Biography
Michael Blodgett, a handsome, well-built, and charismatic figure, was born on September 26, 1939, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He attended the University of Minnesota and began his acting career in his hometown. Michael earned a pre-law degree in political science from Cal State Los Angeles and spent a year at Loyola Law School. In the summer of 1967, Blodgett served as the emcee for "Groovy," a weekly beach party music TV show aired on Los Angeles' Channel 9. The following year, he moved to Channel 11 to host "The Michael Blodgett Show," a 90-minute talk show featuring guests such as Connie Stevens, Agnes Moorehead, Pat Paulsen, and Henry Mancini.
Blodgett made his film debut as a beach bum in A Swingin' Summer (1965). He gained cult status with his portrayal of the carefree playboy "Lance Rocke" in Russ Meyer's camp classic Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970). Other notable film roles include the brash prisoner "Coy Cavendish" in There Was a Crooked Man... (1970), the free-spirited hippie "Lee Ritter" in the unusual horror film The Velvet Vampire (1971), and the abusive masseur "Roger Hudson" in The Carey Treatment (1972).
On television, Blodgett had a recurring role on the short-lived series Never Too Young (1965) and appeared in guest spots on shows like McHale's Navy (1962), The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962), The Munsters (1964), Daniel Boone (1964), Ironside (1967), Night Gallery (1969), Barnaby Jones (1973), and Barbary Coast (1975).
Leaving acting in the late 1970s, Blodgett became a successful novelist and screenwriter. He authored the novels Captain Blood, Hero and the Terror, and The White Raven. He also wrote or co-wrote screenplays for films including Hero and the Terror (1988)—in which he made an uncredited cameo—Turner & Hooch (1989), Rent-a-Cop (1987), Run (1991), the TV thriller Revenge on the Highway (1992), and The White Raven (1998).
Michael Blodgett passed away from a heart attack at age 68 on November 14, 2007.
