Robert Blake

Robert Blake was an American actor known for his roles in the 1967 film In Cold Blood and the 1970s U.S. television series Baretta. Born in Nutley, New Jersey, Blake began acting as a child, with a lead role in the final years of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Our Gang (Little Rascals) short film series from 1939 to 1944. He also acted as a child in 22 episodes of the Red Ryder film franchise. In the Red Ryder series and many of his adult roles, the Italian-American actor was often cast as an American Indian or Latino character. After time in the United States Army, Blake returned to acting in television and movie roles until 1997's Lost Highway, his final film role. Owing to Blake becoming one of the first child actors successfully to transition to adult roles, author Michael Newton called his career "one of the longest in Hollywood history."