Michael Lennox Blake is an American author

Author

An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...

, best known for his film adaptation of his novel Dances with Wolves

Dances with Wolves

Dances with Wolves is a 1990 epic western film directed by and starring Kevin Costner. It is a film adaptation of the 1988 book of the same name by Michael Blake and tells the story of a Union Army Lieutenant who travels to the American frontier to find a military post, and his dealings with a...

.

Biography

Early in his life, Blake's family lived in Texas, before moving to Southern California, where they moved frequently. He began writing when he was stationed at Walker Air Force Base, when he wrote for the base newspaper. He studied journalism

Journalism

Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...

 at the University of New Mexico

University of New Mexico

The University of New Mexico at Albuquerque is a public research university located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. It is the state's flagship research institution...

, and later studied at a film school, in Berkeley, California

Berkeley, California

Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...

. He also attended Eastern New Mexico University

Eastern New Mexico University

Eastern New Mexico University , frequently called Eastern, is a state university in Portales, Roosevelt County, New Mexico, USA...

 in Portales

Portales

-Places:* Portales, New Mexico, a city from the United States* Portales Forest Reserve, in New Mexico-Organizations:* Diego Portales University, a Chilean University* Metro Portales, a Mexican station of metro...

. In the late 1970s he moved to Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

; during the eighties only one of his screenplays was produced, called Stacey’s Knights. The movie starred Kevin Costner

Kevin Costner

Kevin Michael Costner is an American actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and businessman. He has been nominated for three BAFTA Awards, won two Academy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Costner's roles include Lt. John J...

, who later convinced him to write Dances with Wolves, and then a screenplay for the film

Dances with Wolves

Dances with Wolves is a 1990 epic western film directed by and starring Kevin Costner. It is a film adaptation of the 1988 book of the same name by Michael Blake and tells the story of a Union Army Lieutenant who travels to the American frontier to find a military post, and his dealings with a...

 based on the novel. He has since gone on to do humanitarian work, and continued to write.

Michael Blake has two brothers, one of whom is Dan Webb, former principal of Santa Fe High School

Santa Fe High School (New Mexico)

Santa Fe High School, founded in 1889, is a public high school in the Santa Fe Public Schools. It is located about two miles southwest of downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico and is the largest school in Santa Fe, public or private, with an enrollment of 1,542...

 in Santa Fe, NM.

Screenplays

• Stacey’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 ISBN 0-449-13448-2
• Airman Mortensen (1991) Seven Wolves Publishing ISBN 0-962738-77-8
• Marching to Valhalla (1996) Villard Books ISBN 0-679-44864-0
• The Holy Road (2001) Villard Books ISBN 0-679-44866-7
• Dances With Wolves, 20th Anniversary (2011 eBook) ZOVA Books
• The Holy Road (2011) ZOVA Books ISBN 978-0-615-51057-6
• Into The Stars (2011) ZOVA Books ISBN 978-0-615-51053-8

Non-fiction

• Like A Running Dog (2002) Autobiography
• Indian Yell (2006)
• Twelve the King (2009)

Awards

• Academy Award for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
• Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay
  Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay
  The Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay - Motion Picture is one of the annual awards given by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association."†" indicates the winner of the Academy Award for Best Writing "‡" indicates the winner of the Academy Award for Best Writing "§" indicates a Golden Globe Award...
  
  
• Writers Guild of America Award
  Writers Guild of America Award
  The Writers Guild of America Award for outstanding achievements in film, television, and radio has been presented annually by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West since 1949...
  
   for Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium
• Spur Award
  Spur Award
  The Spur Award is an annual literary prize awarded by the Western Writers of America. Founded in 1953 with only four categories , the award today has expanded to include the following categories:...
  
   for Best Motion Picture
• Cancervive Victory Award
• Eleanor Roosevelt Award for work with minorities and the environment
• Animal Protection Institute
  Animal Protection Institute
  The Animal Protection Institute was a national, nonprofit animal advocacy organization based in Sacramento, California that in 2007, as part of its affiliation with the Born Free Foundation, was renamed Born Free USA. Founded in 1968, API's mission was to advocate for the protection of animals...
  
  ’s Humanitarian of the Year
• Air Force Sergeants Association
  Air Force Sergeants Association
  The Air Force Sergeants Association is a non-profit organization representing the professional and personal interests of nearly 111,000 active, retired and veteran total enlisted members of the United States Air Force and their families....
  
  ’s Americanism Award (1992)
• Amanda Blake Award
• American Library Association’s Library Hero Award
• Environmental Media Award
• Golden Quill

External links

(Michael Blake's current website)