orig. William Blake McEdwards born July 26, 1922, Tulsa, Okla., U.S. U.S. film director, producer, and screenwriter. He acted in films in the 1940s, then gained respect as a screenwriter, notably for My Sister Eileen (1955) and The Notorious Landlady (1962). He created the TV series Peter Gunn (1958-60). Among his successful directorial efforts were Operation Petticoat (1959), Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), 10 (1979), and Victor/Victoria (1982), which he revived in 1995 as a Broadway musical starring his wife, Julie Andrews. He was perhaps best known for The Pink Panther (1964) and its sequels
born Oct. 13, 1833, Adelaide, Upper Canada died March 1, 1912, Toronto, Ont., Can. Canadian politician. Blake was called to the bar in 1856 and created a queen's counsel in 1864. In 1867 he was elected to the Canadian House of Commons. He served as premier of Ontario (1871-72) and minister of justice (1875-77) in Alexander Mackenzie's cabinet, helping draft the constitution. He was leader of the Liberal Party (1880-87). In 1890 he withdrew from Canadian politics and moved to Ireland, where he served in the British House of Commons (1892-1907)