Robert Blake

He married actress Sondra Kerr in 1961. They had three children and divorced in 1983.

He met Bonnie Lee Bakley in 1999 and had an affair with her which resulted in her pregnancy thus forcing Blake to marry her. He however resented her though he doted on their new baby daughter.

In 2001, Bakley was shot to death while sitting in a car outside a restaurant. Blake was the prime suspect and was finally acquitted of murder charges in 2005. But he was found liable in a California civil court for her wrongful death and was asked to pay US$30 million to Bakley’s children.

He was born to Elizabeth Cafone and Giacomo Gubitosi in New Jersey. His birth name was Michael James Vincenzo Gubitosi and he had two siblings.

His father used to work for a can manufacturer but later on he set up a song-and-dance act with his wife and they became vaudeville performers. Mickey—as Robert Blake was called then—along with his siblings also appeared in the acts.

The Gubitosi household was a troubled one. The young boy was tortured and physically abused. He was frequently beaten up by his father who also locked him up in closets for long periods of time.

The family moved to Los Angeles where the three children began to get work as movie extras.

His acting career began at the tender age of five. He made his film debut as Toto in an MGM movie called ‘Bridal Suite’ which also had Annabella and Robert Young.

He was a good looking kid and was chosen by MGM to appear in their comedy series ‘Our Gang’ which comprised of short subjects. From 1939 to 1944 he appeared in 40 of the shorts and was considered the series’ leading actor.

Though he initially used the name Mickey Gubitosi, he later acquired the stage name Bobby Blake in 1942.

He played the role of Tooky, an injured little boy in the 1942 film, ‘Andy Hardy’s Double Life’ which was a comedy having Mickey Rooney in leading role.

The year 1944 was a good one for Blake as he started playing “Little Beaver”, a Native American boy in the Red Ryder Western series. He acted in a total of 23 movies in the series till 1947.

He first tasted major success as a child playing the role of “Little Beaver” in the Red Ryder Western series. He was young, smart, good looking and talented and won the audience’s hearts with his performance.

He became very popular for playing the lead in the American detective television series ‘Baretta’ which ran from 1975 to 1978. He portrayed Detective Anthony Vincenzo "Tony" Baretta in the show.