Larry J. Blake

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 Boulevard (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.