Posted on 03/09/2023 4:49:14 PM PST by DFG
Robert Blake, the Emmy award-winning performer who went from acclaim for his acting to notoriety when he was tried and acquitted in the killing of his wife, died Thursday at age 89.
A statement released on behalf of his niece, Noreen Austin, said Blake died from heart disease, surrounded by family at home in Los Angeles.
Blake, star of the 1970s TV show, "Baretta," had once hoped for a comeback, but he never recovered from the long ordeal which began with the shooting death of his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, outside a Studio City restaurant on May 4, 2001. The story of their strange marriage, the child it produced and its violent end was a Hollywood tragedy played out in court.
Once hailed as among the finest actors of his generation, Blake became better known as the defendant in a real-life murder trial, a story more bizarre than any in which he acted.
In a 2002 interview with The Associated Press while he was jailed awaiting trial, he bemoaned the change in his status with his fans nationwide: "It hurt because America is the only family I had."
He was adamant that he had not killed his wife and a jury ultimately acquitted him. But a civil jury would find him liable for her death and order him to pay Bakley's family $30 million, a judgment which sent him into bankruptcy.
It was an ignominious finale for a life lived in the spotlight from childhood. As a youngster, he starred in the "Our Gang" comedies and acted in a movie classic, "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre." As an adult, he was praised for his portrayal of real-life murderer Perry Smith in the movie of Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood."
(Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.com ...
I recall a few years after Blake was accused of this murder, another famous name became tied up in the murder of an ex spouse: Phil (Wall of Sound) Spector, was accused of murdering his girlfriend Lana Clarkson in Feb. of 2003.
Phil had long been known for his bizarre behavior, incidents often involving guns.
Slightly Off Topic:
One night, for a prank, Phil Spector fired a pistol in the studio control room, inches away from John Lennon’s ear. An enraged Lennon said “Phil, if you’re going to kill me, kill me, But don’t f**k with my ears, I need them.
Another time,, Spector pulled his gun and chased Lennon through the studio hallways, screaming threats.
Unlike OJ it’s at least conceivable that he was justly acquitted.
Rest in Peace Robert !
ping
OJ must be all misty eyed.
He nailed his role in In Cold Blood.
have to respect him for that.
Murderer
Yeah.
That’s Dickie and Stymie, but yeah, Little Rascals. Blake played Mickey, his real name.
I wonder if the cockatoo outlived him?
My cousin dated his son, Noah and said Robert was a very strange man with strange stuff in his home. She was never comfortable when they’d go visit him.
The movie, not the aftershave.
He can thank his lucky stars for the “beyond a reasonable doubt” standard. Sometimes you can do the crime WITHOUT doing the time.
I never quite understood the point of that movie?
I agree, his wife was a piece of work, who knows who she might have been blackmailing. Divorce would have been cheap and easy for such a short period of marriage. He would have got custody, too.
If you can’t do the time don’t do the crime.
I think the point of it was that the producer of Chicago (the rock band, not the Broadway show) wanted to try his hand at making a movie, and some of the members of the band were ready to give it a shot.
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