Christopher Blake (born Peter Ronald Gray, 23 August 1949 – 11 December 2004) was an English

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

and

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

. He is perhaps best remembered for starring in the British sitcoms '' Mixed Blessings'' (1978–80) and '' That's My Boy'' (1981–86).

Early life

He was born Peter Ronald Gray on 23 August 1949, the eldest of three boys, in Chingford,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England. His father, Charles (known as Harry), was a plasterer and his mother, Elizabeth, a dressmaker and housewife. They went on to have two more sons. The family emigrated to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

in the late 1950s but returned in 1966 and he attended the Fitzherbert Secondary Modern School,

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

, Sussex. He then trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama and changed his name to Christopher Blake, because there was another Peter Gray registered with the actors' union,

Equity Equity may refer to: Finance, accounting and ownership * Equity (finance), ownership of assets that have liabilities attached to them ** Stock, equity based on original contributions of cash or other value to a business ** Home equity, the dif ...

. He chose the surname Blake from the telephone directory.

Career

Blake first came to the attention of television audiences in 1972 when he was cast as Gilbert Blythe in the 1972 BBC adaptation of ''

Anne of Green Gables ''Anne of Green Gables'' is a 1908 novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery (published as L. M. Montgomery). Written for all ages, it has been considered a classic children's novel since the mid-20th century. Set in the late 19th century, t ...

''. He would later reprise the role in 1975 in ''

Anne of Avonlea Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

''. Blake later had roles in the

LWT London Weekend Television (LWT) (now part of the non-franchised ITV London region) was the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties at weekends, broadcasting from Fridays at 5.15 pm (7:00 pm from 1968 unt ...

serial '' Love for Lydia'' (1977), and then a starring role in the ITV sitcom '' Mixed Blessings'' (1978–80) for which he also sang the theme tune. Although Blake remained busy as an actor in various stage and television roles, his next truly successful venture was the

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

sitcom '' That's My Boy'' (1981–86) in which he played Robert Price, a middle-class doctor who hires a live-in housekeeper (played by Mollie Sugden) who turns out to be his biological mother. After ''That's My Boy'', Blake continued in character parts in episodic television, but never managed to land the more prominent roles that he had enjoyed earlier in his career. In 2000, he guest-starred in the ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

'' audio adventure ''

The Mutant Phase ''The Mutant Phase'' is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who. It forms the third serial in the Dalek Empire arc, following on from events in ''The Genocide Machine ...

'' which featured the

Daleks The Daleks ( ) are a fictional extraterrestrials in fiction, extraterrestrial race of mutants principally portrayed in the British science fiction on television, science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. They were conceived by write ...

. In later years Christopher Blake turned to screenwriting, writing several episodes of Channel 5's short-lived soap ''

Family Affairs ''Family Affairs'' is a British soap opera that aired on Channel 5. It debuted on 30 March 1997, the day of the launch of said channel and was the first programme broadcast on the channel. It was screened as five thirty-minute episodes per w ...

''. He wrote two episodes ("Dancing in the Dark" and "Endangered Species") of the ITV crime serial '' A Touch of Frost'' with his writing partner Tony Charles. On the 26 February 1970 edition of

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...

, Blake is seen as an audience member dancing to a Dave Clark Five performance of Everybody Get Together, the official video of the song shot with members of his acting school class.

Personal life

He was married twice and had three children from his first marriage; two daughters and a son. A talented all-round cricketer since his youth in Australia, he played the game throughout his life, including for

The Lord's Taverners The Lord's Taverners is the UK's leading youth cricket and disability sports charity. Its charitable objective is to empower and positively impact the lives of young people facing the challenges of inequality.'. It was founded in 1950 by a group ...

and William Franklyn's team, the Sargentmen, which raised money for the Malcolm Sargent Cancer Fund for Children. One of his other great passions was supporting

Arsenal F.C. Arsenal Football Club, commonly referred to as Arsenal, is a professional football club based in Islington, London, England. Arsenal plays in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The club has won 13 league titles (inclu ...

and he dropped references to Arsenal into scripts whenever the opportunity arose.

