Robert Blake, the mercurially-tempered Emmy-winning actor, has died at age 89 from heart-related issues. Blake's given name was Michael Gubitosi and he was born in Nutley, New Jersey, a short distance across the Hudson River from midtown Manhattan. Blake had one of the longest Hollywood careers imaginable, starting out as a child actor who appeared in the famed "Our Gang" comedies. This led to him having roles in feature films such as a recurring role in the low-budget Red Ryder Western series. He also had a small role in John Huston's 1948 classic "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" opposite Humphrey Bogart. He was the product of a troubled household. He claimed his father, who committed suicide in 1955, physically beat him. Stardom would elude him until he was cast as one of the notorious murderers in director Richard Brooks' acclaimed 1967 screen adaptation of Truman Capote's bestseller "In Cold Blood". Blake and Scott Wilson played the infamous murderers of an innocent family whose house they broke into. The killings shocked the world, especially since the victims posed no threat to the duo. Blake and Wilson brought nuance to their roles and won critical praise. Blake specialized in playing moody men of action. To some he was the epitome of a Method Actor, while others saw him as a pretentious Marlon Brando wannabe.
Blake's star rose to new heights on television when he starred as the eccentric, streetwise detective in "Baretta" on ABC-TV. The show ran from 1975-1978 and earned Blake an Emmy award. Henceforth, he would fall victim to his personal demons. Blake could be jovial and witty when making frequent appearances as a guest on Johnny's Carson's "The Tonight Show", but he alternately had developed a reputation for being difficult and temperamental. His starring roles in feature films such as "Electra Glide in Blue", "Busting" and "Coast to Coast" were boxoffice disappointments. In 1986, he returned to series television in the series "Hell Town", playing a tough, streetwise priest. However, Blake's personal issues proved too much for him to overcome and he would later admit he was potentially suicidal. He pulled the plug on "Hell Town" after only a few episodes. In 1993, he had a comeback, starring in the TV movie "Judgment Day: The John List Story" in which he played the real life New Jersey murderer who, despite his nondescript nature, systematically murdered every member of his family who resided in the household. Blake received an Emmy nomination for his performance.
In 2001, Blake emerged in the news in an unfavorable manner when his wife, Bonny Lee Bakely was murdered in a bizarre incident that occurred when she and Blake were out to dinner. Bakely was known as a master manipulator who had been married nine times previously. During their dinner date, Bakely was killed by an assassin who shot her twice at close range as she sat in their car. During the sensational trial that followed, Blake said she was shot by a random murderer after he left their car to retrieve a pistol he had accidentally left in a restaurant. He was tried for murder and acquitted, though, as in the O.J. Simpson case, public sentiment didn't agree with the verdict. He would later lose a civil suit in the case that he said wiped out his personal fortune.
Blake had all but retired from acting by the late 1990s. His last screen credit was for director David Lynch's "Lost Highway" in 1997.