Beverly Louise Neill, aka Amanda Blake, was an American actress. Her most famous role was Miss Kitty Russell in ‘Gunsmoke’. She was also renowned for her roles in ‘The Red Skelton Show’, ‘Tattletales’, and ‘The Edge of Night’. As an actress, she starred in dozens of films such as “Stars In My Crown”, “Duchess of Idaho”, “Cattle Town”, “About Mrs. Leslie”, “Hajji Baba”, “High Society” and “The Boost”. Blake, a former phone operator, adored animals. The first to successfully breed cheetahs in captivity, with her husband Frank Gilbert. She co-founded the Arizona Animal Welfare League (AAWL). She served on the board of the Humane Society of the USA. Blake was inducted into the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum’s Hall of Great Western Performers. The American Cancer Society also gave her a ‘Courage Award’.
A Career of Amanda Blake
Amanda Blake debuted in the 1950 film ‘Stars In My Crown’. In the same year, she starred in ‘Counterspy Meets Scotland Yard’. Her next role was in the drama ‘Schlitz Playhouse of Stars’. In 1953, she starred in ‘Lili’ and ‘Sabre Jet’. In the following year, she starred in Miss Robin Crusoe, About Mrs. Leslie, A Star Is Born, and Hajji Baba.
Blake was soon cast as Kitty Russell in ‘Gunsmoke’. A role as Ruby in ‘The Red Skelton Show’ from 1957 through 1963 Then she did ‘Clown Alley’ for TV. Then she hosted ‘Tattletales’. In 1982, she starred in ‘The Best Little Special in Texas’. In the drama ‘The Edge of Night’, she played Dr. Juliana Stanhower. In 1988, she starred in ‘The Boost’.
Animal Care of Amanda Blake
Amanda Blake and her husband Frank Gilbert successfully produced cheetahs in captivity. They had seven generations of cheetahs! Blake co-founded the Arizona Animal Welfare League (AAWL) in 1971. She also donated to the Performing Animal Welfare Society.
During that period, she served on the board of the Humane Society of the USA. In 1997, several years after her death, a wildlife sanctuary in California was named for her. A free-range African hoofed fauna initially intended for exotic animal auctions or hunting ranches now has a home.
Personality of Amanda Blake
Beverly Louise Neill was born Amanda Blake on February 20, 1929 in Buffalo, New York, USA. Claremont High School and Pomona College. In 1954, she married Don Whitman. Blake married Jason Day in 1964 after they divorced the following year.
After divorcing him, she married Frank Gilbert in 1967. Sadly, her third marriage was similarly short-lived. In 1984, she married Mark Spaeth, who died a year later. Amanda Blake, a heavy smoker, was diagnosed with mouth cancer in 1977 and had surgery. She died at 60 on August 16, 1989, at Mercy General Hospital of California.
Estimated Net Worth
Amanda Blake net worth: Amanda Blake was an American actress who had a net worth of $500 thousand at the time of her death in 1989.