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Michael Blake (author)

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American writer For other people named Michael Blake, see Michael Blake (disambiguation).

Michael Blake
Blake in 2005Blake in 2005
BornMichael Lennox Blake
(1945-07-05)July 5, 1945
Fort Bragg, North Carolina, U.S.
DiedMay 2, 2015(2015-05-02) (aged 69)
Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
OccupationAuthor and screenwriter
Alma mater

Michael Lennox Blake (July 5, 1945 – May 2, 2015) was an American author, best known for the film adaptation of his novel Dances with Wolves, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Biography

Early in his life, Blake's family lived in Texas, before moving to Southern California, where they moved frequently. He began writing while serving in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War when he was stationed at Walker Air Force Base, where he wrote for the base newspaper. He studied journalism at the University of New Mexico, and later studied at a film school in Berkeley, California. He also attended Eastern New Mexico University in Portales. In the late 1970s, he moved to Los Angeles; during the 1980s, only one of his screenplays was produced, called Stacy's Knights. The movie starred Kevin Costner, who later encouraged him to continue to write, and introduced him to key figures in the Hollywood Industry. Dances with Wolves was the result; Kevin Costner then asked him to write a screenplay for the film based on the novel. He went on to do humanitarian work, and continued to write.

Michael Blake had three brothers, James A. Webb, David Webb and Dan Webb, former principal of John Muir High School in Pasadena, California.

He died on May 2, 2015, after a long illness in Tucson, Arizona.

Works

Screenplays

  • Stacy's Knights (1983)
  • Dances with Wolves (1990)
  • Winding Stair (1998) also directed
  • The One (in development)
  • The Holy Road (in development)
  • Winnetou (in development)

Novels

Non-fiction

  • Like a Running Dog (2002) Autobiography
  • Indian Yell (2006)
  • Twelve the King (2009)

Awards

References

  1. Michael Blake: Fiction, Nonfiction and Screenplays The Authors Road. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  2. Last, T.S. (May 5, 2007). "'Dances With Wolves' author Blake gives LLHS students a big surprise". Valencia County News-Bulletin. Archived from the original on May 27, 2007. Retrieved September 8, 2011.
  3. Fleming, Mike (May 3, 2015). "Oscar-Winning 'Dances With Wolves' Author/Screenwriter Michael Blake Has Died". Deadline. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  4. Loper, Mary Lou (November 19, 1992). "Banker Gets Big Pat on the Back". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 8, 2011.
  5. ^ "Michael Blake Press Release" (PDF). WFLF Humanion Films. February 5, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2012.
  6. ^ Blake, Marianne Mortensen (2009). "Michael Lennox Blake". Archived from the original on April 2, 2012.

External links

Awards for Michael Blake
Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay
1928–1950
1951–1975
1976–2000
2001–present
Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Screenplay
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay
1965–1975
1976–2000
2001–present
Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay
Adapted Drama
(1969–1983)
Adapted Comedy
(1969–1983)
Adapted Screenplay
(1984–present)
Categories: