Amanda Blake (actress)

Blake is best remembered for her 19-year run as saloon-keeper Miss Kitty on Gunsmoke (1955-1974), a role she reprised in a reunion program. Only James Arness as Marshal Matt Dillon appeared in every episode, making her tenure all the more remarkable. The series hinted that Miss Kitty was also a madam and that she and Matt had an affair, but Hollywood standards of the era never made either explicit. Her acting career began in 1950 at age 21 and continued until 1989, totaling 39 years of active work.

Beyond acting, Blake had an unusual sideline: she and one of her husbands bred and trained captive cheetahs, even bringing one to the Gunsmoke set once. She also worked as a telephone operator before her fame. Her personal life was notable for her five marriages, placing her among Hollywood's most espoused wives. In 1968, she became the third inductee into the Hall of Great Western Performers at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, following Tom Mix and Gary Cooper. Her early MGM contract aimed to make her the next Greer Garson, but films like the 1954 A Star Is Born gave way to her iconic TV role.