Early Life and Career
Born Beverly Louise Neill in Buffalo, New York, she was a telephone operator before taking up acting.
Nicknamed "the Young Greer Garson," she became best known for her 19-year stint as the saloon-keeper Miss Kitty on the television series Gunsmoke from 1955 until 1974. In 1968, Blake was inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. She was the third performer inducted, after Tom Mix and Gary Cooper, who were selected in 1958 and 1966 respectively.
Because of her continuing role on television, Blake rarely had time for films. She appeared in a TV comedy routine with Red Skelton and was a panelist on the long-running Hollywood Squares and Match Game 74. In 1957, she guest-starred as Betty Lavon-Coate in the episode of "Coate of Many Colors" on Rod Cameron's syndicated series western-themed crime drama, State Trooper.
After the Gunsmoke reunion film, she made two film appearance in 1988's The Boost, a drug-addiction drama starring James Woods and Sean Young and B.O.R.N, also in 1988. Blake was scheduled for an appearance in a second reunion film but was too ill to accept the role.
Read more about this topic: Amanda Blake
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