Arthur Blake

Arthur Blake
Name	Arthur Blake
Birth date	1929
Death date	1985
Occupation	Actor, impressionist, vaudevillian
Years active	1940s–1980s
Notable works	On the Town, Cleo, Calamity Jane, television variety appearances

Arthur Blake was an American actor and entertainer known for his work in film, stage, and television as a female impersonator and character actor. He performed in Broadway productions, Hollywood films, and nightclub and television variety programs, becoming a recognizable figure in mid-20th century American popular entertainment. Blake’s repertoire included musical theater, comedic sketches, and celebrity impersonations that connected him to a wide circle of performers and producers.

Early life and education

Blake was born in the late 1920s and raised in the United States during the interwar and World War II periods, coming of age alongside contemporaries in the Broadway and Hollywood communities. His early life intersected with the cultural milieus of New York City, Los Angeles, and touring circuits such as the Chitlin' Circuit and regional theaters that fed performers into national stages. Educated in local schools and community theater programs, Blake trained in voice and movement traditions that traced back to conservatories and theatrical schools associated with institutions like the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and the Juilliard School feeder programs. He supplemented formal instruction with mentorship from established performers in nightclubs and vaudeville venues, participating in the same circuits that propelled talents to work with producers linked to the Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show, and Broadway impresarios.

Acting career

Blake’s professional acting career encompassed film, theater, and television. On Broadway and in touring productions he appeared in musical comedies and revues that placed him alongside casts drawn from shows produced by companies like the Shubert Organization and impresarios influenced by George Abbott and Richard Rodgers. In Hollywood he had supporting roles in studio pictures during the studio system era, working with studios such as MGM, Paramount Pictures, and independent producers who placed character actors in musicals and comedies. Blake’s screen work connected him to directors and choreographers from the golden age of film musicals, collaborating with figures associated with films that featured choreography by artists from the American Ballet Theatre and vocal coaches linked to the Metropolitan Opera training networks. On television he guested on variety series and anthology programs produced by networks including NBC, CBS, and ABC, participating in sketches that required quick costume changes and comic timing.

Vaudeville and impersonation work

Blake earned notoriety as a headlining act in nightclubs and on the vaudeville-influenced variety circuit, specializing in female impersonation and celebrity mimicry. His act drew from a lineage of performers connected to historic houses like the Copacabana (nightclub) and the Rainbow Room, and he shared billing with acts represented by agencies such as the William Morris Agency and the International Creative Management network precursors. Blake’s repertoire featured impressions of actresses and entertainers from Hollywood’s studio era and Broadway luminaries—figures from the repertoires of Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland, Bette Davis, Katharine Hepburn, and Ethel Merman—and included musical numbers, comedic parodies, and dramatic monologues. His impersonations were staged alongside magicians, comedians, and orchestras led by bandleaders in the tradition of Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, and nightclub conductors who accompanied variety acts.

He also performed in cabaret rooms and supper clubs that catered to celebrity culture and nightlife, aligning him with managers and promoters from venues that hosted recurring residencies by entertainers tied to the Ziegfeld Follies lineage and modern revues. Blake’s approach combined costume design, makeup artistry, and vocal technique informed by voice teachers who had worked with performers from the Metropolitan Opera and musical theater veterans associated with the American Theatre Wing.

Personal life and legacy

Blake maintained private relationships with contemporaries across theater, film, and television. He navigated the mid-century entertainment landscape at a time when gender impersonation intersected with shifting social attitudes, connecting him with advocacy and community networks associated with performers who later influenced conversations in institutions like the Stonewall Inn milieu and grassroots arts organizations that documented queer performance history. His legacy persists in archives and retrospectives curated by museums and institutions that collect entertainment ephemera, including repositories tied to the Library of Congress, the Museum of the City of New York, and university performing-arts collections that preserve playbills, photographs, and recordings.

Performers influenced by Blake’s blend of comedy, music, and impersonation have cited him in broader studies of drag and theatrical cross-dressing traditions that trace roots to the Harlem Renaissance nightlife, vaudeville, and mid-century LGBTQ+ cabaret scenes. Blake’s stylistic contributions are referenced in histories of American popular entertainment alongside other character and variety performers who bridged stage and screen.

Awards and recognition

While Blake did not achieve major mainstream awards like the Academy Awards or Tony Awards, he received honors within nightclub and cabaret circles and was featured in industry periodicals and retrospectives produced by organizations such as the American Film Institute and television archives. His performances were documented in trade publications and cultural histories that have since been cited in exhibitions at institutions including the Smithsonian Institution and performing-arts research centers. Posthumous recognition has appeared in compilations and documentaries exploring the history of impressionists, drag performance, and mid-20th century variety entertainment.

Category:1929 births Category:1985 deaths Category:American male actors Category:American drag performers