Robert Blake died from heart disease at the age of 89.
As a child actor, he starred as Mickey Gubitosi in the “Our Gang” comedies and acted in a movie classic, “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.” As an adult, he was praised for his portrayal of real-life murderer Perry Smith in the movie of Truman Capote’s true crime best seller “In Cold Blood.”
His career continued with the 1975-78 TV cop series, “Baretta.” He starred as a detective who carried a pet cockatoo on his shoulder and was fond of disguises. It was typical of his specialty, portraying tough guys with soft hearts, and its signature line: “Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time,” was often quoted.
In 1993, Blake won another Emmy as the title character in, “Judgment Day: the John List Story,” portraying a churchgoing man who murdered his mother, wife and three children.
In April of 2002, Blake, himself was accused of killing his wife Bakley. He was acquitted of the murder charge but the expense of the trial and then the following civil trial by our corrupt Civil Court System destroyed him financially.
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