Larry J. Blake

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 X9 1937 Right after that he was chosen for a featured role in James Whales 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 Jurys Secret 1938 With the outbreak of WWII Blake joined the US 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 AA 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 Holdens car In High Noon Blake played Gillis the owner of the saloon who is punched by Gary Cooper As televisions 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 AA program IMDB