentment would arise from various family members.
“The more success I got, the more he wanted to kill me,” he said.
“I was always at least 50% self-destructive, but when I wasn’t working, I couldn’t stand the way I felt,” he stated.
“Bipolar? I was tri-polar. I was quad-polar. Who the hell knows what kind of polar I was? I had 35 different feelings in five minutes. I was nuts when I was away from the camera.”
Blake leaves behind his cherished children – Rose, Delinah and Noah.
