orig. William Blake McEdwards
born July 26, 1922, Tulsa, Okla., U.S.
U.S. film director, producer, and screenwriter.
He acted in films in the 1940s, then gained respect as a screenwriter, notably for My Sister Eileen (1955) and The Notorious Landlady (1962). He created the TV series Peter Gunn (195860). Among his successful directorial efforts were Operation Petticoat (1959), Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), 10 (1979), and Victor/Victoria (1982), which he revived in 1995 as a Broadway musical starring his wife, Julie Andrews . He was perhaps best known for The Pink Panther (1964) and its sequels.