Blake Anderson Hanley is a name most people stumble upon while searching for NCIS actress Emily Wickersham. That’s understandable — but stopping there means missing a far more compelling story. This is a man who built two serious careers from scratch, survived a very public divorce with quiet dignity, and found genuine happiness entirely on his own terms. Born on March 2, 1984, in Palm Beach, Florida, Blake Anderson Hanley is an American musician and family law attorney who fronts the indie rock band Ghost Lion and specializes in divorce and domestic violence cases. He isn’t defined by someone else’s fame. He never was.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Blake Anderson Hanley |
| Date of Birth | March 2, 1984 |
| Birthplace | Palm Beach, Florida, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (165 cm) |
| Weight | 143 lbs (65 kg) |
| Zodiac Sign | Pisces |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Father | Daniel Hanley (Australian rules footballer) |
| Mother | Denise Hanley (school teacher) |
| Brother | Drew Hanley |
| Education | Palm Beach Atlantic University; Southwestern Law School (2016) |
| Profession | Musician, Family Law Attorney |
| Band | Ghost Lion |
| Florida Bar Admission | May 23, 2018 (Bar No. 1008828) |
| First Marriage | Emily Wickersham (2010–2018) |
| Current Wife | Mumbi O’Brien (married 2019) |
| Daughter | Muoni (born May 2, 2020) |
| Net Worth (2025) | $800,000 – $1.5 million |
| @blakehansolo |
Blake Anderson Hanley: Early Life and Family Background
Every great story starts somewhere. For Blake Anderson Hanley, it started in the warm, culturally rich landscape of Palm Beach, Florida — a place that shaped both his artistic soul and his deep sense of justice. He grew up in a supportive family that combined both American and Australian influences. His father, Daniel Hanley, was a respected Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Football Club in the Victorian Football League, bringing a sense of discipline and pride into the household. His mother, Denise Hanley, worked as a school teacher and provided stability, warmth, and a genuine love for learning. Blake also has a brother named Drew Hanley, who remained close throughout his entire life and even officiated his wedding years later.
That combination — an athletic father and a dedicated teacher mother — planted deep roots in Blake. Hard work, creativity, and community became the values he carried into everything he did. Growing up in Palm Beach during the 1990s, Blake witnessed a diverse but socially divided community where different cultural groups existed in parallel without much meaningful interaction. This experience directly shaped his later artistic vision of creating music that bridges cultural divides. That mission became the beating heart of Ghost Lion.
Education and Academic Journey
Blake began his higher education at Palm Beach State College before transferring to Palm Beach Atlantic University, where he earned a degree in Communication and Media Studies. This built the foundation for his storytelling voice and his natural ability to connect with people — whether from a stage or inside a courtroom. He later earned his law degree from Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles, where he served as Vice President of the Music Law Society, perfectly marrying his passion for art and justice under one roof. Very few people manage to connect those two worlds so deliberately, and Blake did it long before his career even fully launched.
The Music Career of Blake Anderson Hanley: Ghost Lion and the Sound of Subtropical World-Pop
Before any courtroom appearance, Blake Anderson Hanley was building something raw and real on stage. His musical journey started with a classical guitar inspired by the self-titled Buena Vista Social Club album. His next epiphany came through Nine Inch Nails, prompting him to ask himself a simple but powerful question: “What would the middle ground between those two extremes sound like?” That question became Ghost Lion.
Ghost Lion is officially described as “subtropical world-pop” — a unique sound that blends indie, pop, calypso, cumbia, South American folk, and electronic music into one cohesive experience. It’s genuinely difficult to categorize, and that’s entirely the point. Blake never wanted to fit into a box. He wanted to break them open.
From Kin Cayo to Ghost Lion: How the Band Was Born
Blake’s first musical collaboration was with guitarist Enrique Lara, together forming a tropical post-punk indie pop and rock band called Kin Cayo. Over time they grew, adding pianist Chris Kapica and bassist Mike Torres to complete the four-piece lineup that eventually became Ghost Lion.
