US actor Robert Blake is dead. According to family information, he died at his home in Los Angeles after a long illness. He was 89 years old. As a child, Blake took on roles in film and television. In the 1940s he was seen in the series “The Little Rascals”. Later he often played the villains in Hollywood. He celebrated his greatest success in the 1970s as a police officer in the series “Baretta”. He was last seen in David Lynch’s “Lost Highway” in 1997. A spectacular murder trial against Blake made headlines. He had found his wife dead in the car and was armed at that moment. Blake maintained his innocence and was eventually acquitted. However, in a later civil trial, he was sentenced to pay $30 million in compensation to the bereaved. Blake hoped for a comeback as an actor, but his reputation was ruined.