In a not-so-surprising situation, Robert Blake, the late actor who was infamously charged with his second wife’s shooting death, was left out of the Oscars “In Memoriam” tribute.
There were lots of names shown during Sunday’s TV broadcast as part of the award show’s annual segment intro’d by John Travolta with a song from Lenny Kravitz … but noticeably absent was Robert’s name and contribution to the industry.
Robert’s career in Hollywood spanned more than 5 decades, acting in scores of films … most notably his breakthrough starring role in “In Cold Blood,” plus other flicks like “Treasure of the Sierra Madre” and “Lost Highway.”
Earlier in the broadcast, Jimmy Kimmel joked that the audience could vote whether or not to include Blake in the tribute.
Kirstie Alley, Olivia Newton John and Robbie Coltrane were among some of the big names included in tribute … but no dice for Robert.
We should say, there’s also outrage actress Charlbi Dean — who starred in “Triangle of Sadness” — wasn’t included in the broadcast tribute, though she is named in the online tributes.
Robert died Thursday from heart disease at age 89 … so the award show’s producers had time to work him into the show, if they wanted.
Of course, Robert’s film career often took a back seat to his off-screen drama … he was charged with the murder of his second wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, after she was found dead in 2001 outside Vitello’s restaurant in Los Angeles. She was shot in the head while sitting in Robert’s car.
Robert told police he’d gone back inside the eatery to get a pistol when Bonny was gunned down … and it was later determined Blake’s gun was not the murder weapon.
RB’s trial went on for about three months, and he was ultimately found not guilty of murder.