The band’s name itself carries deep personal meaning. Friends used to call Blake “Ghost” because he would quietly disappear into the shadows. He added “Lion” to represent the courage he always wished he had — the courage to be truly known and truly loved. As Blake himself explained it: “Ghost Lion represents that tension in the duality of our humanity — the shadow self and the true self. Dark and light.” That description alone tells you more about this man than any tabloid headline ever could.
Ghost Lion Discography: All Key Releases
| Release | Year | Format | Notable Tracks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dim Echo | 2016 | EP | “Broken Glass,” “Wolves,” “Way Up” |
| Ballad of St. Panama | 2017 | EP | Title track |
| Nuclear Island | 2018 | Full Album (13 tracks) | “Got It,” “Sinking Stones,” “Shot the Sun Down” |
| 6th Wave | Post-2020 | Single | “6th Wave” |
The Live Nation Victory That Changed Everything
Blake won a Live Nation Battle of the Bands competition open to employees worldwide, performing at LA’s House of Blues and taking home a grand prize of $35,000, which he immediately invested back into recording equipment for Ghost Lion. Showcases with Republic/Universal and Vanguard Records followed, creating real momentum. When those major label deals didn’t materialize, Blake didn’t spiral. Instead, he heeded his deeper drive to create social justice through a different path — and turned toward law. Most people would have called that a failure. Blake called it a pivot.
Blake Anderson Hanley as a Lawyer: From the Stage to the Courtroom
Leaving music to study law takes real courage. For Blake Anderson Hanley, it wasn’t a retreat from his values — it was an extension of them. His interest in helping people led him to study law and eventually practice as a family and divorce attorney. He began his legal journey as a law clerk at the Inner City Law Center in Los Angeles, helping families and individuals in genuine need. After that, he worked at Fine Law PC and the Bruce Law Firm, focusing on family law and domestic violence cases with patience and deep empathy.
According to Florida Bar public records, Blake Anderson Hanley graduated from Southwestern University School of Law in 2016 and was admitted to the Florida Bar on May 23, 2018. His Florida Bar Number is 1008828, and his 10-year discipline history is completely clean — a verified public record, not a rumor.
Working at Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County
Today, Blake works with the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County, an organization that provides equal access to the judicial system for low-income residents. There, he supports families dealing with inheritance and property issues, real property, probate, and trust law. The same man who once sang about breaking social barriers on stage now fights for those same communities inside a courtroom. That consistency of character is rare, and it’s worth recognizing.
Family law attorneys in Florida typically earn between $60,000 and $120,000 annually depending on experience and firm size. Blake’s decade in practice places him comfortably toward the higher end of that range.
Blake Anderson Hanley and Emily Wickersham: The Marriage and Divorce
This is the chapter most people already know — but probably not in its full, honest detail. Blake Anderson Hanley and NCIS actress Emily Wickersham built a life together that was, by all accounts, genuinely private and genuinely loving. They married on November 23, 2010, in a beautiful private ceremony on Little Palm Island in the Florida Keys, with Blake’s brother Drew Hanley officiating the wedding. The event was intimate, attended only by close family and friends — a reflection of exactly who both of them were. Four days later, on November 27, they hosted a larger reception at the Bath and Tennis Club in Palm Beach with approximately 150 guests celebrating their union.
Eight Years Together — Then a Quiet Separation
During their eight years of marriage, Blake and Emily maintained a respectful balance between their professional and personal lives. Emily’s rising fame through her role as Special Agent Eleanor Bishop on NCIS brought significant media attention, but the couple remained private and grounded throughout. Neither chased the spotlight. Both seemed genuinely content building something real rather than something designed to be photographed.
Their marriage ended in December 2018. Neither Blake nor Emily publicly stated the reasons for their separation, and both handled the dissolution with maturity and minimal drama — which, in Hollywood circles, is itself quite remarkable. After the divorce, Blake relocated back to Florida after spending nearly a decade in Los Angeles. He said openly at the time: “Coming home after such a long time felt odd. I had gone through a lot of heartbreak.” He didn’t hide the pain. He also didn’t dwell in it. Instead, he returned to his roots, picked up his guitar, and kept moving forward.
