Blake Robbins Explained

Birth Date:17 June 1965
Birth Place:Karamürsel, Turkey
Alma Mater:American Academy of Dramatic Arts
Nationality:American
Citizenship:United States
Turkey
Years Active:1996–present

Blake Robbins (born June 17, 1965) is an American actor and director of film and television. He appeared in the films Wind River, The Ugly Truth, Jayhawkers, and To Leslie. Robbins is also known for his guest-starring appearances as Officer Dave Brass on the HBO drama series Oz, Tom on the NBC sitcom The Office, and Mitch Glender on the FX crime drama series Sons of Anarchy, as well as supporting roles in Firefly, Law & Order, 24, Entourage, and The Bling Ring. After almost two decades working as an actor, Robbins stepped behind the camera and made his directorial debut with the independent drama The Sublime and Beautiful, which premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival. His second feature as director, the modern-day western The Scent of Rain and Lightning starring Maika Monroe, received critical acclaim.

Early life

Robbins was born in Karamürsel, Turkey, where his father served in the United States Navy.[1] Robbins has one brother. His parents divorced when he was little and his mother remarried. Robbins had a strong connection with his stepfather, who passed away in April 2013. Robbins's biological father along with his brother struggled with alcoholism.[2] After earning a degree in Business Marketing, Robbins attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. Soon after, he began to perform on Broadway, working also as an acting coach for a while.[3] Robbins currently resides in Los Angeles.[4]

Career

Robbins began his career in 1996 with a guest appearance in an episode of the ABC soap opera All My Children. He went on to guest star in television series such as Law & Order, Third Watch and Firefly, before landing a recurring role as Officer Dave Brass in the HBO drama Oz between 2001 and 2003. During the 2000s, Robbins continued acting on the series Charmed, Strong Medicine, Medium, Crossing Jordan, The O.C., 24, Without a Trace, Criminal Minds and Private Practice. Robbins also appeared as Tom on the NBC's comedy The Office, opposite Steve Carell and John Krasinski.[5] Robbins' first film role was in the independent drama Going Under. Since then, he has appeared in other features including Love Comes to the Executioner, Bunker Hill, and the romantic comedy The Ugly Truth, in which he stars alongside Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler.

Throughout the 2010s, Robbins guest-starred in several television series including FlashForward, The Closer, Rizzoli & Isles, , Sons of Anarchy, Masters of Sex and Legends. Simultaneously, Robbins worked on a number of independent films, namely Rubber, Jayhawkers, Martyrs and Wind River. More recently, he starred in the Marcel Sarmiento horror thriller Faceless.[6] Robbins made his directorial debut with the independent drama The Sublime and Beautiful, which he also wrote and stars in as David Conrad, a father who loses his children in a car accident.[7] Shot in only 12 days on a budget of $30,000,[8] the film premiered at the 2014 Slamdance Film Festival. Writing for Variety, film critic Ronnie Scheib stated that Robbins "brings nothing new to Hollywood's dead-children genre".[9] Robbins directed his second film, The Scent of Rain and Lightning, starring Maika Monroe. Based on the 2010 novel of the same name by Nancy Pickard, the story centers on Jody Linder (Monroe), a young woman who finds out the man responsible for murdering her parents has been released from prison.[10] [11] Having its world premiere at the Atlanta Film Festival,[12] the film garnered a positive reception from critics; in his review for The Hollywood Reporter, Frank Scheck opined that it was "a well-acted, intelligent thriller".[13]

Filmography

Film

Denotes productions that have not yet been released
YearTitleRoleNotes
2004Going UnderAxel
2005AliceThe IntruderShort film
2006Love Comes to the ExecutionerStuttering Guard
Arc Thomas Blake
2007 The Son of Sam's DaughterBen's DadShort film
2008 Christmas Break Mr. ChatsworthShort film
Bunker HillDelmar
2009The Only Good IndianMoller
The Ugly TruthKPQU Big Wig
2010 RubberCop Eric
2011 Part Time FabulousDr. Carr
Dispatch Killer
2012 The Men's Room The ManShort film
Between the Forest and the Field DanielShort film
Blackout JimmyShort film
2013Imprints Doctor Short film
Cliff Dr. KeanonShort film
The Lull Breaker Pa Short film
The Championship Rounds Phillip Short film
2014The Sublime and Beautiful David Conrad also writer, producer and director
JayhawkersDick Harp
ButtwhistleMr. Blancmange
Moths Mr. CunninghamShort film
2015MartyrsDad
2016 Ctrl Alt Delete Charlie
From Ashes to Immortality Jon Orr Short film
2017Wind RiverTim
The Scent of Rain and LightningSheriff Don Phelpsalso director and producer
DriverX Rick
2018 Funny StoryDan
Backpedals HugoShort film
2019 Let's Scare JulieUncle Vince One-shot feature film
Things That Fall The Professor Short film
2021Faceless Tom
2022To LeslieThe Handyman
2023 Line of FireBobbyPost-production

