{{short description|English actor (1924–1981)}} {{For|the writer|Blake Butler (author)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2023}}

{{more footnotes|date=March 2013}} {{Infobox person | image = Partridge & Wainwright 6609.jpg | name = Blake Butler | image_size = | caption = Blake Butler (right) with Rosemary Martin in second episode of ''Last of the Summer Wine'' (1973) | birth_name = John David Blake Butler | birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1924|10|22}} | birth_place = Barrow-in-Furness, Lancashire, England | death_date = 15 April 1981 (aged 56) | death_place = Bedford Park, London, England | other_names = | years_active = 1960–1981 }}

'''John David Blake Butler'''<ref>Burke's Irish Family Records, ed. Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd, Burke's Peerage Ltd, 1976, p. 194</ref><ref>Hammer Complete: The Films, The Personnel, The Company, Howard Maxford, 2019, p. 90</ref> (22 October 1924 – 15 April 1981) was an English actor best known for his role as the lecherous chief librarian Mr. Wainwright during the first and third series of ''Last of the Summer Wine'' in 1973 and 1976 respectively.<ref>Bright and Ross (2000), p.&nbsp;102</ref>

==Background== Butler was the second son of FitzWalter Butler (1889–1979), of Grantham, Lincolnshire, and Doris Emma (d. 1950), daughter of Robert Pollok, of Cavendish Park, Barrow-in-Furness. The Butler family were Irish landed gentry; Blake Butler's line, prominent in County Clare, descended from James Butler, 10th Baron Dunboyne.<ref>Burke's Irish Family Records, ed. Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd, Burke's Peerage Ltd, 1976, pp. 192–194</ref><ref>Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 107th edition, vol. 1, Burke's Peerage Ltd, 2003, p. 1212</ref>

==Career== {{Unreferenced section|date=March 2026}} In addition to his work on ''Last of the Summer Wine'', Butler made guest appearances on such programmes as ''Dad's Army'', ''Doctor at Large'', ''Bless This House'', ''The Good Life'', ''Paul Temple'', ''George and Mildred'', ''Grange Hill'' and, in 1967, Crossroads playing assistant manager Maurice Raine.

== Filmography == {{Unreferenced section|date=March 2026}} {| class= "wikitable" ! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes |- | 1961 || ''Rob Roy'' || Owen || 5 episodes |- | 1964 || ''Esther Waters'' || Mr. Ward || 3 episodes |- |1966|| ''Death Is a Woman'' || Lift Operator || film |- |1967|| ''The Mini-Affair'' || Customer || film |- |1969|| ''Lock Up Your Daughters'' || Faithful || film |- |1972 || ''Turnbull's Finest Half-Hour'' || Bernard Pratt || 5 episodes |- |1973–1976 || ''Last of the Summer Wine'' || Mr. Wainwright (the librarian) || 5 episodes |- |1978 || ''Grange Hill'' || Mr. Rankin (the Biology teacher) || Episode: #1.5 |- |1978 || ''A Sharp Intake of Breath'' || Hotel Guest || Episode: "Seven Year Hitch" |- |1978 || ''Rumpole of the Bailey'' || Mr. Thistleton || Episode: "Rumpole and the Heavy Brigade" |}

==Personal life== Butler lived at 33, Bath Road, Bedford Park, London, when he died on 15 April 1981 at age 56.<ref>Gov.uk Wills and Probate 1858–1996, Surname "Butler", Year of Death "1981", 1981 record page 1316, "BUTLER, John David Blake, of 33, Bath Road, London, W.4, died 15 April 1981"</ref><ref>Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage, ed. Patrick Montague-Smith, Debrett's Ltd, 1980, p. 396</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==Sources== *{{cite book | last = Bright | first = Morris | author2 = Robert Ross | title = Last of the Summer Wine: The Finest Vintage | publisher = BBC Worldwide Ltd | year = 2000 | location = London | url = https://archive.org/details/lastofsummerwine0000brig | isbn = 0-563-55151-8 | url-access = registration }}

==External links== * {{IMDb name}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Blake}} Category:1924 births Category:1981 deaths Category:People from Barrow-in-Furness Category:English male television actors Category:20th-century English male actors Category:Male actors from Lancashire

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