Emmy  Award Winner Robert Blake Passed Away at 89

Robert Blake 89, a contentious actor who earned an Emmy for Baretta, passed away from heart disease today in Los Angeles.

Image credit: Getty images

Before being exonerated of murder in connection with the death of his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, in 2001, Blake had a lengthy career in cinema and television.

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In great movies like Treasure of the Sierra Madre, In Cold Blood, and Lost Highway, Blake made an appearance.

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Blake is best remembered for his four seasons (1975–1978) on ABC as the sly undercover detective Tony Baretta.

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In 1975, he won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, and in 1977, he received another nomination for the same role.

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During his career, he also received two Emmy nominations for lead actor in the miniseries Blood Feud (1983) and Judgment Day: The John List Story (1993).

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Stephen J. Cannell, a famous TV writer, and creator came up with the catchy theme song "Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow," which Sammy Davis Jr. sang.

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Even so, the show's lead, Tony Mustane, became tired of the weekly production grind, so ABC executives decided to recast Blake in the role and rename the show, Toma.

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The program made its replacement television debut in January 1975, and it concluded its first season among the top 25 primetime programs.

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Blake was given the lead role in the NBC drama Hell Town a few years later. Only a few episodes of the series were produced in 1985.

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Blake was a frequent guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, performing skits with Carson.

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Blake's second wife, Bakley, was shot to death outside Vitello's restaurant in 2001. He was a pitchman for STP, Geico, and other companies.

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Blake admitted to the police that he had returned to the eatery to get a revolver that he had dropped on the floor of their booth.

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