What Was Amanda Blake's Net Worth?
Amanda Blake was an American actress who had a net worth of $500 thousand at the time of her death in 1989. Amanda Blake's best-known role was starring as Kitty on the television series "Gunsmoke," from 1955 to 1974.
Amanda Blake starred in several films including "Stars In My Crown," "Duchess of Idaho," "Counterspy Meets Scotland Yard," "China Corsair," "Smuggler's Gold," "Sunny Side of the Street," "Cattle Town," "Lili," "Sabre Jet," "Miss Robin Crusoe," "About Mrs. Leslie," "A Star Is Born," "The Adventures of Hajji Baba," "The Glass Slipper," "High Society," "The Boost," and more. She also appeared in episodes of the TV series "The Red Skelton Show," "The Love Boat," "Hart to Hart," "The Edge of Night," "Brothers," "The New Dragnet," and more. Blake was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and three Primetime Emmy Awards for "Gunsmoke." Amanda Blake passed away on August 16, 1989, at the age of 60, from multiple health issues.
Early Life
Amanda Blake was born Beverly Louise Neill on February 20, 1929, in Buffalo, New York. She was the daughter of Jesse and Louise Neill. Her father worked as a banker. After finishing high school, Blake worked as a telephone operator and briefly attended Pomona College before deciding to pursue acting.
Career
In the late 1940s, Blake was signed to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The studio hoped that she would become the next Greer Garson, a popular actress at the time. She appeared in a few Hollywood films, like the 1952 western "Cattle Town" and the 1954 "Miss Robin Crusoe." The same year, she also appeared in "A Star is Born." Other films she appeared in around this time include "Scarlet Angel," "Cattle Town," "Lili," "Sabre Jet," "The Adventures of Hajii Baba," "The Glass Slipper," "High Society," and "Never Trust a Gambler."
In 1955, Amanda was cast in the television series "Gunsmoke" as the saloon-keeper, Miss Kitty. She remained on the show for 19 years until 1974. The show was very popular, winning 15 Primetime Emmy awards during its run, in addition to many other awards. For a number of the seasons in which it was on air, it held a top-10 spot in the Nielsen ratings. Blake's celebrity status increased dramatically due to her role in the series.
Because Amanda was occupied with "Gunsmoke" for much of her career, she rarely had time to pursue other acting work in films. However, she did appear in a few other television shows. In 1957, soon after she landed her role on "Gunsmoke," she guest-starred as Betty Lavon-Coate in an episode of the crime drama "State Trooper." She performed a recurring comedy routine on "The Red Skeleton Show." She was also a frequent celebrity participant on "Hollywood Squares." Additionally, she appeared on other game shows like "Tattletales" and the 1970s revival of "Match Game." She also made a number of comedy appearances on the "Dean Martin Celebrity Roast."
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Later, after a "Gunsmoke" reunion film, Amanda made two feature-film appearances. She appeared in "The Boost," a drug-addiction drama starring James Woods and Sean Young in 1988. The same year, she also appeared in "B.O.R.N."
Blake was honored several times throughout her career for her acting work. In 1968, she was inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. She was the third performer inducted after Tom Mix and Gary Cooper.
After her career in the public spotlight ended, Blake went into semi-retirement at her home in Phoenix. She devoted much of her time to animals. Along with her husband, Frank Gilbert, Amanda ran an experimental breeding program for cheetahs. They were some of the first to breed cheetahs successfully in captivity. They successfully raised seven generations of cheetahs.
In 1971, Blake joined with others to form the Arizona Animal Welfare League. Today, this is the oldest and largest "no-kill" animal shelter in the state of Arizona. In 1985, she helped finance the creation of the Performing Animal Welfare Society. She devoted much of her time and money to support the society's efforts. In 1997, after Blake had already died, the Amanda Blake Memorial Wildlife Refuge opened at Rancho Seco Park in Herald, California. The refuge provides sanctuary for free-ranging African hoofed wildlife animals, many of which were originally destined for exotic animal auctions or hunting ranches.
Personal Life and Death
Blake was married four times during her life. She married Don Whitman in 1954, but the two divorced two years later. In 1964, she married Jason Seymore Day, Jr. They divorced in 1967. The same year, she married Frank Gilbert. They remained married for around 15 years before divorcing in 1982. Two years later, Amanda married Mark Edward Spaeth in 1984. Their marriage ended when Spaeth died in 1985.
Blake was a heavy smoker throughout her life and had surgery for oral cancer in 1977. She became a supporter of the American Cancer Society 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.
In August 1989, Amanda died of pneumonia brought on by AIDS at Mercy General Hospital in Sacramento, California. The media later reported that Blake's doctor claimed she had actually died of AIDS. Her friends insisted that she was neither a drug user nor sexually promiscuous but that she may have acquired the disease from a former husband.
