Arthur Blake

Biography

Arthur Blake (February 24, 1914 – March 24, 1985) was an American actor and nightclub entertainer who was famous for his female impersonations; particularly those of Bette Davis, Carmen Miranda, and Eleanor Roosevelt. He performed in nightclubs in cities throughout the United States and United Kingdom in the 1940s and the 1950s. Although he achieved fame for playing women, he impersonated men as well in his act.

Also a film actor, he is best remembered for the films Port of New York (1949, as Dolly Carney), Cyrano de Bergerac (1950, as Montfleury), Harem Girl (1952, as Abdul Nassib), and Diplomatic Courier (1952, as Max Ralli). In the latter film, his impersonations of Davis and Miranda were featured. In the 1960s and 1970s he was the headliner at the LGBTQ nightclub Crown & Anchor in Provincetown, Massachusetts.