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1996All My ChildrenValet 1 episode
1999Law & OrderHeinrichEpisode: "Marathon"
2000Third WatchPeterEpisode: "History"
2002Push, NevadaLexus Driver Episode: "Jim's Domain"
FireflyAgent McGinnisEpisode: "Ariel"
2001–2003OzOfficer Dave Brass15 episodes
200310-8: Officers on DutyDr. LawrenceEpisode: "Late for School"
2004Cold CaseDavid Lake Episode: "Late Returns"
CharmedPatrol OfficerEpisode: "It's a Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad World: Part 1"
Strong MedicineMorgan BenedictoEpisode: "Healing Touch"
2005 MediumTrooper Episode: "A Priest, a Doctor and a Medium Walk Into an Execution Chamber"
Crossing JordanPeter EllisonEpisode: "Embraceable You"
WantedMartin Beckwith Episode: "The Promise of Darkness"
The O.C.Don 2 episodes
2006 E-RingJames OgilvyEpisode: "Five Pillars"
24Ross Episode: "Day 5: 2:00 a.m.-3:00 a.m."
2007 Without a TraceCraig Dalton Episode: "Connections"
2008 Eli StoneHoward Masters Episode: "Heartbeat"
Criminal MindsJonathan MorrisEpisode: "A Higher Power"
Private PracticeMark MillerEpisode: "A Family Thing"
EntourageGuy on Plane Episode: "First Class Jerk"
2008–2009The OfficeTom Halpert2 episodes
2010The ForgottenDr. Max RayburnEpisode: "Patient John"
FlashForwardSpecial Agent Buckner4 episodes
The CloserMr. WittenEpisode: "Heart Attack"
Secret MillionairesDr. Cadillac1 episode
2011Rizzoli & IslesScott JamesEpisode: "Brown Eyed Girl"
The Bling RingMr. BishopTelevision film
2012Jimmy PorticoEpisode: "2,918 Miles"
NCISScott MartinEpisode: "Gone"
2013Monday MorningsDr. David MartinEpisode: "Pilot"
Sons of AnarchyMitch Glender2 episodes
Masters of SexSecurity Guard BrownEpisode: "Manhigh"
2014LegendsDennis Evans2 episodes
2015The Ultimate EvilDavid Berkowitzunknown episodes
2017 Law & Order True CrimeHarry3 episodes
2021 Bad Vibes Rob1 episode

Awards and nominations

Award ceremonyYearWork(s)CategoryResult
Cleveland International Film Festival2017The Scent of Rain and LightningBest American Independent Feature Film
Kansas City FilmFest2014The Sublime and Beautiful Heartland – Best Feature Narrative[14]
Heartland – Best Narrative Feature
2017The Scent of Rain and LightningBest Narrative Feature[15]
Milan International Film Festival2014The Sublime and Beautiful Best Actor[16]
Best Director
Best Best Screenwriting
Nashville Film Festival2017The Scent of Rain and LightningBridgestone Narrative Feature Competition[17]
Newport Beach Film Festival2014The Sublime and Beautiful Directing[18]
Best Feature Film
Best Actor
Slamdance Film Festival2014The Sublime and Beautiful Best Narrative Feature[19]
Narrative Feature Film

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Scent of Rain and Lightning. Clevelandfilm.org. en. November 10, 2021.
  2. Web site: Blake Robbins’ ‘The Sublime and Beautiful’ Is Anything But. TheBlot Magazine. November 10, 2021.
  3. Web site: Blake Robbins Interview: 'The Sublime and Beautiful'. Concierge Questionnaire. December 16, 2014. November 10, 2021. Lynn. Pattnosh.
  4. Web site: A Portrait of Grief: An Interview with Actor and Filmmaker Blake Robbins. GALO Magazine. February 23, 2014. November 10, 2021. Emma. Diab.
  5. Web site: Blake Robbins ponders Sundance trip. Boston Herald. December 8, 2008. November 10, 2021. Olivia. Vanni.
  6. Web site: Mysterious Face Transplant Horror-Thriller 'Faceless' Official Trailer. FirstShowing.net. January 27, 2021. November 10, 2021. Alex. Billington.
  7. Web site: Blake Robbins wore many hats for ‘The Sublime and Beautiful’. The Park Record. January 18, 2014. November 10, 2021. Scott. Iwasaki.
  8. Web site: Blake Robbins interview: The Scent Of Rain And Lightning, indie filmmaking. Den of Geek. February 15, 2018. November 10, 2021. Ryan. Lambie.
  9. Web site: Slamdance Film Review: ‘The Sublime and Beautiful’. Variety. January 23, 2014. November 10, 2021. Ronnie. Scheib.
  10. Web site: Logan Miller, Mark Webber, Justin Chatwin Join ‘The Scent of Rain and Lightning’. The Wrap. November 5, 2015. November 10, 2021. Jeff. Sneider.
  11. Web site: Exclusive Interview – Director Blake Robbins on The Scent of Rain and Lightning. Flickering Myth. February 18, 2018. November 10, 2021. Gary. Collinson.
  12. Web site: Atlanta Film Festival Announces 2017 Lineup of Features and Short Films. Atlanta Film Festival. March 13, 2017. November 10, 2021. Cameron. McAllister.
  13. Web site: ‘The Scent of Rain and Lightning’: Film Review. The Hollywood Reporter. February 15, 2018. November 10, 2021. Frank. Scheck.
  14. Web site: The films of the Free State Festival. Lawrence Journal-World. June 22, 2014. November 5, 2021. Eric. Melin.
  15. Web site: Kansas City Film Fest: "The Scent of Rain & Lightning". Kshb.com. November 5, 2021.
  16. Web site: Vincitori 14ª Edizione – 2014. Miff.it. November 5, 2021.
  17. Web site: Reel Nashville: Your Guide to the 48th Annual Nashville Film Festival. Nashville Scene. April 20, 2017. November 5, 2021. Ron. Wynn.
  18. Web site: Newport Film Festival ends in black with record attendance. The Orange County Register. May 5, 2014. November 5, 2021. Richard. Chang.
  19. Web site: Slamdance Film Festival 2014 Unveils Feature Film Competition Lineup. IndieWire. December 3, 2013. November 5, 2021. Beth. Hanna.