Michael Blake (writer)
Michael Blake (born July 5, 1945 in Fort Bragg , North Carolina , † May 2, 2015 in Tucson , Arizona ) was an American writer and screenwriter . He was best known for the adaptation of his novel Dances with Wolves for the film of the same name , which won seven Oscars , including an Oscar for best adapted screenplay for Blake.
Life
Blake spent the first few years of his life in Texas before his family moved to Southern California , where they lived in various locations. He began writing while stationed at Walker Air Force Base , where he worked on the in-house newspaper. Blake studied journalism at the University of New Mexico and graduated from a film school in Berkeley , where he wrote the first screenplays. He also attended Eastern New Mexico University in Portales .
He moved to Los Angeles in the late 1970s . Only one of his scripts was made into a film in the 1980s. The film Daring Play starred the young Kevin Costner , who convinced him in 1986 to write down the idea of a story with Indians - the book Dances with Wolves came about , for which he also wrote the script. The film based on it was very successful and received seven Academy Awards , along with numerous other awards .
In the years that followed, Blake continued to write, but also did charitable work. This work was also awarded various prizes, including the Eleanor Roosevelt Award for work with minorities. His books were about the conquest of the Wild West, Indians and the Air Force . In 2001 The Holy Road , the sequel to Who Dances With Wolves, was released . Working on the script adaptation was one of his last activities.
Blake had been married since 1993 and had three children. He lived on a ranch in southern Arizona.
Works
Scripts
- Daring Game ( Stacy's Knights ) - 1983
- Dances with wolves - 1990
Novels
-
Dances With Wolves , 1986
- English: Fawcett, ISBN 0-449-00075-3
- German: Dances with wolves , Schneekluth, ISBN 3-7951-1215-X
- Airman Mortensen , Hrymfaxe, 1991, ISBN 0-9724753-2-X
- Marching to Valhalla , Random House, 1996, ISBN 0-679-45265-6
-
The Holy Road - 2001
- English: Villard Books, ISBN 0-679-44866-7
- German: Der Tanz des Kriegers , Lübbe, 2003, ISBN 3-404-15059-7
Non-fiction
- Like A Running Dog (autobiography), Hrymfaxe, 2002, ISBN 0-9724753-1-1
- Indian Yell , Northland, 2006, ISBN 0-87358-907-6
- Twelve the King , Perceval Press, 2009, ISBN 0-9819747-8-3
Awards
- Academy Award (Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay)
- Golden Globe Award (Best Screenplay)
- Silver trace
- American Movie Award
- WGA Award
- Environmental Media Award
- Golden Quill
- Cancervive
- Animal Protection Institute
- American Library Association
- Amanda Blake Award
- Eleanor Roosevelt Award
Web links
- Literature by and about Michael Blake in the catalog of the German National Library
- Michael Blake in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- DancesWithWolves.net - Michael Blake's website ( memento of October 11, 2007 in the Internet Archive ).
Individual evidence
- ↑ Oscar-winning 'Dances With Wolves' Author / Screenwriter Michael Blake Has Died
- ↑ Michael Blake's website: Biography ( Memento from October 11, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Blake, Michael |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American novelist and screenwriter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 5, 1945 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Fort Bragg , North Carolina , USA |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 2, 2015 |
| Place of death | Tucson , Arizona , USA |