New Beginnings: Mumbi O’Brien and Daughter Muoni
Life gave Blake Anderson Hanley a second chance — and he embraced it completely. After his divorce, Blake found love again with Mumbi O’Brien, a talented visual artist and costume designer with a Master’s degree in Costume Design from UCLA. The couple began dating in late 2019 and married quietly in a private ceremony that same year, celebrating their shared love of creativity, simplicity, and purposeful living.
On May 2, 2020, they welcomed their daughter Muoni into the world. Her name means “peace” in Swahili — a perfectly fitting choice for the calm and joy she brought into their lives from her very first breath. Blake revealed in a heartfelt Instagram post that Mumbi discovered she was pregnant just before she was due to travel to Los Angeles for her Master’s degree program. Their daughter was ultimately born during the height of the global pandemic — and in the middle of the world shutting down, an entirely new life opened up for Blake.
Fatherhood and Family Life Today
Becoming a father transformed Blake in ways music and law never quite could. He has spoken openly about how much he loves being a dad — the beach days, the family walks, the small everyday moments that now mean the most to him. He even joked in one Instagram post that he and Muoni might form a family band one day, which honestly sounds like something worth watching.
As of 2026, Blake Anderson Hanley lives in Palm Beach, Florida, with his wife Mumbi and daughter Muoni. He enjoys a calm, private life far from the noise of celebrity culture, balancing his work as a family and divorce lawyer with his role as a devoted husband and father. Ghost Lion continues to perform and release music on a regional basis, keeping Blake’s artistic identity fully alive alongside everything else.
Blake Anderson Hanley Net Worth 2025
Running two demanding careers simultaneously has its financial rewards. Blake Anderson Hanley’s estimated net worth ranges between $800,000 and $1.5 million as of 2025, earned through a combination of his music career and his legal practice as a family law attorney.
| Income Source | Details |
|---|---|
| Family Law Practice (Florida) | $60,000 – $120,000 per year |
| Ghost Lion — Royalties, Streaming, Live Shows | Consistent supplementary income |
| Live Nation Battle of Bands Prize | $35,000 reinvested into equipment |
| Total Estimated Net Worth (2025) | $800,000 – $1.5 million |
Conclusion
Blake Anderson Hanley isn’t just the ex-husband of a television star. He’s a songwriter who poured real pain into real music, a lawyer who chose public service over private profit, and a father who named his daughter “peace” because that is genuinely what he spent years building toward. His story proves something quietly powerful: you don’t have to choose between passion and purpose. You don’t have to be just one thing. You can be the ghost and the lion at the same time — retreating into the shadows when the world gets loud, and roaring when it truly matters. That’s exactly what Blake Anderson Hanley has done, and continues to do every single day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Blake Anderson Hanley?
He is an American musician and family law attorney, best known as the lead vocalist of indie band Ghost Lion and a Florida Bar-registered attorney specializing in divorce and domestic violence cases.
When did Blake Anderson Hanley marry Emily Wickersham?
They married on November 23, 2010, at Little Palm Island in the Florida Keys. Their marriage ended in December 2018 after eight years together.
What is the name of Blake Anderson Hanley’s daughter?
Her name is Muoni, meaning “peace” in Swahili. She was born on May 2, 2020, with his wife Mumbi O’Brien.
Who is Blake Anderson Hanley’s current wife?
Mumbi O’Brien, a visual artist and costume designer with a Master’s degree in Costume Design from UCLA. They married quietly in 2019.
What is Blake Anderson Hanley’s net worth?
Approximately $800,000 to $1.5 million as of 2025, earned through both his music and legal careers.
What is Blake Anderson Hanley’s Instagram?
His Instagram handle is @blakehansolo.
What band does Blake Anderson Hanley front?
He is the lead vocalist, songwriter, and producer of Ghost Lion — a subtropical world-pop indie band based in South Florida.
Where does Blake Anderson Hanley live now?
He currently lives in Palm Beach, Florida, with his wife Mumbi O’Brien and their daughter Muoni.
