Blake Edwards Dies At 88

By brandi buchman

“One of the best things a person can do is make people laugh, and my father did that and then some ... he made the world laugh,” said Emma Walton-Hamilton, stepdaughter of writer and director Blake Edwards, who died, surrounded by family, on December 15 at St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California. He was 88 and had been suffering from complications of pneumonia.

Born William Blake Crump on July 26, 1922 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, his mother, Lillian, married assistant director and movie production manager Jack McEdwards when the boy was 4. Known then as Blake McEdwards, years later his surname was stylized to the more mellifluous Edwards.

He had a long and storied career in Hollywood. Most famously, he was known for the creation of the wildly popular 1970s farcical “Pink Panther” film series starring Peter Sellers as the maladroit Inspector Clouseau. He was also the director behind the 1961 box office smash, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” a film which launched actress Audrey Hepburn into a realm of near-instant recognition by audiences for generations to come.

Though eventually his career would boast a variety of hits both critical and otherwise, he first entered the entertainment industry as an actor who often didn’t receive screen credit. He opted instead to pursue writing.

His new pursuit began on radio where he wrote a series about the blithesome detective “Richard Diamond,” slightly foreshadowing larger, more satirical characters like the inept yet lovable Inspector Clouseau.

Radio gave way to television and Mr. Edwards found success in “Peter Gunn,” yet another detective series, which aired on NBC from 1958 to 1961. Through that program he met composer Henry Mancini and a lifelong working relationship developed. Mr. Mancini would go on to score nearly all of the director’s films.

During the late 1960s and 1970s, he split his time between homes in London and Switzerland, exerting his energies on a host of projects, including screenwriting for the largely successful comedies to come, “S.O.B.” and “Victor/Victoria.”

Critics were not as kind to films made prior to his hiatus from the Hollywood scene and his marriage to actress Patricia Walker ended not long thereafter.

But love would be found once more in the form of screen star Julie Andrews. The couple was married for 41 years and frequently Ms. Andrews starred or was cast in supporting roles of the films he directed: “Victor/Victoria,” “S.O.B.,” “10,” “Darling Lili,” “The Tamarind Seed,” “The Man Who Loved Women,” and “That’s Life.”

In a prepared statement, Ms. Andrews said of her late husband, “He was the most unique man I have ever known—and he was my mate. He will be missed beyond words and will forever be in my heart.”

His influence spread far and wide into his family. His stepdaughter, Emma Walton-Hamilton, a resident of Sag Harbor, went on to become a successful children’s author and helped found Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor. She served as co-artistic director there for 13 years and later, devoted much of her efforts to the theatre’s younger audience. She served as director of education and programming for young audiences until 2008.

Ms. Walton-Hamilton also translated her stepfather’s love of writing into her own work; she teaches courses in writing for children at Stony Brook Southampton.

“He was blessed with a long and rich life and we have always been so grateful for the gift of his life ... he made us all laugh, on screen and off,” Ms. Walton-Hamilton said.

Mr. Edwards is survived by his wife, Julie Andrews; a daughter, Jennifer, and a son, Geoffrey, from his first marriage; two daughters with Ms. Andrews, Amy and Joanna; a stepdaughter, Emma Walton-Hamilton, and a host of grandchildren.

A public memorial service will be scheduled for early next year.