Robert Blake

American actor, a child star in the Our Gang film comedies at the age of six who rounded out the ‘40s as the plucky Indian boy in the popular western movie series Red Ryder. Starting out as Mickey Gubitosi, he took the stage name of Bobby Blake in 1940, though he continued to use his birth name in the Our Gang series for another three years. He was an adult star of the films In Cold Blood (1967) and Tell Them Willie Boy is Here (1969) and the TV series Baretta (1975-1978); a career marked by ups and downs.

With a difficult, hard working childhood, Blake’s first exposure in show business was at age two. He related that he was abused physically, emotionally and sexually as a child by his folks, a once-time song and dance team, and spent much of his life in a rage. He and his brother, sister and mother were all victims of a drunken, violent step-father who would beat them mercilessly.

After being expelled from five schools, he was drafted in 1950, a "has-been" by the time he was 17. Rebellious, with periods of deep depression, he was compulsively resistant to authority and incapable of delegating authority. He spent time in the army stockade, and managed to get involved with heroin. Through his years he tried many of the various forms of self-destruct; drugs, alcohol and fights.

When he returned to Hollywood in 1952, Blake worked as a stuntman, and in 1953 began to get TV roles. Baretta debuted mid-season in January 1975 and was an immediate hit with a subsequent Emmy win that year that put Robert Blake on top of the world. From 1975-1978, Baretta held a top spot on TV, a set that often resembled a war zone in which Blake was accused of being "unprofessional" and tyrannical. He had his wife Sondra cast as a frequent guest-star and began ignoring directors he didn't like, effectively directing the show himself. Baretta was canceled in 1978 and Blake's marriage ended soon after that.