Joe Don Baker, star of James Bond film, dies
Kyiv • UNN
American actor Joe Don Baker, known for his roles in James Bond films, has died at the age of 90. The actor is remembered for his roles as a villain and a CIA agent.
American actor Joe Don Baker, who played various characters in several James Bond films, died on May 7 at the age of 89. This was reported by UNN with reference to Independent.
Details
According to the publication, his family announced the actor's death, without disclosing the reasons.
Acting career and roles that brought fame
Baker established himself with supporting roles in the Westerns "Guns of the Magnificent Seven" (1969) and "Wild Rovers" (1971) before gaining a breakthrough role as Tennessee Sheriff Buford Pusser in "Walking Tall" (1973), which became an unexpected box office hit.
Baker later became arguably the first American villain in a Bond film and one of the few actors to return to the franchise in a different role.
Baker played arms dealer Brad Whitaker in "The Living Daylights" (1987) starring Timothy Dalton as Agent 007, and then returned as the "good guy", CIA agent Jack Wade, alongside Pierce Brosnan in the 1995 and 1997 films "GoldenEye" and "Tomorrow Never Dies", respectively.
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Baker was born on February 12, 1936, in Groesbeck, Texas. At the age of 12, the future actor lost his mother, after which he was raised by his aunt. He attended North Texas State College, graduating in 1958 with a degree in Business Administration. After two years of service in the U.S. Army, he continued acting at the Actors Studio in New York.
He moved to Los Angeles to find work on screen, initially playing small roles in Westerns on television before landing the role of Steve McQueen's younger brother in Sam Peckinpah's Junior Bonner (1972).
Baker was nominated for a BAFTA Television Award for Best Actor for his role as CIA agent Darius Jedburgh in the 1985 BBC six-hour miniseries Edge of Darkness directed by Martin Campbell.
I could do it all my life, I think, or at least for years and be happy
His later film and television roles included a private detective in Martin Scorsese's 1991 remake of Cape Fear and a veteran alcoholic in A&E's Cleaner (2009). He played the role of King in Mud (2012) starring Matthew McConaughey.
Baker completed an acting career that spanned nearly five decades and included more than 50 film appearances in 2012.
He was married to Maria Dolores Rivero-Torres from 1969 to 1980, but had no children.
Joe Don was a role model of kindness and generosity. Throughout his life, Joe Don touched many lives with his warmth and compassion, leaving an unforgettable mark on all who were fortunate enough to know him. Joe Don's 11 years of marriage did not produce offspring. He is survived by relatives in his native Groesbeck who will cherish his memory forever. He is mourned by a small but very close circle of friends who will forever miss him
