The unforgettable director of the Pink Panther movies: Who is Blake Edwards?
The famous director, whose real name is William Blake McEdwards, was born in Oklahoma in 1922. His step-grandfather was a director of the silent film era. His father was also a set manager, which led him to grow up on sets.
He received his cinema education during his apprenticeship with his father.
He was more interested in screenwriting than directing, and before making his first film, he was writing scripts for radio plays and television, and even acting in small roles. He loved detective stories and wrote little detective plays for the radio.
He took his first step into the cinema by acting in the movie "The Gentlemen From West Point". But his real success came with the radio series "Richard Diamond: Private Detective". Then came "Peter Gunn", which was shot as a television series in 1958. In 1967, he directed the movie "Gunn" of this series.
He became known in Hollywood with the movie "Operation Petticoat" in 1959. In 1961, he made the movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's". He worked with Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard in this movie. Henry Mancini, who composed the music for the film, won an Oscar for his success in this film.
Blake Edwards (born William Blake Crump; July 26, 1922 – December 15, 2010) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. Edwards began his career in the 1940s as an actor, but he soon began writing screenplays and radio scripts before turning to producing and directing in television and films. His best-known films include Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), Days of Wine and Roses (1962), A Shot in the Dark (1964), The Great Race (1965), 10 (1979), Victor/Victoria (1982), Blind Date (1987), and the hugely successful Pink Panther film series with British actor Peter Sellers. Often thought of as primarily a director of comedies, he also directed several drama, musical, and detective films. Late in his career, he took up writing, producing and directing for theater.
In 1963, he directed "The Pink Panther", the first film of the "Pink Panther" series, which made a splash in the comedy world. He worked with Peter Sellers in this movie. The music composed by Henry Mancini has become a classic. Immediately following this success, the second film of the series, "Shot in The Dark", came in 1964. During this period, he went to England because he was in discussions with the studio in Hollywood.
After taking a break from the series for a long time, he shot the movie "The Party", an independent movie from the series, with Peter Sellers. He then continued his "Pink Panther" series and directed the films "The Return of The Pink Panther" in 1975, "The Pink Panther Strikes Again" in 1976, and "Revenge of The Pink Panther" in 1978. He made a real return to Hollywood in 1979 and shot "10", one of his best films, and "Victor" in 1982.
Despite Peter Sellers' death in 1980, he decided to continue the series. He shot "Curse of The Pink Panther" in 1983 and "Son of The Pink Panther" in 1993.
In the movie "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers", which was released in 2004, his close friendship with Sellers was depicted. He received the Honorary Award at the Oscars held in the same year.