Blake Edwards 1922-2010

Filmmaker Blake Edwards succumbed to pneumonia today at the age of 88. A disarmingly prolific and varied filmmaker, Edwards put his signature on everything from zany comedy (the Pink Panther series, "10," The Great Race) to drama (Breakfast at Tiffany's, Days of Wine and Roses) to suspense and action/adventure ("Peter Gunn," Experiment in Terror). Married for over 40 years to actress Julie Andrews, theirs was one of Hollywood's most enduring unions.

Edwards was renowned for being outspoken, and not suffering fools. Of Pink Panther star Peter Sellers, he once said "Peter Sellers became a monster. He just got bored with the part [Inspector Clouseau] and became angry, sullen and unprofessional. He wouldn't show up for work and he began looking for anyone and everyone to blame, never for a moment stopping to see whether or not he should blame himself for his own madness, his own craziness." He was also not above sticking it to the Hollywood brass. The scion of Hollywood veterans himself (his stepfather, J. Gordon Edwards, was a silent film director), Edwards learned the ropes early, as evidenced by this zinger: "Make 'em redecorate your office. That's primary, to let them know where you stand. Then, when you're shooting interior sequences, use your own interior decorator and set dresser. That way everything on the set will fit your house when you're finished."

Edwards was writing screenplays to the end, including a sequel to his 1979 hit "10." Below, are some clips from Blake Edwards' remarkably diverse body of work.

Rest in peace, and thanks for it all.

--Alex Simon