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American Military News
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- American Military News
Joe Don Baker, actor who wielded a big stick in ‘Walking Tall,' dies at 89
Joe Don Baker, the leading man turned character actor who broke out playing Sheriff Buford Pusser in the 1973 movie 'Walking Tall,' has died, his family announced online. The Texas-born tough guy died May 7 at age 89. No cause of death was given. Baker lived in Southern California when he died. 'Joe Don was a beacon of kindness and generosity. … Throughout his life, Joe Don touched many lives with his warmth and compassion, leaving an indelible mark on everyone fortunate enough to know him,' his family said. Born on Feb. 12, 1936, in Groesbeck, Texas, Baker played football and basketball well enough to earn a sports scholarship to North Texas State College — now University of North Texas — where he earned a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1958 and pledged to the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. Baker went into the U.S. Army for two years and then emerged in New York, where he studied at the Actors Studio and performed onstage. His acting career took off in the mid-1960s when he moved to Los Angeles, where he started with TV roles in shows like 'The High Chaparral' and 'Mission: Impossible' before taking the spotlight as a leading man in movies like 'Walking Tall' and 'Final Justice.' When he aged into character actor work, he played Claude Kersek in the 1991 Robert De Niro remake of 'Cape Fear,' Olaf Anderson in Eddie Murphy's 1992 movie 'The Distinguished Gentleman' and Tom Pierce in 1994's 'Reality Bites.' Baker played a villain in the 1987 James Bond movie 'The Living Daylights,' featuring Timothy Dalton as Bond, and then CIA agent Jack Wade in two Bond films starring Pierce Brosnan: 'GoldenEye' in 1995 and 'Tomorrow Never Dies' in 1997. He also spent a lot of time working in TV, playing the title cop role in 'Eischied' in 1979 — he often portrayed officers of the law — Big Jim Folsom in the 1997 miniseries 'George Wallace' and myriad other roles in shows including 'Ironside,' 'The Streets of San Francisco,' 'Gunsmoke' and 'Mod Squad.' As he moved around between TV and film, Baker was ahead of the curve in declaring Hollywood creativity dead. 'In Hollywood, they've chased away all the good writers,' he told The Times in 1986 when he was promoting the BBC-made miniseries 'Edge of Darkness' and strongly favoring foreign work over domestic. 'You never meet the writer when you're making a TV movie in America — they're too ashamed to show up and see how their work has been mangled by some committee. 'I hate the thought of showing up on another TV movie set in America,' he continued. 'All they care about here is whether you remember the words. In England they take the time to get everything right. I was there six months to make six hours. That's a little more than twice as long as it would take in America.' In the United States, Baker said, 'By the time the networks get through worrying about who they're gonna tick off, they wind up with nothing.' He said it was hard to get American studios interested in anything different. 'They want huge budgets, which are easier to steal from. The studios don't seem to mind losing hundreds of millions — they can write it all off. The rest of us can either pay to see their lousy movies or be taxed to cover their write-offs.' But 'Walking Tall,' the movie that made him, was based on the true story of a Tennessee sheriff whose life was turned tragic by criminals. During his six years in office, the real Pusser, known for carrying a big hickory stick he used as a weapon, fought a gang of bootleggers and con men who were operating along the Mississippi-Tennessee state line. He was shot and stabbed on several occasions and killed a thieving female motel owner who ambushed him. Then in 1967 he was waylaid in his car by criminals who shot him and killed his wife, Pauline. Pusser became a nationally known figure thanks to coverage on network news. Even though the movie took the usual Hollywood liberties with Pusser's life, the film played like a pure piece of American neo-realism: Audiences saw a strong family man who becomes politically involved only after being cheated at a local casino, beaten and left for dead. Elected sheriff, he becomes driven, fighting the local criminal syndicate, corrupt judges and state government officials. The film packed an emotional wallop. It was not an instant success, however, when it was first released in urban theaters and sold as a good-old-boy Southern law-and-order drama. 'The initial ads had me coming out of a swamp with slime coming off me and I had this little stick in my hand,' Baker told The Times in 2004, when a significantly reimagined 'Walking Tall' remake starring Dwayne Johnson was coming out. 'They were just terrible ads.' But outsized success in Asian markets led to a new marketing campaign that turned the movie into an American hit. 'I very seldom get good parts offered me now,' he said in 2004. 'I had better parts before I became a so-called star in 'Walking Tall.'' In a 2000 humor column, former Times columnist Chris Erskine lovingly called Baker 'one of the best bad actors ever.' Good parts or not, he won a Robert Altman Award at the Film Independent Spirit Awards in 2014 for his work in the 2012 Matthew McConaughey movie 'Mud,' where he played the father of a murdered man. It would be his final work before he retired. Baker was married for 11 years to Maria Dolores Rivero-Torres; the two had no children. A voracious reader and lover of cats and nature, the lifetime member of the Actors Studio 'is mourned by a small but very close circle of friends who will miss him eternally,' his family said. A funeral service will be held Tuesday morning at Utter McKinley Mortuary in Mission Hills. ___ © 2025 Los Angeles Times. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Joe Don Baker Dies: ‘Walking Tall' Star Who Appeared In Three James Bond Films Was 89
