Amanda Blake
Actor · Died August 16, 1989, aged 60 · Buffalo, New York, USA
Amanda Blake was an American actress known for the role of the red-haired saloon proprietress "Miss Kitty Russell" on the television western Gunsmoke. Amanda Blake (born Beverly Louise Neill; February 20, 1929 – August 16, 1989) was an American actress best known for the role of the red-haired saloon proprietress "Miss Kitty Russell" on the Western television series Gunsmoke. Along with her fourth husband, Frank Gilbert, she ran one of the first successful programs for breeding cheetahs in captivity. Early life Amanda Blake was born Beverly Louise Neill in Buffalo, New York, the only child of Jesse and Louise (née Puckett) Neill. Her father was a banker. Blake was a telephone operator and briefly attended Pomona College before she took up acting. Blake attended Brenau Academy from 1944 to 1945. She then served on the board of advisors and became a trustee. Career In the late 1940s, Blake was signed to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer as the studio saw her as its next Greer Garson. She 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. In 1954, she appeared in A Star Is Born. Blake became best known for her 19-year stint as the saloon-keeper Miss Kitty on the television series Gunsmoke from 1955 to 1974. On February 27, 1974, Blake brought a lion named Kemo on to the Gunsmoke set. Because of her continuing role on television, Blake rarely had time for films. She 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. In 1957, Blake guest-starred as Betty Lavon-Coate in the episode titled "Coate of Many Colors" on Rod Cameron's crime drama, State Trooper. Later, after a Gunsmoke reunion film, she made two feature-film appearances: in The Boost, a drug-addiction drama starring James Woods and Sean Young, and B.O.R.N, both in 1988. Personal life Blake was married five times, first to Jack Shea (1952–53), then Don Whitman in 1954, divorced from him in 1956. After the divorce from Whitman, she would go to the 'saloon set' of Gunsmoke. Blake felt like it was home to her on the days when she was not needed. She married Austin, Texas, city councilman Mark Edward Spaeth in 1984. Spaeth died of AIDS-related pneumonia in 1985. Declining health and death In 1977 Blake, who was a heavy cigarette smoker, developed oral cancer that was successfully treated with surgery. She became a supporter of the American Cancer Society and made fundraising appearances throughout the country. On August 16, 1989, Blake died of AIDS-related hepatitis at Mercy General Hospital in Sacramento, California, at the age of 60. Her death was initially attributed to throat cancer but, after her death, her doctor publicly announced her death was due to complications from AIDS. It is not known how Blake contracted the disease. Blake's close friends insisted that she was not a drug user or sexually promiscuous, and that she may have acquired AIDS from her fifth husband who also died of AIDS-related pneumonia in 1985. CLR From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Biography from TMDB.
- February 20, 1929
- August 16, 1989 (aged 60)
- Buffalo, New York, USA
- Actor
- 13 on MovieCove · 35 credits in all
What are Amanda Blake's films like?
Across their 9 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 2 · Earnest 7
A split, not a type: Light 5 · Serious 2 · Dark 2
A split, not a type: Grounded 5 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 1
Gentle 4 · Charged 5 · Intense 0
Steady 5 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 0
Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 0
Casual 7 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0
A split, not a type: Easy watch 5 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 2
Resolved 9 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Roles they play
- Threshold guardianas Banah in The Adventures of Hajji Baba (1954)
Moods and endings
- Happy5
- Bittersweet4
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Amanda Blake's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 13 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).
Subscription and free streaming for Amanda Blake's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
35 credits, 13 with a MovieCove page; 5 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
B.O.R.N.(1989)
Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films
The Boost(1988)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Brothers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)
Hart to Hart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
The Love Boat(1977)
Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all shows
The Quest (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Betrayal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)
Clown Alley (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)
State Trooper (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
The Edge of Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows
Gunsmoke (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
High Society (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
The Glass Slipper(1955)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
A Star Is Born(1954)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
About Mrs. Leslie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)
Miss Robin Crusoe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)
Sabre Jet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)
Lili(1953)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films
General Electric Theater (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)
Cavalcade of America (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)
Four Star Playhouse(1952)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all shows
Cattle Town(1952)
Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films
Scarlet Angel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)
The Family Secret (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)
The Red Skelton Hour(1951)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows
Smuggler's Gold (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)
Counterspy Meets Scotland Yard (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)
Lux Video Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)
Duchess of Idaho (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)
Stars in My Crown(1950)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
Studio One (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)
Career shape
Star power in the 84th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 35 titles from 1948 to 1989.
Film career
- 1950Screen debut· Stars in My Crown
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.
How do Amanda Blake's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 58th percentile, the median of all 9; across their 9 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 58th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up6
- 50th to 74th2
- 25th to 49th2
- Below 25th3
Shape of the crowd
5 of their 13 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved3
- Crowd Pleaser5
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed4
Reviewers score the acting 68/100 in their films, across 9 reviewed titles; fans 78, detractors 46. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Amanda Blake work with?
People who share at least 2 of Amanda Blake's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Charles Walters shares the most, 2.
Directors
- Charles WaltersShared titles: The Glass Slipper (1955), Lili (1953)See all 2 shared titles with Charles Walters
Writers
- Helen DeutschShared titles: The Glass Slipper (1955), Lili (1953)See all 2 shared titles with Helen Deutsch
Actors
- Leslie CaronShared titles: The Glass Slipper (1955), Lili (1953)See all 2 shared titles with Leslie Caron
- Paul PicerniShared titles: The Adventures of Hajji Baba (1954), Cattle Town (1952)See all 2 shared titles with Paul Picerni
Composers and editors
- Bronislau KaperShared titles: The Glass Slipper (1955), Lili (1953)See all 2 shared titles with Bronislau Kaper
- Ferris WebsterShared titles: The Glass Slipper (1955), Lili (1953)See all 2 shared titles with Ferris Webster
Producers
- Edwin H. KnopfShared titles: The Glass Slipper (1955), Lili (1953)See all 2 shared titles with Edwin H. Knopf
