Blake Edwards Biography

Blake Edwards was born William Blake Crump on July 26, 1922, in Tulsa, Okla. On the way to his final moniker, William Blake Crump became Blake McEdwards at age 4, when his mother married Jack McEdwards, an assistant director and movie production manager. Tapping into a depressive temperament and a naturally dark sense of humor, Edwards found commercial success with such films as The Pink Panther (1963), 10 (1979), and Victor/Victoria (1982), for which he earned an Academy Award nomination. In 2004, Edwards was given an honorary award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for his “extraordinary body of work,” which showcases his 40 years’ worth of wide-ranging interests—from Broadway musical to T.V. to farcical comedy. Edwards died in Santa Monica, Calif. at the age of 88 due to complications of pneumonia. Bonus: While serving in the Coast Guard after high school, Edwards was seriously injured in an after-hours accident that resulted in five months