Biography
American actor, a child star in the "Our Gang" film comedies
at the age of six who rounded out the ‘40s as the plucky Indian boy in
the popular western movie series “Red Ryder.” Starting out as Mickey
Gubitosi, he took the stage name of Bobby Blake in 1940, though he
continued to use his birth name in the "Our Gang" series for
another three years. He was an adult star of "In Cold Blood,"
1967, "Tell Them Willie Boy is Here," 1969 and the "Baretta"
TV series; a career marked by ups and downs.
With a difficult, hard working childhood, Blake’s first exposure in
show business was at age two. He relates that he was abused physically,
emotionally and sexually as a child by his folks, a once-time song and
dance team, and spent much of his life in a rage. He and his brother,
sister and mother were all victims of a drunken, violent step-father who
would beat them mercilessly.
After being expelled from five schools, he was drafted in 1950, a
"has-been" by the time he was 17. Rebellious, with periods of
deep depression, he was compulsively resistant to authority and incapable
of delegating authority. He spent time in the army stockade, and managed
to get involved with heroin. Through his years he tried many of the
various forms of self-destruct; drugs, alcohol and fights.
When he returned to Hollywood in 1952, Blake worked as a stuntman, and
in 1953 began to get TV roles. “Baretta” debuted mid-season in
January, 1975 and was an immediate hit with a subsequent Emmy win that
year that put Robert Blake on top of the world. From 1975-1978, "Baretta"
held a top spot on TV, a set that often resembled a war zone in which
Blake was accused of being "unprofessional" and tyrannical. He
had his wife Sondra cast as a frequent guest-star and began ignoring
directors he didn't like, effectively directing the show himself. “'Baretta”
was canceled in 1978 and Blake's marriage ended soon after that.
Finding himself persona non grata, he became a "walking nervous
breakdown," holding himself together with uppers and downers. Prior
to "Baretta" he had been strung out on heroin for two years
during which time he stole, smashed motorcycles into trees, boozed and ate
pills by the handful. "Self Destruction?” Blake told a reporter,
“I could write a book."
After the series finished, he drifted aimlessly back into an aggressive
down-hill run. His 13-year marriage folded in 1980 before he stopped long
enough to take a long hard look and take charge of his own life with some
drastic changes. He had custody of both of his kids, Noah and Delinah.
Hollywood was not convinced that Blake was housebroken and it was a
long period of unemployment before a turnaround. In 1981, Robert Blake
roared back with five TV-movies that year, three in the role of detective
Joe Dancer. He hosted Saturday Night Live in 1982, starred as Joe Dancer
again in 1983 and as Jimmy Hoffa in the miniseries “Blood Feud.” He
put himself on the line, signing a contract that his entire salary was in
escrow subject to forfeit if he failed to conduct himself in a properly
professional manner. On the last day of shooting, Blake collected the
proudest wages of his career for his comeback.
In 1986 he was working on a series, "Hell Town," when he
walked away from show business into his own private wilderness for seven
years. He dredged out his years of being hurt, how deeply and how long as
a child, and looked at his years of tantrums at work, his drinking bouts,
his fights and 30 years of therapy and wondered why he had not killed
himself or someone else. When he came to some sort of compromise with his
anger, he once more knocked on doors looking for work. He was cast in the
CBS thriller "Judgment Day: The John List Story," which
premiered in late February 1993.
Blake married his girl friend, Bonny Lee Bakley, on 11/19/2000 (born
June 7, 1956). The couple have a daughter together, Rose Lenore Sophia,
born 6/02/2000.
On 5/04/2001, Bonny and Robert had dinner at Vitello's, a studio city
restaurant. They returned to their car but Blake went back into the
restaurant to get a handgun that he had left there, a gun he was carrying
as his wife was in fear of her life due to a threat. In the few minutes
while Blake was gone, an unknown assailant shot and killed Bonny with one
shot to the head as she sat in their Dodge Stealth. While his wife
hemorrhaged and lay dying in the car, Robert Blake ran in a panic to the
nearby home of Sean Stanek for help. "He was falling apart."
Stanek told the press, "He was sick, he was throwing up, he was
shaking, he was crying. He was really messed up." Blake entered the
hospital for high blood pressure that night and was released early the
next day. He was questioned and released and was not initially a suspect.
Within a few days his status changed to that of a chief suspect in the
investigation into the murder of his wife.
Hollywood could hardly have penned a more lurid case. Bonny turned out
to be a “grifter,” a con artist whose scam was to lure men by sending
nude photos and a request for “gas money” for her to come visit them.
Her stated goal for years was to marry a famous actor and she apparently
got her wish by playing the missing-birth-control game. Bonny Bakley
recently told her half-brother Peter Carlyon that she feared for her life.
Carlyon claims that Blake told Bonny Bakley, "There's a bullet with
your name on it."
On April 18, 2002, Los Angeles police investigators arrested Robert
Blake for the murder of Bonnie Bakley. Los Angeles Police Chief Bernard
Parks said he anticipates Blake will be charged with two counts of
solicitation of murder and one count of murder with special circumstances
– a charge that could lead to the death penalty. Blake's handyman and
bodyguard for the last two years, Earle Caldwell, was also arrested
"for conspiracy to commit murder of Ms. Bakley," Parks said.
Following an extensive investigation, police said they obtained arrest
warrants against Blake and Caldwell on the morning of 04/18/2002. Both men
were taken into custody – Blake at his sister's home in the gated Hidden
Hills community, Caldwell in Burbank – around 6 PM (9 PM EDT).
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