Robert Blake (actor)

Blake began his career in the 1930s performing as a child alongside his family in song and as a 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 in many of his adult roles, the Italian-American actor was often cast as an American Indian or Latino character.

After a stint in the U.S. Army, Blake returned to acting in both television and movie roles.

In 1930, James worked as a die setter for a can manufacturer.

Eventually, Blake's parents began a song-and-dance act.

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.

Robert Blake was born Michael James Gubitosi in Nutley, New Jersey, on September 18, 1933.

His parents were Giacomo (James) Gubitosi and his wife, Elizabeth Cafone.

In 1936, their three children began performing, billed as "The Three Little Hillbillies."

They moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1938, where the children began working as movie extras.

Blake had an unhappy childhood in which he was abused by his alcoholic father.

When he entered public school at age 10, he was bullied and had fights with other students, which led to his expulsion.

Blake stated that he was physically and sexually abused by both of his parents while growing up and was frequently locked in a closet and forced to eat off the floor as punishment.

At age 14, he ran away from home, leading to several more difficult years.

Then known as "Mickey Gubitosi", Blake began his acting career as Toto in the MGM movie Bridal Suite (1939), starring Annabella and Robert Young.

Blake then began appearing in MGM's Our Gang short subjects (a.k.a. The Little Rascals) under his real name, replacing Eugene "Porky" Lee.

He appeared in 40 of the shorts between 1939 and 1944, eventually becoming the series' final lead character.

Blake's parents also made appearances in the series as extras.

In Our Gang, Blake's character, Mickey, was often called upon to cry, for which he was criticized for being unconvincing.

He was also criticized for being obnoxious and whiny.

In 1942, he acquired the stage name "Bobby Blake" and his character in the series was renamed "Mickey Blake."

In 1942, Blake appeared as "Tooky" Stedman in Andy Hardy's Double Life.

In 1944, MGM discontinued Our Gang, releasing the final short in the series, Dancing Romeo.

In 1944, Blake began playing a Native American boy, "Little Beaver," in the Red Ryder western series at the studios of Republic Pictures (now CBS Radford Studios), appearing in twenty-three of the movies until 1947.

He also had roles in one of Laurel and Hardy's later films The Big Noise (1944), and the Warner Bros. movies Humoresque (1946), playing John Garfield's character as a child, and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948), playing the Mexican boy who sells Humphrey Bogart a winning lottery ticket and gets a glass of water thrown in his face by Bogart in the process.

In 1950, at age 17, Blake appeared as Mahmoud in The Black Rose and as Enrico, Naples Bus Boy (uncredited) in Black Hand.

In 1950, Blake was drafted into the U.S. Army during the Korean War.

Upon leaving at the age of 21, he found himself without any job prospects and fell into a deep depression.

This led to a two-year addiction to heroin and cocaine.

He also sold drugs.

Blake entered Jeff Corey's acting class and began working on improving his personal and professional life.

He eventually became a seasoned Hollywood actor, playing notable dramatic roles in movies and on television.

His father died by suicide in 1956.

He was best known for starring in the 1967 film In Cold Blood, playing the title role in the late 1970s television series Baretta, and playing the Mystery Man in the 1997 film Lost Highway.

In 1995, Blake was honored by the Young Artist Foundation with its Former Child Star "Lifetime Achievement" Award for his role in Our Gang.

Blake continued acting until 1997's Lost Highway.

Owing to Blake becoming one of the first child actors to successfully transition to mature roles as an adult, author Michael Newton called his career "one of the longest in Hollywood history".

Blake's later career unravelled in 2002, when he was arrested 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 a civil court for her wrongful death.