1. Amanda Blake was born Beverly Louise Neill in Buffalo, New York, the only child of Jesse and Louise Neill.
18 Facts About Amanda Blake
1. 2.
Amanda Blake then served on the board of advisors and became a trustee.
3.
Amanda Blake appeared in a few Hollywood films, such as the 1952 western Cattle Town and in the starring role of Miss Robin Crusoe, a 1954 adaptation of the Robinson Crusoe adventure.
4.
Amanda Blake became best known for her 19-year stint as the saloon-keeper Miss Kitty on the television series Gunsmoke from 1955 to 1974.
5.
On February 27,1974, Amanda Blake brought a lion named Kemo on to the Gunsmoke set.
6.
Amanda Blake did appear on a number of television shows, including a recurring comedy routine on The Red Skelton Show; as a celebrity on Hollywood Squares, Tattletales, and the 1970s revival of Match Game; and comedy appearances on the Dean Martin Celebrity Roast.
7.
In 1957, Amanda Blake guest-starred as Betty Lavon-Coate in the episode titled "Coate of Many Colors" on Rod Cameron's crime drama, State Trooper.
8.
In 1968, Amanda Blake was inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.
9.
Amanda Blake was the third performer inducted, after Tom Mix and Gary Cooper, selected in 1958 and in 1966.
10.
Amanda Blake was married five times, first to Jack Shea, then Don Whitman in 1954, divorced from him in 1956.
11.
Amanda Blake felt like it was home to her on the days when she was not needed.
12.
Amanda Blake married Austin, Texas, city councilman Mark Edward Spaeth in 1984.
13.
Amanda Blake had been known for bringing her pet lion, Kemo, onto the Gunsmoke set.
14.
Amanda Blake joined with others in 1971 to form the Arizona Animal Welfare League, today the oldest and largest "no-kill" animal shelter in the state.
15.
Amanda Blake reportedly was a one-time board member of the Humane Society of the United States.
16.
In 1977 Amanda Blake, who was a heavy cigarette smoker, developed oral cancer that was successfully treated with surgery.
17.
Amanda Blake became a supporter of the American Cancer Society and made fundraising appearances throughout the country.
18.
Amanda Blake's death was initially attributed to throat cancer but, after her death, her doctor publicly announced her death was due to complications from AIDS.