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Larry J. Blake

Larry J. Blake

Birthday: 1914-04-24 | Place of Birth: Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

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)

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Known For

Acting

Year
Title

Role

1977
Demon Seed

as    Cameron

1956
Inside Detroit

as    Max Harkness (as Larry Blake)

1956
Earth vs. the Flying Saucers

as    Motorcycle cop

1955
Teen-Age Crime Wave

as    Connors

1950
Sunset Boulevard

as    1st Finance Man

1949
Holiday Affair

as    Plainclothesman

1948
The Hunted

as    Hollis Smith (as Larry Blake)

1947
Backlash

as    Detective Lieutenant Jerry McMullen

1946
The Trap

as    Rick Daniels

1939
They Made Her a Spy

as    Ben Dawson

1938
The Nurse from Brooklyn

as    Larry Craine

1937
Secret Agent X-9

as    Chief FBI Agent Wheeler (as Larry Blake)

1937
Trouble at Midnight

as    Tony Michaels (as Larry Blake)