Biography for
Blake Edwards More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

26 July 1922, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA

Birth Name

William Blake Crump

Nickname

Blackie

Mini Biography

Blake Edwards' stepfather's father J. Gordon Edwards was a silent screen director, and his stepfather Jack McEdwards was a stage director and movie production manager. Blake acted in a number films, beginning with Ten Gentlemen from West Point (1942) and wrote a number of others, beginning with Panhandle (1948) and including six for director Richard Quine. He created the popular TV series "Peter Gunn" (1958), "Mr. Lucky" (1959) and "Dante" (1960). He directed a diverse body of films, from comedies to dramas to war films to westerns, including such pictures as Operation Petticoat (1959), Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), Experiment in Terror (1962), Days of Wine and Roses (1962), The Pink Panther (1963) and A Shot in the Dark (1964). After The Great Race (1965) he began fighting with studios. In England he surfaced again with The Return of the Pink Panther (1975), then went back to Hollywood and a real hit, 10 (1979). Victor Victoria (1982) won him French and Italian awards for Best Foreign Film.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Ed Stephan

Spouse

Julie Andrews	(12 November 1969 - present) 2 children
Patricia Walker	(1953 - 1967) (divorced) 2 children

Trade Mark

Scores by Henry Mancini.

Frequently worked with Peter Sellers.

Trivia

Father of Jennifer Edwards and Geoffrey Edwards.

Suffers from CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome).

Former roommate of Mickey Rooney.

He adopted two children from Vietnam with Julie Andrews, Amy Edwards (b. 1974) and Joanna Edwards (b. 1975).

Stepson of stage director and movie production manager Jack McEdwards.

Biography in: John Wakeman, editor. "World Film Directors, Volume Two, 1945-1985." Pages 302-310. New York: The H.W. Wilson Company, 1988.

Stepfather of Emma Walton.

Grandfather of Hannah Schneider.

Grandson of silent screen director J. Gordon Edwards.

Was the original writer and director on City Heat (1984). He stepped aside as director after creative differences with star Clint Eastwood.

When asked, "If you could work with one actor for the rest of your career, who would it be?" he answered, in a heartbeat, "Jack Lemmon.".

Met actor David Niven, when Edwards was writing and directing films for Four Star Television, a production company partly owned by Niven.

The Honorary Oscar Award that he received in 2004 was presented to him by personal fan Jim Carrey.

Met wife-to-be Julie Andrews after she'd heard that he once described her as being, "...so sweet she probably has violets between her legs." Andrews was so entertained by the remark she sent Edwards a bunch of violets accompanied by a note. They began dating and later married.

Is portrayed by John Lithgow in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004).

As of 2007, he is one of six directors who has directed his wife to a Best Actress Oscar nomination (Julie Andrews in Victor Victoria (1982)). The other five are Joel Coen directing Frances McDormand in Fargo (1996), John Cassavetes directing Gena Rowlands in A Woman Under the Influence (1974) & Gloria (1980), Richard Brooks directing Jean Simmons in The Happy Ending (1969), Paul Czinner directing Elisabeth Bergner in Escape Me Never (1935) and Paul Newman directing Joanne Woodward in Rachel, Rachel (1968). Jules Dassin also directed his future wife Melina Mercouri in an Oscar-nominated performance (Pote tin Kyriaki (1960)), but they weren't married yet at the time of the nomination.

He has two great-grandchildren, Shaely and Kaden, from granddaughter Kayti.

Daughter Amy married rock musician Lauren Scheff on October 24, 2004. They are now divorced.

His grandchildren are: Kayti and Hannah Schneider, from daughter Jennifer Edwards; Isabelle and Hank, from son Geoffrey Edwards; Max Scheff, from daughter Amy; and Sam and Hope, from step-daughter Emma.

His son Geoffrey Edwards was once married to Denise Crosby, Bing Crosby's granddaughter.

Personal Quotes

Make 'em redecorate your office. That's primary, to let them know where you stand. Then, when you're shooting interior sequences, use your own interior decorator and set dresser. That way everything on the set will fit your house when you're finished.

Peter Sellers became a monster. He just got bored with the part [Inspector Clouseau] and became angry, sullen and unprofessional. He wouldn't show up for work and he began looking for anyone and everyone to blame, never for a moment stopping to see whether or not he should blame himself for his own madness, his own craziness.

Where Are They Now

(August 2005) Named the inaugural distinguished fellow in film writing directing and producing at Arizona State University's film school, August, 2005.

(May 2007) Still an active writer and producer with several projects in various stages of development for film, stage, and television.

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