Michael F. Blake

His sixth book, "The Cowboy President: The American West and the Making of Theodore Roosevelt" was chosen as the Best Political Biography of 2018 by True West magazine. His book also won the Gold Medallion in the Biographies/Memoirs category for the Will Rogers Medallion Award in 2019.

Los Angeles: Still working as a makeup artist for the film/TV industry. [October 2013]

At age 40, he went back to college to get his Bachelor's degree and his Master's degree in Critical Film Theory. Since 1999, Blake returns every semester to his alma matter, CSU, Northridge, to lecture students on the film/TV industry. In 2009, the Cinema and TV Arts department honored Blake with their Distinguished Alumni Award.

Was the driving force for Lon Chaney's hometown of Colorado Springs to name a theatre after the silent screen star. He paid for the Lon Chaney Theatre marquee, and spoke at its unveiling on May 31, 1986.

Appeared in Los Angeles as a guest clown with the Blue Unit of Ringling Bros.-Barnum and Bailey Circus in 1984 and 1986.

On August 26, 1983, Blake presented to Lon Chaney's grandson, Lon Ralph Chaney, a plaque from the Makeup Artist and Hair Stylists Union honoring Chaney's unique talent in cinema makeup during a UCLA retrospective.

His favorite director is John Ford, considering him the greatest director in American cinema. Attended Ford's funeral in 1973.

In 1965, Blake appeared in "John Doe Munster" episode of The Minsters television series. In 1980, he did the makeup for the Eddie Munster character, working alongside the show's original makeup artists Karl Silvera and Abe Haberman for the reunion TV-Movie, The Munster's Revenge (1981).

Son of character Larry J. Blake, Michael started his acting career at the age of two, appearing in various television commercials. He eventually moved into television roles, appearing in such shows as Adam-12, The Lucy Show, Marcus Welby, M. D. , Bonanza, and Kung Fu. His interest in silent film actor Lon Chaney was sparked at age ten when he stayed up to watch a late show screening of Man of a Thousand Faces (1957). He became fascinated with both Chaney and makeup, eventually getting his own makeup kit.

Blake has provided four audio commentaries for Lon Chaney films, as well as appear in DVD featurettes for Stagecoach (1939), Fort Apache (1948), Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1961) and El Dorado (1967).

Aside from being a respected film historian, Blake is also a historian on the Civil War, the American West and Theodore Roosevelt's period in the Dakota territory (1883-87).