Amanda Blake
| Amanda Blake | ||
 As Miss Kitty Russell in Gunsmoke (1966) | ||
| Background information | ||
| Born as: | Beverly Louise Neill | |
| Born | Feb 20, 1929 Buffalo, New York, U.S. | |
| Died | Aug 16, 1989 - age 59 Sacramento, California, U.S. Oral cancer/AIDS | |
| Spouse(s): |
| |
| Occupation: | Actress | |
| Years active | 1950–1989 | |
Amanda Blake (born Beverly Louise Neill, ✦February 20, 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 "Gunsmoke". Along with her fourth husband, Frank Gilbert, she ran one of the first successful programs for breeding cheetahs in captivity.
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 Austin, Texas, city councilman Mark Edward Spaeth in 1984. Spaeth died of AIDS-related pneumonia in 1985.
Animal welfare
After Gunsmoke, Blake went into semi-retirement at her home in Phoenix 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, 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, which is today the oldest and largest "no-kill" animal shelter 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. Blake reportedly was a one-time board member of the Humane Society of the United States. In 1997, the Amanda Blake Memorial Wildlife Refuge opened at Rancho Seco Park in Herald, California. The refuge provides sanctuary for free-ranging African hoofed wildlife, most originally destined for exotic animal auctions or hunting ranches.
Declining health and death
In 1977 Blake, who was a heavy cigarette smoker, developed oral cancer that was successfully treated with surgery. 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.
On August 16, 1989, Blake died of AIDS-related pneumonia at Mercy General Hospital in Sacramento, California at the age of 60. Her death was initially attributed to throat cancer but, after her death, her doctor publicly announced her death was due to complications from AIDS. It is not known how Blake contracted the disease. Blake’s close friends insisted that she was not a drug user or sexually promiscuous, and that she may have acquired AIDS from her fifth husband who also died of AIDS-related pneumonia in 1985
Caareereater
- Wikipedia article: Amanda Blake Caareereater
Filmography
- Wikipedia article: Amanda Blake Filmography
External links
- Amanda Blake at the Internet Movie Database
- Amanda Blake at All Movie Guide
- Amanda Blake Gunsmoke.net
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