James Bond' Villain and Star of 'Walking Tall' Dead at 89

Newsweek

15-05-2025

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He was once a Bond villain—and later, a Bond ally.
Joe Don Baker, an actor whose gravel-voiced authority and range made him a fixture in espionage thrillers, crime dramas, and television procedurals, has died at the age of 89. No cause was disclosed.
Baker left a lasting impression on the James Bond franchise with his dual roles across two different eras of the series. In The Living Daylights (1987), he appeared as arms dealer Brad Whitaker, a power-hungry antagonist battling Timothy Dalton's Bond.
Nearly a decade later, he returned in a very different capacity—as Jack Wade, a rumpled, cigar-chomping CIA agent who lent his support to Pierce Brosnan's Bond in GoldenEye (1995) and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997). As Deadline noted, it's a rare distinction to appear in the Bond canon as both a foe and friend of 007.
Before his Bond appearances, Baker rose to national prominence with a lead role in Walking Tall (1973). He portrayed Buford Pusser, a former wrestler turned small-town sheriff who wages war on crime and corruption in rural Tennessee.
The film, based loosely on a true story, was a box office hit and tapped into a cultural moment of rising skepticism toward government and institutions. Although he declined to participate in the sequels, the role became one of the most defining of his career.
Joe Don Baker Circa 1980's
Joe Don Baker Circa 1980's
Ralph Dominguez/MediaPunch
Born in Groesbeck, Texas, in 1936, Baker studied at the University of North Texas before continuing his training at the Actors Studio in New York.
His early work included appearances on television shows such as The Big Valley and Mod Squad. He went on to play supporting roles in films including Guns of the Magnificent Seven (1969) and Don Siegel's Charley Varrick (1973), where his portrayal of a menacing hit man earned critical notice.
His career spanned several decades and genres. He played a baseball team owner in The Natural (1984), a private investigator in Martin Scorsese's Cape Fear (1991), and a disillusioned father in Reality Bites (1994). On the small screen, he was a frequent guest star in crime and action series including Murder, She Wrote, Walker, Texas Ranger, and In the Heat of the Night.
Though never a conventional leading man, Baker was valued in the industry for his consistency and screen presence. He was an actor with the ability to dominate a scene without overshadowing it.
He retired from acting in the early 2000s and kept a low profile in later years.
Baker died on May 7 and a funeral service is due to be held on May 20, 2025, at Utter McKinley Mortuary, Mission Hills, California, according to an obituary published on the website Legacy.
"Joe Don's 11-year marriage produced no offspring. He is survived by relations in his native Groesbeck, who will forever cherish his memory. He is mourned by a small but very close circle of friends who will miss him eternally," said the tribute.