Robert Blake (actor)
Updated: Wikipedia source
Robert Blake (born Michael James Gubitosi; September 18, 1933 – March 9, 2023), billed early in his career as Mickey Gubitosi and Bobby Blake, was an American actor. He was best known for starring in the 1967 film In Cold Blood, and playing the title role in the late 1970s television series Baretta, and playing the Mystery Man in the 1997 film Lost Highway. Blake began his career in the 1930s performing as a child alongside his family as a singer and dancer but became famous as a child actor, with his lead role in the final years of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer-era of the Our Gang (Little Rascals) short film series from 1939 to 1944. He also appeared as a child actor in 22 entries of the Red Ryder film franchise. In the Red Ryder series and many of his adult roles, the Italian-American actor was often cast as an American Indian or mestizo character. After a stint in the U.S. Army, Blake returned to acting in both television and movie roles. Blake continued acting until 1997's Lost Highway. Blake was one of the first child actors to successfully transition to mature roles as an adult. Author Michael Newton called Blake's career "one of the longest in Hollywood history". Blake was arrested in 2002 for the 2001 murder of his second wife, Bonny Lee Bakley. Blake was acquitted of the murder in criminal court in 2005, but he was found liable in civil court for her wrongful death.