Michael Lennox Blake (July 5, 1945 – May 2, 2015) was an American author, best known for the

film adaptation A film adaptation transfers the details or story of an existing source text, such as a novel, into a feature film. This transfer can involve adapting most details of the source text closely, including characters or plot points, or the original sou ...

of his novel '' Dances With Wolves'', for which he won an

Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay adapted from previously established material. The most frequently adapted media are novels, but other adapted narrative formats include stage plays, mus ...

Biography

Early in his life, Blake's family lived in Texas, before moving to Southern California, where they moved frequently. He began writing while serving in the U.S. Air Force during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

when he was stationed at Walker Air Force Base, where he wrote for the base newspaper. He studied journalism at the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; ) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1889 by the New Mexico Territorial Legislature, it is the state's second oldest university, a flagship university in th ...

, and later studied at a film school in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...

. He also attended Eastern New Mexico University in Portales. In the late 1970s, he moved to Los Angeles; during the 1980s, only one of his screenplays was produced, called '' Stacy's Knights'' which starred

Kevin Costner Kevin Michael Costner (born January 18, 1955) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Kevin Costner, various accolades, including two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Primeti ...

, who later encouraged him to continue to write, and introduced him to key figures in the Hollywood Industry. ''Dances with Wolves'' was the result; Kevin Costner then asked him to write a screenplay for the

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

based on the novel. He went on to do humanitarian work, and continued to write. Blake died on May 2, 2015, after a long illness in

Tucson, Arizona Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...

Works

Screenplays

* '' Stacy's Knights'' (1983) * '' Dances with Wolves'' (1990) * ''Winding Stair'' (1998) also directed * ''The One'' (in development) * ''The Holy Road'' (in development) * ''Winnetou'' (in development)

Novels

* '' Dances with Wolves'' (1988) Fawcett Gold Medal * ''Airman Mortensen'' (1991) Seven Wolves Publishing * ''Marching to Valhalla'' (1996) Villard Books * '' The Holy Road'' (2001) Villard Books * ''Into the Stars'' (2011) ZOVA Books

Non-fiction

* ''Like a Running Dog'' (2002) (autobiography) * ''Indian Yell'' (2006) * ''Twelve the King'' (2009)

Awards

Academy Award for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) The Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay adapted from previously established material. The most frequently adapted media are novels, but other adapted narrative formats include stage plays, musi ...

Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay The Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay – Motion Picture is a Golden Globe Award given by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Winners and nominees 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s Multiple wins ...

Writers Guild of America Award The Writers Guild of America Awards is an award for film, television, and radio writing including both fiction and non-fiction categories given by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America West since 1949. Eligibility Th ...

for Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium * Spur Award for Best Motion Picture * Animal Protection Institute’s Humanitarian of the Year * Air Force Sergeants Association’s Americanism Award (1992)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Blake, Michael 1945 births 2015 deaths 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American novelists American male novelists American male screenwriters Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award winners Best Screenplay Golden Globe winners Eastern New Mexico University alumni Military personnel from California Military personnel from North Carolina Novelists from North Carolina People from Fort Bragg, North Carolina People from Portales, New Mexico Screenwriters from North Carolina Screenwriters from New Mexico United States Air Force personnel of the Vietnam War University of New Mexico alumni Writers from New Mexico Writers Guild of America Award winners