Larry J. Blake
Acting
- Born:
- 1914-04-24
- Died:
- 1982-05-25
- Place of birth:
- Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
Biography
Larry J. Blake was born in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn, New York on April 24, 1914. At the age of 18, his talent at impersonations and dialects grew into a vaudeville act. Blake eventually became a headliner, playing the Orpheum circuit, as well as the Roxy Theatre and the Rainbow Room in Rockefeller Center. In 1936, he signed to a contract with Universal studios, and his first job was in the serial Secret Agent X-9 (1937). Right after that, he was chosen for a featured role in James Whale's The Road Back (1937), a sequel to All Quiet on the Western Front (1930). He appeared in other films for Universal including a string of 1938 films, Trouble at Midnight (1937), Air Devils (1938), Nurse from Brooklyn (1938), and The Jury's Secret (1938). With the outbreak of WWII, Blake joined the U.S. Navy serving in both the Atlantic and Pacific. He was mustered out and treated at a Naval hospital for his alcoholism. A Catholic priest helped Blake join Alcoholics Anonymous, and in 1946 he help start the first A.A. group for members of the motion picture industry. Blake returned to acting in 1946, working steadily in supporting and bit parts throughout the 1950s. He is best known for his roles in Sunset Blvd. (1950) and High Noon (1952). In Sunset Boulevard he played the first finance man who comes to repossess William Holden's car. In High Noon, Blake played Gillis, the owner of the saloon who is punched by Gary Cooper. As television's popularity began, Blake found plenty of work from westerns, crime dramas to comedies. He was a regular in The Pride of the Family (1953) television series, as well as the recurring part of the friendly jailer in Yancy Derringer (1958). His last role was as the museum security guard in Time After Time (1979), when he was forced to retire due to emphysema. Until his death in 1982, Blake continued helping others in the A.A. program. (IMDB)
Known For
Filmography
Time After Time
Demon Seed
Search for the Gods
The Strongest Man in the World
Herbie Rides Again
The Whiz Kid and the Mystery at Riverton
Kojak
The Stone Killer
Bonnie's Kids
Kung Fu
Ghost Story
Diamonds Are Forever
One More Train to Rob
Night Gallery
Marcus Welby, M.D.
The Love Bug
Here's Lucy
Adam-12
Where Were You When the Lights Went Out?
The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band
Hang 'em High
Carnival Nights
The Second Hundred Years
Ironside
The Swinger
Mission: Impossible
The Rare Breed
That Darn Cat!
The F.B.I.
That Funny Feeling
Sex and the Single Girl
The Munsters
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
The Fugitive
Arrest and Trial
Flashing Spikes
The Lucy Show
The Beverly Hillbillies
The Virginian
Saints and Sinners
Hazel
Portrait of a Mobster
Surfside 6
My Three Sons
Checkmate
Coronado 9
Elmer Gantry
Who Was That Lady?
The Twilight Zone
Tightrope
City of Fear
Rawhide
Lawman
Yancy Derringer
Outcasts of the City
Perry Mason
Wagon Train
Sugarfoot
Have Gun, Will Travel
Escape from San Quentin
Man of a Thousand Faces
Band of Angels
Beginning of the End
Meet McGraw
Tales of Wells Fargo
You Can't Run Away from It
The Man Is Armed
Broken Arrow
State Trooper
Hey, Jeannie!
The Werewolf
Earth vs. the Flying Saucers
While the City Sleeps
Inside Detroit
I Died a Thousand Times
Teen-Age Crime Wave
The Twinkle In God's Eye
The 20th Century Fox Hour
Gunsmoke
The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp
Creature with the Atom Brain
General Electric Theater: Into the Night
Dial Red O
So You Want to Know Your Relatives
The Wonderful World of Disney
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
The Pride of the Family
Cruisin' Down the River
Remains to Be Seen
The Blue Gardenia
General Electric Theater
Never Wave at a WAC
Angel Face
Stop, You're Killing Me
Four Star Playhouse
Adventures of Superman
High Noon
Chevron Theatre
Dangerous Assignment
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Iron Man
Boston Blackie
Rhubarb
Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison
In Old Amarillo
One Too Many
The Jack Benny Program
Lux Video Theatre
Sunset Boulevard
Destination Big House
The Blonde Bandit
Holiday Affair
The Lone Ranger
The Lucky Stiff
Flamingo Road
French Leave
The Hunted
Call Northside 777
Second Chance
Backlash
Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman
Magnificent Doll
The Trap
Strange Journey
The Undercover Woman
Maisie Goes to Reno
The Boys from Syracuse
Two Thoroughbreds
They Made Her a Spy
Sudden Money
Young Fugitives
Air Devils
The Nurse from Brooklyn
State Police
The Jury's Secret
Trouble at Midnight
The Road Back
Secret Agent X-9