- A judge banned Blake's defense team from linking Marlon Brando's son Christian to the murder of Blake's wife Bonny Lee Bakley. (October 23, 2004)
- A judge has given him another week to find a new lawyer after he and his third defense attorney parted ways because of irreconcilable differences. (February 24, 2004)
- His defense attorney Thomas Mesereau quit unexpectedly. (February 7, 2004)
- The judge in Blake's murder trial agreed Thursday to remove defense attorney Thomas Mesereau Jr. due to irreconcilable differences between the lawyer and his client - This action forces an indefinite postponement in the actor's trial. (February 6, 2004)
- The judge in his murder trial on Monday banned television cameras from her courtroom during witness testimony. (February 3, 2004)
- With previews of his murder trial under way, a judge decided to limit cameras in the courtroom for the main event, allowing them only during opening statements, closing arguments and the verdict, but not during testimony. (January 26, 2004)
- Jury selection has begun in Blake's murder trial and the roster of potential jurors even includes some of his Tinseltown peers. (January 12, 2004)
- Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Darlene Schempp ordered the $1 million cash bail Blake put up for handyman Earle Caldwell repaid to him, and Caldwell was formally cleared from conspiracy charges in Blake's murder case. (November 19, 2003)
- The judge in Blake's murder case dismissed the lone conspiracy charge against his handyman on Friday, saying there was nothing more than speculative evidence that he was involved in the slaying of the actor's wife. (November 3, 2003)
- Blake's defense lawyers have filed a motion to dismiss murder and conspiracy charges against the actor, citing insufficient evidence. (September 23, 2003)
- Diane Mattson, a woman who defense lawyers for Blake claim could help clear the actor of murder charges will not be allowed to give testimony before trial, even though she fears for her life, a California judge ruled on Thursday. (July 11, 2003)
- Blake's defense lawyer wants to convene a special pretrial session to question a witness who says she heard Christian Brando, son of actor Marlon Brando, tell two stuntmen that Blake's wife should be shot -- Prosecutors are expected to oppose the conditional examination of Diane Mattson on grounds there is no urgency in taking the testimony. (July 9, 2003)
- Blake, free on bail and saying he was just happy to be alive, pleaded innocent on Thursday to charges that he murdered his wife two years ago -- Blake entered his formal plea after a preliminary hearing earlier this month that concluded there was sufficient evidence to put him on trial, but the judge allowed Blake to be freed on $1.5 million bail pending trial. (March 28, 2003)
- Allegedly suspicious-sounding emails written and sent to Blake and his bodyguard in the months prior to his arrest are now at the center of the actor's ongoing murder case -- The tapes were presented in court on Monday by a detective testifying in Blake's preliminary hearing, which will determine whether the actor will face trial on murder, solicitation of murder, conspiracy and lying in wait charges in connection with the fatal shooting of his wife Bonny Lee Bakley in May 2001. (March 13, 2003)
- Blake's lawyer challenged police accounts that the actor behaved strangely before his wife's murder, eliciting testimony Tuesday that the couple appeared in good spirits during a leisurely dinner at a restaurant -- Defense attorney Thomas Mesereau Jr. also got police Detective Robert Bub to say at the preliminary hearing that witnesses described the actor as nearly hysterical when he returned to the restaurant to report that his wife had been injured, possibly mugged, and called out for a doctor. (March 12, 2003)
- Blake's personal assistant Cody Blackwell told cops the actor hated Bakley and wouldn't marry her if she was the last person on earth. (March 7, 2003)
- A retired stuntman who claims Blake tried to have his wife killed testified Tuesday that Blake wanted to be there when the slaying took place and wasn't worried about police questions because I'm an actor. (March 5, 2003)
- In an interview with broadcaster Barbara Walters, Blake confessed he felt that he was set to face the death penalty for killing his wife even though his murder trial was only a day old. (March 1, 2003)
- Gary McLarty, a Hollywood stuntman testified on Thursday that Blake offered him $10,000 to kill his wife and suggested ways to do it, including one similar to the way in which she was actually murdered several months later -- The hearing will determine if Blake, 69, goes to trial on charges that could send him to prison for life if convicted. (February 28, 2003)
- Blake proclaimed his innocence during an interview on ABC's 20/20 program - He says he did not kill his wife and believes that God will make sure he is cleared, but he also says he does not worry about his upcoming trial because he is already a dead man. (February 26, 2003)
- Blake is to talk to the American public at last - The jailed actor has been going against his attorneys' wishes and trying to set up TV interviews with top broadcasters; now the authorities have agreed to Blake's wishes, and top broadcaster Barbara Walters has visited the jailbird on Monday, recording an interview with him, which will be broadcast at a later date on her news magazine show 20/20. (February 19, 2003)
