An estimated -$3 million is the estimated net worth of actor Robert Blake, born in the United States. In Cold Blood” made Blake a household name during his acting career. Additionally, he is well-known for his role as “Baretta” in the television series. For several years after he began his career as a child actor, Robert served in the United States Army. After acting in the film “Lost Highway,” Blake decided to call it a day. He’d had one of the most successful and long-lasting careers in Hollywood.
After being accused of the death of his second wife, Bonnie Lee Bakley, Robert Blake was surrounded by controversy in 2001. In 2005, he was acquitted after a lengthy trial that lasted several years. On the other hand, Robert was walloped financially due to the loss of his wife, and he was found guilty in a wrongful death lawsuit in California.
He was born in Nutley, New Jersey, on September 18, 1933, to Michael James Gubitosi. His family relocated to Los Angeles in 1938, and he and his two siblings began working as extras in films as soon as they arrived. The alcoholism of his father and mother as children led to Blake being sexually and physically molested. Because of this, he ran away from home when he was 14.
Robert’s acting career began at the tender age of six when he participated in a film called “Bridal Suite.” He became renowned when he appeared in a series of short films called “Our Gang” by MGM. Blake’s role as a First Native boy in the television series “Red Ryder” led to numerous appearances in the show. As a teenager, he appeared in films such as “Black Hand” and “The Black Rose.”
During the 1950s, Blake was called up to the US military. After leaving the military at 21, he was left with few options for employment. After selling narcotics for a while, Robert developed a cocaine and heroin dependency. Acting training helped him become one of Hollywood’s most well-known stars. The Purple Gang” and “Pork Chop Hill” were two of Blake’s first film roles after he debuted on television in shows like “26 Men” and “The Cisco Kid.”
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His career took a significant leap forward when he was cast in the film “In Cold Blood” in 1967. In 1975, when “Baretta” premiered, he played a role that would forever define him. “Don’t commit the crime if you can’t do time” was one of Robert’s famous catchphrases as a plainclothes police detective. Even though “Baretta” ended in 1978, Blake went on to appear in other TV shows and films, including “Blood Feud” and “Hell Town.”
Personal life: In 1999, Robert Bakley began dating Bonnie Lee Bakley after divorcing his first wife, Sondra Kerr, with whom he had two daughters. Bakley allegedly has a history of taking advantage of older men in exchange for money. Christian Brando, the son of Marlon Brando, was her boyfriend while she was dating Blake, her ex-lover. Pregnancy made Christian and Robert aware that the child was theirs. After a DNA test revealed that the child belonged to Robert, the two were married in 2000 and have since had a child.
In 2001, Blake and Bakley were dining at a restaurant near their home in Studio City when Bonnie Lee was found dead. Afterward, Robert returned to the restaurant from his parked car, insisting that he had left a weapon behind in the establishment. While inside the restaurant, Blake claims that his wife was shot and killed. Police eventually retrieved the gun that Robert claimed to have left in the restaurant and established that it was not the murder weapon.
Concerns with the law: Robert was detained in 2002 on suspicion of the murder of his wife. In addition, his bodyguard was charged with conspiracy. Bonnie Lee’s estate sued Blake for wrongful death in 2005, and a California civil court ruled him guilty. A retired stuntman and one other person came forward to say that Robert had tried to hire them to kill his wife. They were both arrested.
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Blake pleaded not guilty, although he faced the death penalty. Robert was found not guilty after he was released on bond. Because he had no gunpowder residue on his hands at the time of the occurrence, the court could not link him to a murder weapon. While many public believed that the evidence was insufficient to indict him, LA District Attorney Stephen Cooley dubbed the jury’s choice “extremely dumb.”
However, Robert was not yet out of the woods. Bakley was judged responsible for the death of his wife after a wrongful death action was launched by his three children. He was ordered to pay a $30 million compensation. However, this number was reduced to $15 million by the court.
Robert Blake declared bankruptcy in 2006, not long after he was forced to pay $30 million to the estate of Bonnie Lee in a settlement. Liabilities totaled $3 million, according to his statement. The actor was hit with a $1,110,878 tax debt by the state of California in 2010. A considerable quantity of unpaid legal expenses is also said to be a problem for Robert. The financial difficulties that Blake was facing made him rethink his acting career. He did, however, announce at age 85 that he felt “half-dead” and would not be returning to Hollywood.
Blake had a home in Studio City, California, from 1983, but it was eventually sold to several different people. In 2001, he listed the house for $1 million on the market. In total, the house has seven bedrooms and about 5,000 square feet of living space. In 2003, shortly after Blake was released on a $1.5 million bond, an actress by the name of Alexandra Kingston listed the home for $1.6 million. Kingston was able to recoup $1.5 million from the house sale. For the second time in a year, the renowned property was sold for $3.35 million.
