Robert Blake — the actor who was acquitted of wife's murder — dies ...
Robert Blake, an actor with a complex backstory, has died, aged 89.
A statement released on behalf of his niece, Noreen Austin, said Blake had died from heart disease, surrounded by family at home in Los Angeles.
The former child actor was best known for two aspects.
He was hailed among actors of his generation for his Emmy-winning role on the 1970s' TV show, Baretta.
More infamously, Blake became known as the defendant in a murder trial of his wife — a story more bizarre than any in which he acted.
A child star who was escaping lonelinessBorn Michael James Gubitosi in 1933 in Nutley, New Jersey, his father was an Italian immigrant and his mother an Italian-American who wanted their three children to succeed in show business.
At age 2, Blake was performing with a brother and sister in a family vaudeville act called The Three Little Hillbillies.
In 1961, Blake and actress Sondra Kerr married and had two children, Noah and Delinah. They divorced in 1983.
His fateful meeting with his second wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, came in 1999, at a jazz club, where he went to escape loneliness.
"Here I was, 67 or 68 years old. My life was on hold. My career was stalled out," he said in an interview with the Associated Press.
"I'd been alone for a long time."
Blake said he had no reason to dislike Bakley.
"She took me out of the stands and put me back in the arena. I had something to live for."
When Bakley gave birth to a baby girl, she named Christian Brando — son of Marlon — as the father.
However, DNA tests pointed to Blake.
Blake first saw the little girl, named Rosie, when she was two months old and she became the focus of his life.
He married Bakley because of the child.
"Rosie is my blood. Rosie is calling to me," he said.
Hollywood tragedy culminated in violent endOn Bakley's last night alive, Blake was dining with her at a neighbourhood restaurant in Studio City, California in 2001.
Bakley was fatally shot outside the restaurant.
Blake claimed she was shot when he left her in the car and returned to the restaurant to retrieve a handgun he had inadvertently left behind.
Police were initially baffled and Blake was not arrested until a year after the crime occurred.
It wasn't long until the story of their strange marriage, the child it produced and its violent end all played out in court.
While jailed and awaiting trial in 2002, Blake told The Associated Press in an interview he bemoaned the change in his status with his fans nationwide.
"It hurt, because America is the only family I had," he said in the interview.
Blake was adamant that he had not killed his wife.
Prosecutors claimed that he planned to kill Bakley to get sole custody of the baby and had tried to hire hitmen for the job.
However, evidence was muddled and a jury rejected that theory.
In March 2005, a jury ultimately acquitted him of the murder.
However, in November that same year, a civil jury found him liable for her wrongful death.
Blake was ordered to pay Bakley's family $30 million, a judgement which sent him into bankruptcy.
It was an ignominious finale for a life lived in the spotlight from childhood.
Blake's personal saga as dramatic as his charactersAs a youngster, Blake starred in the Our Gang comedies and acted in a movie classic, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.
However, it was during 1975-78 where Blake's career peaked, with the cop series, Baretta.
He starred as a detective who carried a pet cockatoo on his shoulder and was fond of disguises.
Blake won a 1975 Emmy for his portrayal of Tony Baretta, although behind the scenes the show was wracked by disputes involving the temperamental star.
He gained a reputation as one of Hollywood's finest actors, but also one of the most difficult to work with.
His personal saga was as dramatic as any of the characters he portrayed.
He later he admitted to having his own struggles with alcohol and drug addiction in his early life.
In adulthood, Blake landed serious movie roles.
His biggest breakthrough was in 1967, with In Cold Blood.
Later there were films, including Tell Them Willie Boy is Here and Electra Glide in Blue.
In 1993, Blake won another Emmy as the title character in Judgment Day: the John List Story, portraying a soft-spoken, churchgoing man who murdered his wife and three children.
Drained of millions and hoping to start overOnce a wealthy man, Blake spent millions on his defence and wound up living on social security and a Screen Actor's Guild pension.
In a 2006 interview with the Associated Press, a year after his acquittal, Blake said he hoped to restart his career.
"I'd like to give my best performance," he said.
"I'd like to leave a legacy for 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."
AP