- The original lawyer representing Blake in his murder case, Harland Braun, bailed nearly three months ago because Blake wanted to do a subsequently scrapped interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer, and yesterday (January 15) Braun's replacement Jennifer Keller's co-counsel, Thomas Mesereau Jr., threatened to quit if Blake opened his mouth during a deposition in the wrongful-death civil case brought by the family of the actor's slain wife, Bonny Lee Bakley. (January 16, 2003)
- Blake has been ordered by his attorney, Thomas Mesereau, not to answer questions at a deposition Wednesday in a civil wrongful death suit brought by the children of his slain wife -- because according to Mesereau the judge in the civil case refused to postpone the actor's civil deposition until after the completion of a criminal trial. (January 14, 2003)
- Blake is trying to force reclusive screen legend Marlon Brando to testify in a lawsuit over his wife's 2001 murder - defending a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by Bonny Lee Bakley's heirs, Blake's lawyers want Brando to give sworn statements on February 25, but civil lawyer Barry Felsen refuses to explain why he wants Brando to testify. (December 20, 2002)
- A judge on Friday set Jan. 15 as the date for Blake to face questions under oath from a lawyer for the dead woman's children, who have sued him for wrongful death -- but Blake's civil attorney hinted that the actor could invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination if asked to testify about the May 4, 2001 murder of his wife. (December 14, 2002)
- Blake switched lawyers Tuesday after he told a judge he and longtime defense attorney Harland Braun have irreconcilable differences - the two highly regarded lawyers, Thomas Mesereau Jr. and Jennifer Keller both declined to comment until they have had time to review the case. (November 27, 2002)
- Blake has lost his latest attempt to get out of jail to help defend himself against charges that he murdered his wife as the California Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected the star's request for bail until a preliminary hearing scheduled for December that will determine whether there is sufficient evidence for a full scale trial. (November 15, 2002)
- Blake, in jail on charges that he murdered his wife, refused to meet on Tuesday with a lawyer representing the dead woman's children, who have sued him for wrongful death. (November 13, 2002)
- Blake's high-powered defense attorney Harland Braun says he's stepping down because Blake agreed to discuss the case in a TV interview with Diane Sawyer, saying it was insane -- Braun says Blake has enough time to find a new lawyer by his preliminary hearing in December. (October 29, 2002)
- New find could bolster prosecution's argument that Blake tried to persuade others to kill his wife -- guns and ammo was found on his property. (October 25, 2002)
- Los Angeles police have crucial evidence they believe will put Blake behind bars for the rest of his life: a tape of the troubled actor asking stuntman Gary McLarty to kill his wife Bonny Lee Bakley -- McLarty reportedly taped a phone call he had with Blake, during which the BARETTA star tells the potential hitman that he needs his wife taken care of. (October 25, 2002)
- Blake's murder trial has taken an unexpected twist after guns, bullets, a will and clothing was discovered in a box during a re-search of the actor's Hidden Hills, California, home - a police said the discovery of the box in the barn led him to believe that the Hidden Hills house might yet contain documents or photographs which pertained to defendant Blake's plot to kill his wife.(October 24, 2002)
- Vitello's, the suburban Los Angeles restaurant at the center of Blake's murder case, said it will hold a murder mystery party next month, but the restaurant's co-owner Joseph Restivo insisted that the party has nothing to do with the Blake case. (October 18, 2002)
- Blake has been denied bail after fighting for freedom for almost six months. (October 11, 2002)
- Blake, who is charged with murdering his wife, was denied bail by a Los Angeles judge on Wednesday and his lawyers immediately moved to appeal the issue to the California Supreme Court. (October 10, 2002)
- Blake's legal team have adopted an unusual plan to help the free the murder suspect - they're conducting public opinion polls. (October 10, 2002)
- Prosecutors in Blake's murder trial have been given until Monday to come up with solid reasons why the actor should not be granted an immediate bail hearing. (October 8, 2002)
- Defense attorneys for Blake are trying to exonerate the former BARETTA star of his wife's May 4, 2001 murder by examining her sexually explicit correspondence with prison inmates. (October 5, 2002)
- The California Supreme Court ordered the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which has custody of Blake, to file an answer by Monday -- the order indicated that unless authorities show adequate reason, a bail hearing should be held. (October 3, 2002)
- Blake claims innocence in his first at-length interview with a print reporter on Thursday since his arrest last April 18 for the shooting death of wife Bonny Lee Bakley. (September 3, 2002)
- In his first TV interview since his arrest in April on charges of killing his wife, Blake told Larry King on Saturday that he's in ''infantry mode,'' and that the ''cement wilderness'' of the Los Angeles County Jail is not as bad as some of the dressing rooms he's endured during his long career as an actor.
