Robert Blake was an American actor. He had money troubles, and when he died in 2023, he owed more than he had – about -$3 million. Before, he had a lot of money. Robert Blake net worth was maybe $10-15 million.
In 2001, there was a big problem. He got in trouble because he was accused of killing his second wife, Bonnie Lee Bakley. They took a long time to decide if he did it or not, and in 2005 they said he didn’t. But he had money problems because of his wife. And, he got in trouble again because he was blamed for her death.
When he was an actor, he became famous for being in movies like “In Cold Blood.” He was also known for working in the TV show “Baretta”. He started as a kid actor, then went to the Army, and came back to acting when he was older. Further, he stopped acting after being in the movie “Lost Highway”. He had one of the longest careers in Hollywood.
Early Life
Born on September 18, 1933, in Nutley, New Jersey, Michael James Gubitosi grew up in a family that moved to Los Angeles in 1938. There, he and his two siblings got jobs as extras in movies. Sadly, Blake had a tough childhood because his parents, who drank too much alcohol, treated him poorly. This led him to leave home when he was just 14 years old.
Robert Blake Acting Career
Robert Blake made his first movie appearance when he was just six years old in a film called “Bridal Suite.” He gained fame by starring in a bunch of short movies produced by MGM known as “Our Gang.”
This led to him being in the “Red Ryder” TV series where he acted as a First Native boy. When he was 17, he started being in movies like “The Black Rose” and “Black Hand.”
In 1950, he was drafted into the US Army. After leaving the military at 21, he had trouble finding jobs. He started selling drugs and got addicted to cocaine and heroin. Further, he took acting lessons and eventually became one of the most well-known actors in Hollywood. He acted in TV shows like “26 Men” and “The Cisco Kid,” and then appeared in movies like “The Purple Gang” and “Pork Chop Hill.”
In 1967, he got a big break when he got a main role in the movie “In Cold Blood.” His most important role came with the start of “Baretta” in 1975. He played a plainclothes police detective and became famous for saying things like “don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.” After “Baretta” ended in 1978, he kept acting in TV shows like “Blood Feud” and “Hell Town,” and also in movies like “Money Train” and “Lost Highway.”
Relationships
After his initial marriage to Sondra Kerr, which led to having two children, Robert started a relationship with Bonnie Lee Bakley in 1999. Bakley was known for allegedly taking advantage of older men for money.
While she was with Blake, she was also dating Christian Brando, the son of Marlon Brando. When she got pregnant, she told both Christian and Robert that they could be the father. A DNA test later confirmed that the child was Robert’s, and they got married in 2000.
Death of Bonnie Lee
In 2001, Blake and Bakley were at a restaurant near their home in Studio City. After they left, Robert went back to the restaurant from his car, saying he had left a gun there. According to Blake, his wife was shot and killed while he was inside the restaurant. The police found the gun that Robert said he left there, but it was not the gun used to kill her.
Legal Issues
In 2002, Robert got arrested for his wife’s murder, and even his bodyguard was arrested for being involved in the plan. In 2005, a California court decided that Robert was responsible for causing Bonnie Lee’s death after her family sued him. Some people, including a retired stuntman, said that Robert had tried to hire them to kill his wife.
Even though Robert could have gotten the death penalty, he said he wasn’t guilty. He got released on bail, and later he was found not guilty. The court couldn’t prove that he used the gun that killed her, and he didn’t have any gun stuff on his hands when it happened.
Some people thought there wasn’t enough proof to say he did it. But the LA District Attorney, Stephen Cooley, called the jury’s decision “incredibly stupid.”
But the story didn’t end there. After Bonnie Lee’s kids said Robert was responsible for her death, a court decided that he owed them money. They made him pay $30 million, although they later said he only had to pay $15 million.
Financial Issues
In 2006, shortly after he received the order to pay a $30 million settlement to Bonnie Lee’s estate, Robert Blake filed for bankruptcy. He listed a total of $3 million in debts. In 2010, the state of California put a claim on him for unpaid back taxes of $1,110,878.
Reports also mentioned that he had a lot of unpaid legal fees. Faced with these financial challenges, Blake thought about going back to acting. However, he announced at the age of 85 that he felt “half-dead” and wouldn’t return to Hollywood.
Real Estate
In 1983, Blake bought a compound in Studio City. He sold it later to different people. He put it up for sale in 2001 for $1 million. The house has seven bedrooms and almost 5,000 square feet of space.
An actress named Alexandra Kingston listed it in 2003 for $1.6 million, after Blake got out of jail by paying $1.5 million. She managed to sell it for $1.5 million. In 2018, the property was sold again for $3.35 million, which was $400,000 more than the price asked.
On a Wrap
Robert Blake’s life was a rollercoaster of fame, controversy, legal battles, and financial challenges. From his early acting career to the complexities surrounding his second wife’s death, his story is a mix of highs and lows. Despite moments of fame, legal trials, and financial struggles, Blake’s journey reflects the intricate nature of a life in the public eye.
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