Who is Amanda Blake? See Net-worth, Quote, Awards, Fact, Wiki

Amanda Blake Wiki Biography

Beverly Louise Neill was born on 20 February 1929, in Buffalo, New York State USA, and was an actress, best known for being a part of the television series “Gunsmoke”, in which she played the proprietress Miss Kitty Russell. She was active in the industry from 1950 up to her passing in 1989. She was also responsible for creating one of the first successful programs in breeding cheetahs in captivity, but all of her efforts helped put her net worth to where it is today.

How rich is Amanda Blake? As of late-2017, sources inform us of a net worth that is at $500,000, mostly earned through a successful career in acting, and her interest in wildlife. All of these achievements solidified her net worth during her time.

Amanda Blake Net Worth $500,000

Amanda worked as a telephone operator before deciding to pursue a career in acting. Her popularity and performance in minor parts in Western films would lead her to her eventual work at “Gunsmoke”; in 1955, she was cast in the television series in which she played saloon keeper Miss Kitty for 19 years. She was also a part of several major films too, including “Miss Robin Crusoe” and “Cattie Town”. All of these works increased her net worth significantly.

In 1968, she was inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers at the Oklahoma City National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. Due to her television schedule, she started to have less time for films; she had a recurring comedy role in “The Red Skelton Show”, and was a regular panelist on “Hollywood Squares”. In the 1970s, she appeared in the revival of “Match Game” and also at the “Dean Martin Celebrity Roast”. Later in her career, she went into semi-retirement, appearing only later in the “Gunsmoke” reunion film. She was also cast in films such as “The Boost”, and “B.O.R.N”, so her continued work increased her net worth even further.

For her personal life, it is known that Amanda Blake was married four times, firstly to Don Whitman in 1954, but it only lasted a year. In 1964 she married Jason Day, but they divorced three years later, after which she married Frank Gilbert in 1967, and their marriage would last until 1982. Two years later, she married Mark Spaeth but they divorced within a couple of years. Blake was a heavy cigarette smoker and it contributed to her eventual diagnosis of oral cancer in the 1970s. She devoted most of her free time to animal welfare, and set up an animal compound at her home. During this time, she was able to successfully breed cheetahs , eventually raising seven generations of them. She helped form the Arizona Animal Welfare League which is the largest no-kill animal shelter in the state. She also helped start the Performing Animal Welfare Society. She passed away in 1989 due to cardiac arrest and liver failure. Rumors later stated that she died due to AIDS but no proof was ever given. In 1997, the Amanda Blake Memorial Wildlife Refuge opened in Herald, California.



Full Name Amanda Blake
Net Worth $500,000
Date Of Birth February 20, 1929
Died August 16, 1989, Mercy General Hospital, Sacramento, California, United States
Place Of Birth Buffalo, New York, United States
Height 1.67 m
Profession Actress
Nationality American
Spouse Mark Spaeth (m. 1984–1985), Frank Gilbert (m. 1967–1982), Jason Day (m. 1964–1967), Don Whitman (m. 1954–1955)
Parents Louise Neill, Jesse Neill
IMDB http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0086469/
Nominations Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series – Drama, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries, or Motion Picture Made for Television, Primetime Emmy Award for Ou…
Movies Gunsmoke, Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge, A Star Is Born, The Glass Slipper, Stars in My Crown, Miss Robin Crusoe, Lili, The Adventures of Hajji Baba, The Boost, Cattle Town, Duchess of Idaho, About Mrs. Leslie, Sabre Jet, Scarlet Angel, Counterspy Meets Scotland Yard, Sunny Side of the Street, Betrayal,…
TV Shows The Edge of Night, Gunsmoke
Fact
1 Amanda raised cheetahs on a ranch she owned with her 4th husband, producer Frank Gilbert. They send the cheetahs to zoos. Amanda credits former Secretary of the Interior James Watt for spurring her interest in wildlife and conservationism.
2 Her second husband, Jason Day, was an Arizona cattleman.
3 Smoked 2-3 packs of cigarettes a day until being diagnosed with oral cancer in 1980.
4 In 1961 she sold her residual rights to Gunsmoke (1955) for $100,000.
5 After enduring oral cancer surgery in 1984, the American Cancer Society awarded her with its Courage Award which was presented to her in Washington, DC by President Reagan. In 1985, Blake received the American Cancer Society’s Sword of Hope award.
6 Her death certificate listed the immediate cause of death as cardiopulmonary arrest due to liver failure and cytomegalo virus (CMV) hepatitis. CMV hepatitis is AIDS-related, according to Sacramento (CA) internist Dr. Lou Nishimura. She was believed to have contracted the AIDS virus from her last husband, Mark Spaeth, a member of the city council of Austin, Texas. The openly bisexual Spaeth (1939-1985) also died of complications of the disease.
7 Inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 1968.
8 Before making it in show business, she worked as a telephone operator.
9 In 1971 she joined with others in Phoenix, Arizona, to form the Arizona Animal Welfare League. The AAWL is now the oldest and largest “no-kill” animal shelter in Arizona. In 1976 she hosted the 1st Annual “Sato” Mutt Show in response to all the purebred dog shows.

