It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of veteran Hollywood actor, who passed away peacefully at the age of 89. His niece, Noreen Austin, confirmed that Blake died at home, surrounded by family, after a long battle with chronic heart problems. According to those close to him, he spent his later years enjoying a quiet life—playing guitar, listening to jazz, and watching classic films.
For many, his death marks the end of a long, complex, and often controversial chapter in Hollywood history. His career began in the late 1930s and spanned more than six decades, filled with both critical acclaim and public scandal.
Born Michael James Gubitosi in 1933 in Nutley, New Jersey, Blake was introduced to show business at an early age. His parents, part of a song-and-dance act, moved the family to Los Angeles to pursue film opportunities. At just six years old, he made his acting debut in the 1939 MGM film Bridal Suite, although uncredited. Shortly after, he joined the iconic Our Gang comedy shorts (later known as The Little Rascals), which propelled him to national recognition as one of America’s most beloved child stars.
As he grew older, Blake made the difficult transition from child actor to serious performer—a move few managed successfully in Hollywood. By the 1950s and 1960s, he was appearing in major television and film roles, including Westerns and gritty dramas that showcased his intensity and range.
His breakthrough came with the 1967 film In Cold Blood, based on Truman Capote’s true-crime masterpiece. Playing real-life killer Perry Smith, Blake delivered a haunting, career-defining performance that earned critical acclaim and established him as one of the most talented character actors of his generation.
But it was the 1970s television series Baretta that cemented his place in pop culture. As streetwise detective Tony Baretta—with his pet cockatoo and signature line, “Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time”—Blake became a household name. His gritty, unpredictable energy made the role unforgettable. The performance earned him multiple Emmy nominations and a win in 1975 for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.
Despite professional success, Blake’s personal life was far less stable. Known for his volatile temper and reclusive nature, he often clashed with producers, co-stars, and the media. In later years, work became scarce as his off-screen behavior increasingly overshadowed his talent.
Blake’s final major film role was in David Lynch’s 1997 psychological thriller Lost Highway, where he played a ghostly, unsettling character known only as “The Mystery Man.” It was a fittingly eerie swan song for an actor whose life would soon take a dark turn.
In May 2001, the world was shocked when Blake’s second wife, Bonnie Lee Bakley, was found shot to death in his car outside a Los Angeles restaurant. She was 44 years old, 23 years younger than Blake, and their marriage had been tabloid fodder from the start. Bakley had a notorious history of relationships with wealthy and famous men and had been married ten times before Blake.
According to police reports, Blake told investigators that he had left Bakley in the car while he returned to the restaurant to retrieve a gun he had forgotten. When he returned, she had been fatally shot.
Eleven months later, in April 2002, Blake was arrested and charged with her murder. The case captured national attention, becoming one of Hollywood’s most sensational trials since the O.J. Simpson case.
During the investigation and the year he spent in jail before posting a $1.5 million bond, Blake maintained his innocence. In a 2003 interview with Barbara Walters, he expressed grief and frustration. “I didn’t kill Bonnie,” he insisted. “I feel in my heart that someone she wronged years ago came back for her. She hurt a lot of people in her life.”
Prosecutors painted a different picture, alleging that Blake had planned the murder and sought out hitmen to carry it out. The defense countered, claiming police had no physical evidence linking Blake to the crime.
After a lengthy trial, Blake was found not guilty of murder and solicitation of murder on March 16, 2005. The verdict shocked many, and while he walked free, his reputation never recovered.
In a later civil trial brought by Bakley’s family, Blake was found liable for wrongful death and ordered to pay $30 million in damages—a sum that forced him into bankruptcy.
The scandal effectively ended his career. Hollywood, once fascinated by his unpredictable brilliance, turned its back. Offers stopped coming. Interviews dried up. Blake spent his final years living quietly in Los Angeles, often seen by neighbors walking alone or strumming his guitar on his porch.
Even in seclusion, he remained a polarizing figure. To some, he was a tragic icon—a gifted actor destroyed by the chaos of his own life. To others, he was a man who had escaped justice through wealth and celebrity.
Yet, separating Robert Blake the man from Robert Blake the performer remains difficult. His performances in In Cold Blood and Baretta still rank among the finest examples of raw, emotionally charged acting in American television and film. His work influenced a generation of actors who admired his fearlessness and authenticity.
In his later interviews, Blake seemed at peace with his fall from grace. “I’ve lived ten lives,” he once said. “I’ve been a child star, a movie star, a prisoner, a headline. I’m still standing—that’s enough.”
He never remarried after Bakley’s death and largely withdrew from public life. Those who knew him in his later years describe a man softened by age, often reflecting on the old Hollywood he grew up in—a world of studio contracts, cigarette smoke, and hard-earned fame.
At the time of his death, Blake had outlived nearly all of his contemporaries from the Golden Age of film.
Robert Blake’s legacy is complicated—a blend of triumph and tragedy, brilliance and controversy. His name evokes both admiration and discomfort, a reminder of how easily fame can turn to infamy.
Still, in the quiet of his final years, he seemed to find a measure of peace that had eluded him for most of his life. Surrounded by family, listening to his favorite jazz records, the actor who once captivated millions with his intensity and unpredictability finally faded into silence.
He leaves behind decades of performances that shaped television and film—and a story that remains one of Hollywood’s most haunting cautionary tales.