Amanda Blake (born Beverly Louise Neill, February 21, 1929 – August 16, 1989) was an American actress best known for the role of the red-haired saloon proprietress "Miss Kitty Russell" on the western

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed ...

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central chara ...

''. Along with her fourth husband, Frank Gilbert, she ran one of the first successful programs for breeding

cheetah The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large cat native to Africa and central Iran. It is the fastest land animal, estimated to be capable of running at with the fastest reliably recorded speeds being , and as such has evolved specialized ...

s in captivity.

Early life

Amanda Blake was born Beverly Louise Neill in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

, the only child of Jesse and Louise (née Puckett) Neill. Her father was a banker. Blake was a telephone operator and briefly attended

Pomona College Pomona College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It was established in 1887 by a group of Congregationalists who wanted to recreate a "college of the New England type" in Southern California. In 1925, it beca ...

before she took up acting. Catherine Moore ″Kate" Barry (1752–1823), one of Amanda's ancestors, was a heroine of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of ...

. She warned local patriots of

Banastre Tarleton Sir Banastre Tarleton, 1st Baronet, GCB (21 August 175415 January 1833) was a British general and politician. He is best known as the lieutenant colonel leading the British Legion at the end of the American Revolution. He later served in Por ...

's approach, giving them time to group and prepare for the Battle of Cowpens (January 17, 1781), a major American victory that helped pave the way for the British defeat at Yorktown.

Career

Amanda Blake in Stars in My Crown trailer

In the late 1940s, Blake was signed to

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 ...

as the studio saw her as its next Greer Garson. She appeared in a few Hollywood films, such as the 1952 western '' Cattle Town'' and in the starring role of '' Miss Robin Crusoe'', a 1954 adaptation of the

Robinson Crusoe ''Robinson Crusoe'' () is a novel by Daniel Defoe, first published on 25 April 1719. The first edition credited the work's protagonist Robinson Crusoe as its author, leading many readers to believe he was a real person and the book a tr ...

adventure. In 1954, she appeared in '' A Star Is Born''. Blake became best known for her 19-year stint as the saloon-keeper Miss Kitty on the television series ''

'' from 1955 to 1974. On February 27, 1974, Blake brought a lion named Kemo on to the ''Gunsmoke'' set. Because of her continuing role on television, Blake rarely had time for films. She did appear on a number of television shows, including a recurring comedy routine on '' The Red Skelton Show''; as a celebrity on ''

Hollywood Squares ''Hollywood Squares'' (originally ''The Hollywood Squares'') is an American game show in which two contestants compete in a game of tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The show piloted on NBC in 1965 and the regular series debuted in 1966 on the ...

'', '' Tattletales'', and the 1970s revival of '' Match Game''; and comedy appearances on the '' Dean Martin Celebrity Roast''. In 1957, Blake guest-starred as Betty Lavon-Coate in the episode titled "Coate of Many Colors" on Rod Cameron's crime drama, ''

State Trooper State police, provincial police or regional police are a type of sub-national territorial police force found in nations organized as federations, typically in North America, South Asia, and Oceania. These forces typically have jurisdiction ...

''. Later, after a ''Gunsmoke'' reunion film, she made two feature-film appearances: in '' The Boost'', a drug-addiction drama starring James Woods and Sean Young, and ''B.O.R.N'', both in 1988. In 1968, Blake was inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, an ...

. She was the third performer inducted, after

Tom Mix Thomas Edwin Mix (born Thomas Hezikiah Mix; January 6, 1880 – October 12, 1940) was an American film actor and the star of many early Western films between 1909 and 1935. He appeared in 291 films, all but nine of which were silent films. He ...

and

Gary Cooper Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, quiet screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, a ...

, selected in 1958 and in 1966.

Personal life

Blake married Don Whitman in 1954 and divorced him in 1956. After the divorce from Whitman, she would go to the 'saloon set' of ''Gunsmoke''. Blake felt like it was home to her on the days when she was not needed. She married Jason Seymour Day Jr. in 1964 and divorced him in 1967. Blake married Frank Gilbert in 1967 and divorced him in 1982. She married Mark Edward Spaeth in 1984. Spaeth died in 1985.

Animal welfare

After ''Gunsmoke'', Blake went into semi-retirement at her home in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the o ...

, and took on few film or television projects. She instead devoted more time to her animals. She had been known for bringing her pet

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

, Kemo, onto the ''Gunsmoke'' set. Kemo lived in an animal compound at her home, at which she and husband Frank Gilbert ran an experimental breeding program for cheetahs. They were some of the first to breed cheetahs successfully in captivity; they raised seven generations of cheetahs. Blake joined with others in 1971 to form the Arizona Animal Welfare League, today the oldest and largest "no-kill"

animal shelter An animal shelter or pound is a place where stray, lost, abandoned or surrendered animals – mostly dogs and cats – are housed. The word "pound" has its origins in the animal pounds of agricultural communities, where stray livestock would ...

in the state. In 1985, she helped finance the start-up of the Performing Animal Welfare Society and devoted a great deal of time and money in support of its efforts, including travels to

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. Blake reportedly was a one-time board member of the

Humane Society of the United States The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is an American nonprofit organization that focuses on animal welfare and opposes animal-related cruelties of national scope. It uses strategies that are beyond the abilities of local organizations. ...

. In 1997, the Amanda Blake Memorial Wildlife Refuge opened at Rancho Seco Park in

Herald A herald, or a herald of arms, is an officer of arms, ranking between pursuivant and king of arms. The title is commonly applied more broadly to all officers of arms. Heralds were originally messengers sent by monarchs or noblemen ...

, California. The refuge provides sanctuary for free-ranging African hoofed wildlife, most of which were originally destined for exotic animal

auction An auction is usually a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from the lowest bidder. Some exceptions to this definition e ...

s or hunting ranches.

Declining health and death

Blake was a heavy

cigarette smoker Tobacco smoking is the practice of burning tobacco and ingesting the resulting smoke. The smoke may be inhaled, as is done with cigarettes, or simply released from the mouth, as is generally done with pipes and cigars. The practice is believed ...

and had surgery for oral cancer in 1977. She became a supporter of the

American Cancer Society The American Cancer Society (ACS) is a nationwide voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer. Established in 1913, the society is organized into six geographical regions of both medical and lay volunteers operating in more tha ...

and made fundraising appearances throughout the country. In 1984, she was the recipient of the society's annual Courage Award, which was presented to her by then U.S. President Ronald Reagan. On August 16, 1989, Blake died of liver failure brought on by viral hepatitis at

Mercy General Hospital Mercy General Hospital is a not-for-profit private community hospital located in the East Sacramento neighborhood of Sacramento, CA. The hospital has 342 beds and over 2,000 clinical staff, and serves as the major Cardiac Surgery referral center f ...

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

. The popular media later widely reported that Blake's doctor claimed that she had actually died of AIDS. Her close friends have insisted that she was not a drug user or sexually promiscuous, and that she may have acquired the disease from a former husband.

Filmography

References

Citations

Sources

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External links

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Amanda Blake
Gunsmoke.net {{DEFAULTSORT:Blake, Amanda 1929 births 1989 deaths Actresses from Buffalo, New York AIDS-related deaths in California American film actresses American television actresses Western (genre) film actresses Keepers of animal sanctuaries 20th-century American actresses Western (genre) television actors Actresses from Los Angeles Actresses from Phoenix, Arizona People from Austin, Texas Pomona College alumni 20th-century American women