Actress

Title Year Status Character
Dragnet 1989 TV Series Mrs. Sylvia Wilson
B.O.R.N. 1988 Rosie
The Boost 1988 Barbara
Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge 1987 TV Movie Kitty
Brothers 1986 TV Series Carlotta
The Wildest West Show of the Stars 1986 TV Movie Award Presenter
Hart to Hart 1983 TV Series Big Sam
The Love Boat 1979 TV Series Nora Knox
The Quest 1976 TV Series Miss Sally
Betrayal 1974 TV Movie Helen Mercer
Gunsmoke 1955-1974 TV Series Kitty Kitty Russell
The Edge of Night 1956-1971 TV Series Dr. Julianna Stanhower
Clown Alley 1966 TV Movie Pickpocket Clown
The Red Skelton Hour 1955-1963 TV Series Ruby / the Widder Jenkins / Nurse / …
General Electric Theater 1953-1959 TV Series Rita
Steve Canyon 1959 TV Series Molly McIntyre
Studio One in Hollywood 1958 TV Series Joan Roberts
State Trooper 1957 TV Series Betty Lavon
Alfred Hitchcock Presents 1956 TV Series Carol Arlington
High Society 1955 Clarissa Jones
The Glass Slipper 1955 Birdena
Miss Robin Crusoe 1954 Miss Robin Crusoe
Four Star Playhouse 1954 TV Series Susan
The Adventures of Hajji Baba 1954 Banah
A Star Is Born 1954 Susan Ettinger
About Mrs. Leslie 1954 Gilly
Fireside Theatre 1953-1954 TV Series Louise Connor / Kathy
Cavalcade of America 1953 TV Series Nancy Hart
Sabre Jet 1953 Helen Daniel
Lux Video Theatre 1953 TV Series
Lili 1953 Peach Lips
Cattle Town 1952 Marian Hastings
Schlitz Playhouse 1952 TV Series
Scarlet Angel 1952 Susan Bradley
The Family Secret 1951 Telephone Girl (uncredited)
Sunny Side of the Street 1951 Susie Manning
Criminal Lawyer 1951 Receptionist (uncredited)
Never Trust a Gambler 1951 The Redhead at Police Station (uncredited)
China Corsair 1951 Jane Richards (uncredited)
Smuggler’s Gold 1951 Susan Hodges
Counterspy Meets Scotland Yard 1950 Karen Michelle
Duchess of Idaho 1950 Linda Kinston
Stars in My Crown 1950 Faith Radmore Samuels

Thanks

Title Year Status Character
Gunsmoke: The Last Apache 1990 TV Movie dedicatee – as Miss Amanda Blake
B.O.R.N. 1988 dedicatee

Self

Title Year Status Character
Television: The First Fifty Years 1999 Video documentary Herself – Interviewee / Kitty Russel
The New Hollywood Squares 1987 TV Series Herself
Star’s Table 1986 TV Series Herself
Hour Magazine 1986 TV Series Herself
Family Feud 1984 TV Series Herself
Breakaway 1983 TV Series Herself
The Best Little Special in Texas 1982 TV Movie documentary Herself
The John Davidson Show 1981 TV Series Herself
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: George Burns 1978 TV Special Herself
The Alan Hamel Show 1977 TV Series Herself
Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Dennis Weaver 1976 TV Special Herself
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Michael Landon 1975 TV Special Herself
Tattletales 1974-1975 TV Series Herself
Celebrity Sweepstakes 1974-1975 TV Series Herself
Dinah! 1974 TV Series Herself
Match Game 73 1974 TV Series Herself – Panelist
The Mike Douglas Show 1972-1974 TV Series Herself – Co-Host / Herself – Guest
The Merv Griffin Show 1974 TV Series Herself
The Hollywood Squares 1969-1974 TV Series Herself – Panelist
The David Frost Show 1972 TV Series Herself – Guest
This Is Your Life 1972 TV Series Herself
Jerry Visits 1972 TV Series Herself
Hee Haw 1971 TV Series Herself – Guest / Herself – Miss Kitty
Password All-Stars 1971 TV Series Herself – Celebrity Contestant
The Pet Set 1971 TV Series documentary Herself
The Donald O’Connor Show 1969 TV Series Herself
Hollywood Talent Scouts 1966 TV Series Herself
Clown Alley 1966 TV Series Herself
The Linkletter Show 1964 TV Series Herself
Stump the Stars 1963 TV Series Herself – Guest Panelist
Here’s Hollywood 1960 TV Series Herself
A Star Is Born World Premiere 1954 TV Short Herself – Host Assistant

Archive Footage

Title Year Status Character
Pioneers of Television 2011 TV Mini-Series documentary Kitty Russell from Gunsmoke
Red Skelton: Bloopers, Blunders and Ad-Libs 1994 Video Ruby
Red Skelton: A Comedy Scrapbook 1981 Video documentary Ruby
The Dick Cavett Show 1971 TV Series Herself

Won Awards

Year Award Ceremony Nomination Movie
1985 Golden Boot Golden Boot Awards
1972 Bronze Wrangler Western Heritage Awards Fictional Television Drama Gunsmoke (1955)
1967 Bronze Wrangler Western Heritage Awards Fictional Television Drama Gunsmoke (1955)

Nominated Awards

Year Award Ceremony Nomination Movie
1972 Golden Globe Golden Globes, USA Best Supporting Actress – Television Gunsmoke (1955)
1971 Golden Globe Golden Globes, USA Best TV Actress – Drama Gunsmoke (1955)
1970 Golden Globe Golden Globes, USA Best TV Actress – Drama Gunsmoke (1955)
1959 Primetime Emmy Primetime Emmy Awards Best Supporting Actress (Continuing Character) in a Dramatic Series Gunsmoke (1955)

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