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Later known as "Bobby Blake" and, later still, as "Robert Blake", Michael Gubitosi had an unhappy childhood and ran away from home at age 14 becoming a child actor known as "Mickey" Gubitosi. He appeared in the 1940s "Our Gang (Little Rascals)" short film series which had also starred Norman Chaney (1929 to 1931), Stymie Beard (1930 to 1935), and Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas (1934 to 1944); and later the Red Ryder film franchise, as "Little Beaver"', co-starring with Wild Bill Elliott as Ryder, and George "Gabby" Hayes, and alongside Allan "Rocky" Lane who also starred as Ryder.
Michael James Vijencio Gubitosi was born on 18 Sep 1933 in Nutley, Essex County, New Jersey, USA and his parents were Elizabeth (Cafone) and Giacomo "James" Gubitosi (1906–1956),
His father was born in Italy and was a vaudeville artist. His mother was born in New Jersey, USA to Italian parents. The two had a song-and-dance act.
In 1938 the family moved to Los Angeles, California, USA.
Another of the names he used was "Lyman P. Docker".
In 1942 he acquired the stage name of "Bobby Blake".
In 1956 he was billed for the first time as "Robert Blake".
He successfully transitioned into starring roles in the 1967 film "In Cold Blood" and the 1970s American television series "Baretta"
His career was one of the longest in Hollywood history.
He first married about 1961 to Sondra Kerr and they had 2 children before their divorce in 1983.
In 1999 he met Bonny Lee Bakley, formerly of Wharton, New Jersey, who had already been married nine times and reportedly had a history of exploiting older men, especially celebrities, for money. She was also dating Christian Brando when she became pregnant. After a DNA test proved that Blake was the biological father of her child, they married on 19 November 2000,
On 04 May 2001 the couple went out to dinner and Bakley was fatally shot in the head while sitting in Blake's vehicle, which was parked on a side street around the corner from the restaurant.
On 18 April 2002 Blake was arrested and charged with Bakley's murder.
On 22 April 2002 he was charged with one count of murder with special circumstances, an offense which carried a possible death penalty. He was also charged with two counts of solicitation of murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder.
After almost a year in jail, he was granted bail on 13 March 2003 which was set at $1.5 million. He was then placed under house arrest while awaiting trial.
During a pre-trial hearing on 31 October 2003, there was a major reversal for the prosecution when when the judge dismissed the conspiracy charges against Blake. Later the junior prosecutor who handled the case, admitted they had no forensic evidence implicating Blake in the murder and that they could not tie him to the murder weapon.
Blake's criminal trial for murder began on 20 December 2004 and on 16 March 2005, Blake was found not guilty of murder.
Bakley's three children filed a civil suit against Blake, asserting that he was responsible for their mother's death.
in a California civil court on 18 November 2005, a jury found Blake liable for the wrongful death of his wife and ordered him to pay $30 million.
On 03 February 2006, Blake filed for bankruptcy.
On 26 April 2008, an appeals court upheld the civil case verdict, but cut Blake's penalty assessment to $15 million.
In 2017 Blake applied for a marriage license for his fiancée, Pamela Hudak, whom he had known for decades, and who had testified on his behalf at his trial.
On 07 December 2018, it was announced that Blake had filed for divorce.
He died from heart disease at 89 on 09 March 2023 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Blake_(actor)
- https://www.cnn.com/2013/04/12/us/robert-blake-fast-facts/index.html
- https://www.who2.com/bio/robert-blake/
- https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/robert-blake.html
- https://www.intouchweekly.com/posts/is-robert-blake-still-alive-158471/
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