Illness and death

In early 2004 after an aggressive and rare form of

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), also known as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, is a group of blood cancers that includes all types of lymphomas except Hodgkin lymphomas. Symptoms include enlarged lymph nodes, fever, night sweats, weight loss, and tiredness. ...

was diagnosed, Blake received treatment at the Royal Marsden Hospital in

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

. He died on 11 December 2004 in London, England, aged 55. He is buried at the

East London Cemetery The East London Cemetery and Crematorium are located in West Ham in the London Borough of Newham. It is owned and operated by the Dignity Funeral Group. History The cemetery was founded in 1871 and laid out in 1872 to meet the increasing deman ...

and Crematorium.

Television credits

* ''

Casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...

'' .... Alan / ... (2 episodes, 1990, 2001) * ''

Doctors Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

'' .... Dan Armstrong (1 episode, 2001) * '' Birds of a Feather'' .... David Kane (1 episode, 1997) * '' Down to Earth'' (1995) TV Series .... Chris Fairfax (7 episodes) * '' To Be the Best'' (1992) (TV) .... Sandy * ''

So Haunt Me ''So Haunt Me'' is a British television sitcom about a family that moves into a home occupied by the ghost of its previous resident, a middle-aged Jewish mother. The show was created by Paul Mendelson who was also credited on another British sit ...

'' (1992) .... Chris Longford (1 episode, 1992) * '' Brookside'' TV Series .... Tim Derby (1991) * ''

Young Charlie Chaplin Young may refer to: * Offspring, the product of reproduction of a new organism produced by one or more parents * Youth, the time of life when one is young, often meaning the time between childhood and adulthood Music * The Young, an American roc ...

'' (1989) .... Asylum Doctor (2 episodes, 1989) * '' That's My Boy'' (1981–1986) TV Series .... Dr. Robert Price (37 episodes) * ''

Love's Labour's Lost ''Love's Labour's Lost'' is one of William Shakespeare's early comedies, believed to have been written in the mid-1590s for a performance at the Inns of Court before Elizabeth I of England, Queen Elizabeth I. It follows the King of Navarre and ...

'' (1985) (TV) .... Longaville * '' Alexa'' (1982) TV Series .... Paul * '' Tales of the Unexpected'' .... Israeli Officer (1 episode, 1981) * '' The Mill on the Floss'' (1979) TV Miniseries .... Tom Tulliver * '' The Lost Boys'' (1978) TV Series .... George * '' Mixed Blessings'' (1978–80) TV Series .... Thomas Simpson (22 episodes) * '' A Ghost Story For Christmas: Stigma'' (1977) (TV) .... Richard * '' Love For Lydia'' (1977) TV Series .... Richardson * ''

'' (1975) TV Series .... Gilbert Blythe * ''

Warship A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the armed forces of a state. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster a ...

'' .... Sg. Lt. Newcombe (1 episode, 1974) * ''

Death or Glory Boy Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...

'' (1974) (TV) .... David Parker * ''

'' (1972) TV Series .... Gilbert Blythe Christopher Blake (I)
/ref>

Film credits

* ''Child 2 Man'' (2000) .... Dabdu's Sidekick * '' La Passione'' (1996) .... John MacIlroy *To be the best (1990) .... Sandy * '' Aces High'' (1976) .... Lieutenant Roberts * '' Hennessy'' (1975) .... Young Soldier * ''

Because of the Cats ''Because of the Cats'', released theatrically in the UK as ''The Rape'', is a 1973 Dutch-Belgian drama film directed by Fons Rademakers and starring Bryan Marshall, Alexandra Stewart, Sylvia Kristel and Sebastian Graham Jones. The film's Dutch ...

'' (1973) .... Frank Kieft

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Blake, Christopher 1949 births 2004 deaths English male television actors Actors from the London Borough of Waltham Forest Male actors from Essex Alumni of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama Deaths from non-Hodgkin lymphoma English male screenwriters 20th-century English screenwriters Deaths from lymphoma in England People from Chingford