- The November prelim date is a victory for Blake's side; a time-killer for impatient prosecutors.
- A judge on Tuesday set a Nov. 13 must go date for a preliminary hearing into murder charges against Blake and said he intended to ban cameras from the courtroom. (August 2002)
- Even though Blake is jailed on murder charges, Universal Studios Home Video plans to release episodes of Baretta the 1970s detective series starring Blake, on DVD this fall. (August 2002)
- A Los Angeles Superior Court commissioner on Thursday, July 25, granted Blake's adult daughter, Delinah, custody of her half-sister, Rosie--the child Blake had with Bonny Lee Bakley, the woman he's accused of murdering. Delinah, a 35-year-old psychologist, has been tending to Rosie full-time since Robert Blake was arrested April 18. In filing for full custody, she said in court papers that she has really been taking care of Rosie since the girl was three months old, essentially acting as her mother.
- A California court of appeals denied Robert Blake's request for release on bail without comment Tuesday, July 23, the actor's attorney, Harland Braun, told the Associated Press. The lawyer vowed that he would take Blake's case to the state Supreme Court.
- When Tony Musante decided to quit the series TOMA (1973), the producers wanted to continue on with Robert Blake in the lead role, but Blake didn't want to appear on the series feeling like he was an understudy to Musante and suggested a name change. The producers changed the name, and also agreed to rewrite the role to better fit Blake's true character, and renamed the show Baretta.
- Blake and Scott Wilson were not the first choices to play the cold-blooded murderers in IN COLD BLOOD. Studio heads at Columbia Pictures originally wanted Paul Newman and Steve McQueen in the lead roles.
- Nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Special at Emmy Awards for JUDGEMENT DAY: THE JOHN LIST SORY (1993)
- Nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV at Golden Globe Awards for BLOOD FEUD (1984)
- Nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series at Emmy Awards for Baretta (1977)
- Nominated for Best Motion Picture Actor - Drama at Golden Globe Awards for ELECTRA GLIDE IN BLUE (1974)
Quotes- "Every time you think you got it made, old Mother Nature kicks you in the scrotum."
- On his roles as Tony Baretta and Father Noah Hardstep in "Baretta," and "Hell Town," respectively: "There are more similarities than differences. They both care a lot about people and they both get impatient with the system if the system seems to be keeping them from doing their jobs. And they both ain't afraid to do a little scuffling to get the job done."
- Commenting on his difficult childhood and finding success as an actor: "Being locked in the closets and beat up and burned and sexual stuff - and to come out from under it - I mean, it's lovely. I mean, most people like me end up on death row, or in the graveyards, or in prison."
Awards- Emmy Awards: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, Baretta (1975)
- Golden Boot Award (1984)
- Golden Globe Awards: Best TV Actor - Drama, Baretta (1976)
- Hasty Pudding Theatricals: Man of the Year (1976)
- Young Artist Awards: Former Child Star Lifetime Achievement Award (1995)
|
