Amanda Blake

Amanda Blake, born Beverly Louise Neill on February 20, 1929 in Buffalo, New York, became one of television’s most beloved figures through her iconic portrayal of Miss Kitty Russell on the long‑running Western series Gunsmoke. After a brief stint as a telephone operator and a short enrollment at Pomona College, she pursued acting, signing with Metro‑Goldwyn‑Mayer in the late 1940s where she was touted as the studio’s next Greer Garson, appearing in films such as Cattle Town (1952) and A Star Is Born (1954). Blake’s career shifted dramatically when she was cast as the fiery saloon‑owner Miss Kitty in 1955, a role she inhabited for nineteen seasons, endearing herself to millions of viewers and earning a place among the Hall of Great Western Performers in 1968. Beyond the small screen, she delighted audiences with appearances on The Red Skelton Show, Hollywood Squares, and the Dean Martin Celebrity Roast, showcasing a sharp comedic timing that balanced her dramatic work. Off‑screen, Blake was a passionate animal advocate; together with her fourth husband Frank Gilbert she pioneered one of the first successful cheetah breeding programs in captivity, raising seven generations of the endangered cats. She also co‑founded the Arizona Animal Welfare League in 1971 and supported the Performing Animal Welfare Society, reflecting a lifelong commitment to wildlife conservation. Despite battling oral cancer in 1977 and later confronting the stigma of AIDS‑related hepatitis, she remained an outspoken supporter of the American Cancer Society, receiving its Courage Award from President Ronald Reagan in 1984. Blake’s sudden death on August 16, 1989, at age 60, marked the end of an era, but her legacy endures through the Amanda Blake Memorial Wildlife Refuge and the lasting memory of Miss Kitty’s indomitable spirit.