Joe Don Baker, the actor who as the real-life Sheriff Buford Pusser in the 1973 vigilante film Walking Tall carried a big stick to mete out his own Tennessee brand of justice, died May 7, his family has announced. He was 89. A cause of death was not disclosed. More from Deadline 2025 Deaths Photo Gallery: Hollywood & Media Obituaries Samuel French Dies: 'Killers Of The Flower Moon' & 'Fear The Walking Dead' Actor Was 45 Mark Gaines Dies: Longtime Universal Distribution Exec Was 77 Born February 12, 1936, in Groesbeck, Texas, Baker played football for North Texas State College and, upon graduating in 1959, served a two-year stint in the Army before moving to New York City to study acting at the Actor's Studio. He would remain a lifelong member of the famed organization. After some time performing on the New York stage – he appeared on Broadway in 1963's Marathon '33 and, a year later, in Blues for Mister Charlie. He then moved to Los Angeles and launched a TV and film career that included guest appearances on such series as Honey West, Gunsmoke, The Big Valley, Mission: Impossible, Lancer and The Streets of San Francisco, among many others. Early film roles included small parts in Cool Hand Luke and The Valachi Papers. His signature role came in 1973, when he took up a four-foot-long hickory club as the weapon of choice for Walking Tall's justice-seeking Sheriff Buford Pusser. Critics may have scoffed, but the movie, directed by Phil Karlson, was a hit with audiences caught up in the 1970s vigilante-film craze that included Death Wish, Dirty Harry and even Taxi Driver. Georgia-based rock band Drive-By Truckers dedicated a three-song run on its 2004 album The Dirty South to Pusser and Walking Tall, telling the tell from the other side of the law on 'The Boys From Alabama,' 'Cottonseed' and 'The Buford Stick.' Saying Goodbye: A Video Tribute To The Hollywood & Media Figures We've Lost In 2025 Standing at 6'2″ and with the broad frame of the linebacker he was in college, Baker had a prolific screen career playing tough guys on both sides of the law throughout the 1970s and '80s in such movies as Charley Varrick (1973), Mitchell (1975) and Speedtrap (1977). Comedy roles increasingly made their way to Baker in the 1980s and 1990s, including another police chief role in the 1985 Chevy Chase comedy Fletch and, in 1996, Tim Burton's Mars Attacks! Other memorable roles included a baseball player known as The Whammer opposite Robert Redford in The Natural (1984) and, in 1991, a corrupt investigator in Martin Scorsese's Cape Fear. He toplined the NBC crime drama Eischied, playing the NYPD's tough chief of detectives who had a soft side for his pet cat. The series debuted in September 1979 but lasted just one season. Baker also appeared in three James Bond films of the 1980s and '90s. He played a bad guy in The Living Daylights (1987) opposite Timothy Dalton as Bond, and a 007 ally CIA agent in the Pierce Brosnan-led GoldenEye (1995) and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997). After appearing in nearly 60 movies throughout his career, Baker retired in 2012. His marriage in 1969 to Maria Dolores Rivero-Torres ended with divorce in 1980. Baker is survived by extended family in Groesbeck, Texas. A funeral service to honor his life will be held Tuesday in Mission Hills, California. Erik Pedersen contributed to this report. Best of Deadline 2025 Deaths Photo Gallery: Hollywood & Media Obituaries Where To Watch All The 'Mission: Impossible' Movies: Streamers With Multiple Films In The Franchise Everything We Know About 'My Life With The Walter Boys' Season 2 So Far
Sky News AU
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
'Dearly missed but never forgotten':James Bond actor Joe Don Baker, who appeared in three 007 films, has died aged 89
Hollywood legend Joe Don Baker has died aged 89, his family has confirmed. The Texas-born star passed away on May 7 in Southern California, where he had lived in recent years. His cause of death has not been disclosed. Baker's acting career spanned nearly five decades, beginning in 1965 with an appearance on the television series Honey West. He shot to prominence in the early 1970s, playing Steve McQueen's younger brother in Junior Bonner (1972), before landing the lead in the hit crime drama Walking Tall (1973). Based on a true story, Walking Tall followed a Southern sheriff who took on organised crime with nothing but a wooden club and sheer determination- a role that cemented Baker's place as a Hollywood "tough guy". But it was his work in the James Bond franchise that made him a familiar face to international audiences. Baker first appeared in The Living Daylights (1987) as a rogue Soviet general opposite Timothy Dalton's Bond. He later returned to the franchise in a very different role- as CIA operative Jack Wade- in GoldenEye (1995) and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), both alongside Pierce Brosnan. Beyond Bond, Baker enjoyed a prolific career in television, starring in the crime drama Eischied and earned a BAFTA nomination for his performance in the acclaimed British mini-series Edge of Darkness. His final film role was a small but poignant part in the 2012 drama Mud, starring Matthew McConaughey. Born on February 12, 1936, in Groesbeck, Texas, Baker played football at North Texas State College before serving two years in the Army. He later moved to New York City to study at the prestigious Actors Studio. Reflecting on his early days of acting, Baker once credited his ability to listen as the key to being accepted into the Studio. "I did a scene with a girl, and she did most of the talking, so I listened," he recalled in a 1986 video interview. "Come to find out, that's what you're supposed to do when you act- listen." He was married to Maria Dolores Rivero-Torres for 11 years, and while he did not have children, he is survived by relatives in his hometown of Groesbeck. "As we say goodbye to Joe Don, we hold onto the memories and the love he shared with us," his family said in a statement. "Though he may no longer be with us in body, his spirit will always remain, a guiding light in the lives he touched. "Rest in peace, Joe Don. You will be dearly missed but never forgotten."
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Actor, Groesbeck native Joe Don Baker dies at 89
GROESBECK, Texas (FOX 44) – