ROBERT BLAKE
ROBERT BLAKE
18 September 1933 – 9 March 2023
Robert Blake is an American actor who started his career as a child actor best known as appearing in Our Gang (Little Rascals). He went on to portray Perry Smith in In Cold Blood (1967) and appeared in David Lynch’s film The Lost Highway (1997).
Blake was born in Nutley, New Jersey into a family of entertainers who then after moved to Los Angeles in 1938. Blake grew up being violently abused by his father, at school he was bullied and was sexually assaulted by his father and ran away from home aged 14. His father took his own life in 1956.
Blake’s successful acting career came to an end when he was accused of killing his wife Bonny Lee Bakely in 2005. Blake was married three times and had three children.
He married Bonny Lee Bakley in 1999, who had been married nine times previously and had a history of preying on older successful men for their money. During their relationship she was also involved with Christian Brando, the son of Marlon Brando. She got pregnant and told both men that the baby was theirs and Blake married her in 2000, he became her tenth husband. A DNA test proved he was the father.
On 4 May 2001, Blake took Bakley out for dinner at a restaurant in California where Bakley was shot and killed whilst inside his vehicle. Blake stated he returned to the restaurant to collect a gun which he left inside the restaurant and wasn’t with Bakley when she was murdered. His gun in the restaurant wasn’t the weapon that was used in her death.
In 2002, Blake was arrested and charged with her murder, his bodyguard, Earle Caldwell was also arrested for involvement in the crime. A retired stuntman, Ronald ‘Duffy’ Hambleton alleged that Blake attempted to hire him to kill Bakely, another stuntman came forward, Gary McLarty who also made the same allegation. Blake pled not guilty and after spending a year in prison he was given bail in 2003 and was placed under house arrest. There wasn’t enough evidence to tie him to the murder and he was found not guilty in 2005. A civil suit was filed against Blake by three of his children, stating he killed their mother, he was found liable and Blake had to pay $15 million.
In 2010, Blake was in hot water once again for not paying his taxes. In 2021, Quention Tarantino dedicated his book Once Upon a Time in Hollywood to Blake. Brad Pitt’s character mirrors Blake’s life in the film (2019).
Blake died from heart disease in Los Angeles in 2023, aged 89.
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