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Robert Blake: From Emmy-Winning Actor to Murder-Trial Controversy
In a saga that has echoed through the corridors of Hollywood, the name Robert Blake—best known for his Emmy‑winning portrayal of Detective Tony Baretta—has become synonymous with a high‑profile murder trial that ended in both acquittal and civil liability.
Born Michael James Gubitosi on September 18, 1933 in Nutley, New Jersey, Blake was a child star from the moment he stepped onto a set. His parents, Giacomo Gubitosi and Elizabeth Cafone, billed their trio of children as “The Three Little Hillbillies,” and the family moved to California in 1938. Blake’s first screen appearance came at age six in the Our Gang short‑film series, later known as The Little Rascals, and he continued working in the Red Ryder Western series.
After a brief stint in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, the actor returned to Hollywood in 1956. Over the next decade he appeared in a range of crime, war and Western films and television shows. His most prominent adult role came in 1967’s In Cold Blood, where he played Perry Smith in a performance that earned critical praise. But it was the 1975 television series Baretta that would define his career. As the eponymous detective, Blake earned an Emmy Award and cemented his status as a household name.
In 1999, Blake met Bonny Lee Bakley, a 43‑year‑old woman who had been married nine times and was known for dating older, affluent men. The couple married in November 2000. Bakley was pregnant, and a DNA test after the birth of their daughter, Rose Lenore Sophia Blake, confirmed Robert Blake as the father.
On May 4, 2001, the pair dined at Vitello’s, an Italian restaurant in Studio City, Los Angeles. After leaving the restaurant, Blake returned to the car to retrieve a pistol he had left inside. Bakley was waiting in the vehicle and was found shot twice—once in the head and once in the shoulder—when Blake returned. He fled to a nearby house and called a friend for help.
Police found no physical evidence linking Blake to the shooting. His pistol was not the weapon used, and he had no gunpowder residue on his hands. Two retired stuntmen, Ronald “Duffy” Hambleton and Gary McLarty, later testified that Blake had approached them in 2000 to discuss hiring them to kill Bakley. McLarty described Blake’s remarks about Bakley’s financial exploitation of him. The testimony was central to the prosecution’s case.
Blake was arrested in April 2002 on charges that included murder, solicitation of murder, conspiracy, and lying in wait. The criminal trial began in December 2004. The defense argued that McLarty was a drug user with paranoid delusions and that Hambleton had a criminal history, undermining their credibility. With no forensic evidence tying Blake to the crime, the jury found him not guilty of all criminal charges on March 17, 2005.
A civil lawsuit filed by Bakley’s sister followed. In November 2005, a jury found Blake liable for wrongful death and awarded $30 million in damages, later reduced to $15 million. The financial burden contributed to Blake filing for bankruptcy in 2006.
After the trial, Blake struggled to secure new acting work. He made a brief appearance in the 1997 film Lost Highway as the “Mystery Man,” but no subsequent roles materialized. He remained a public figure, occasionally speaking about his experience, but his career never recovered.
Blake died on March 9, 2023 at age 89 of heart disease. His death was not highlighted in the Emmy Awards’ “In Memoriam” segment that year. The case remains a notable example of a high‑profile murder trial that concluded with a criminal acquittal but civil liability, leaving a complex legacy for the actor.
Born Michael James Gubitosi on September 18, 1933 in Nutley, New Jersey, Blake was a child star from the moment he stepped onto a set. His parents, Giacomo Gubitosi and Elizabeth Cafone, billed their trio of children as “The Three Little Hillbillies,” and the family moved to California in 1938. Blake’s first screen appearance came at age six in the Our Gang short‑film series, later known as The Little Rascals, and he continued working in the Red Ryder Western series.
After a brief stint in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, the actor returned to Hollywood in 1956. Over the next decade he appeared in a range of crime, war and Western films and television shows. His most prominent adult role came in 1967’s In Cold Blood, where he played Perry Smith in a performance that earned critical praise. But it was the 1975 television series Baretta that would define his career. As the eponymous detective, Blake earned an Emmy Award and cemented his status as a household name.
In 1999, Blake met Bonny Lee Bakley, a 43‑year‑old woman who had been married nine times and was known for dating older, affluent men. The couple married in November 2000. Bakley was pregnant, and a DNA test after the birth of their daughter, Rose Lenore Sophia Blake, confirmed Robert Blake as the father.
On May 4, 2001, the pair dined at Vitello’s, an Italian restaurant in Studio City, Los Angeles. After leaving the restaurant, Blake returned to the car to retrieve a pistol he had left inside. Bakley was waiting in the vehicle and was found shot twice—once in the head and once in the shoulder—when Blake returned. He fled to a nearby house and called a friend for help.
Police found no physical evidence linking Blake to the shooting. His pistol was not the weapon used, and he had no gunpowder residue on his hands. Two retired stuntmen, Ronald “Duffy” Hambleton and Gary McLarty, later testified that Blake had approached them in 2000 to discuss hiring them to kill Bakley. McLarty described Blake’s remarks about Bakley’s financial exploitation of him. The testimony was central to the prosecution’s case.
Blake was arrested in April 2002 on charges that included murder, solicitation of murder, conspiracy, and lying in wait. The criminal trial began in December 2004. The defense argued that McLarty was a drug user with paranoid delusions and that Hambleton had a criminal history, undermining their credibility. With no forensic evidence tying Blake to the crime, the jury found him not guilty of all criminal charges on March 17, 2005.
A civil lawsuit filed by Bakley’s sister followed. In November 2005, a jury found Blake liable for wrongful death and awarded $30 million in damages, later reduced to $15 million. The financial burden contributed to Blake filing for bankruptcy in 2006.
After the trial, Blake struggled to secure new acting work. He made a brief appearance in the 1997 film Lost Highway as the “Mystery Man,” but no subsequent roles materialized. He remained a public figure, occasionally speaking about his experience, but his career never recovered.
Blake died on March 9, 2023 at age 89 of heart disease. His death was not highlighted in the Emmy Awards’ “In Memoriam” segment that year. The case remains a notable example of a high‑profile murder trial that concluded with a criminal acquittal but civil liability, leaving a complex legacy for the actor.
