Robert Blake is a retired American actor who was born Michael James Gubitosi on September 18, 1933. He is best known for his roles in the 1967 movie In Cold Blood and the 1970s TV show Baretta. Blake started acting when he was a child. From 1939 to 1944, he played the main role in the last few years of Metro-Goldwyn-Our Mayer’s Gang (Little Rascals) short film series. He also played a child actor in 22 movies in the Red Ryder 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 a Latino. After his time in the U.S. Army, Blake went back to acting in TV shows and movies. Blake worked until the movie Lost Highway came out in 1997.
Robert Blake’s Net Worth
Robert Blake is an American actor with a net worth of -$3 million. In the past, Robert was worth between $10 and $15 million, as we’ll see later in this article. Robert Blake got into a lot of trouble when he was charged with killing his second wife, Bonnie Lee Bakley, in 2001.
Before he was found not guilty in 2005, the trial went on for several years. Still, Robert’s wife’s death caused him to lose a lot of money, and he was found guilty after a wrongful death lawsuit was filed against him in California. Robert Blake became well-known as an actor after he was in movies like “In Cold Blood.” He is also famous for his part in the TV show “Baretta.”
Robert started out as a child actor and then joined the U.S. Army. When he was an adult, he went back to acting in movies and TV shows. Blake quit acting after he was in the movie “Lost Highway.” He has had one of the best careers in the history of Hollywood.
Robert Blake’s Early Life
Michael James Gubitosi was born on September 18, 1933, in Nutley, NJ. He was born to Giacomo (James) Gubitosi and Elizabeth Cafone. In 1930, James set up dies for a company that made cans. Blake’s parents eventually put on a show with songs and dances. In 1936, their three kids started doing shows as “The Three Little Hillbillies.”
They moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1938, where their children started working as extras in movies. Blake had a hard childhood. His alcoholic father beat him up a lot. When he was ten and started public school, he was picked on and got into fights with other kids, which got him kicked out.
Blake said that when he was a child, his parents hurt him physically and sexually and often locked him in a closet and made him eat off the floor as punishment. At age 14, he ran away from home, which made the next few years even worse. His father killed himself in 1956.
Robert Blake’s Career
Blake, who was known as “Mickey Gubitosi” at the time, played Toto for the first time in the MGM movie Bridal Suite, which starred Annabella and Robert Young. Blake then started using his real name to replace Eugene “Porky” Lee in MGM’s Our Gang short subjects (also known as The Little Rascals). Between 1939 and 1944, he was in 40 of the shorts. He was the last main character in the series.
Blake’s parents also showed up in the show as extras. Mickey, Blake’s character in Our Gang, had to cry a lot, and when he didn’t do it well, he got in trouble. Blake joined the United States Army in the year 1950. When he left at age 21, he had no job prospects and fell into a deep depression.
This led to a two-year addiction to heroin and cocaine. He also sold illegal drugs. Blake took an acting class with Jeff Corey and started to work on his personal and professional growth. He slowly worked his way up in Hollywood by playing important dramatic roles in movies and on TV. In 1956, he was given the name Robert Blake for the first time.
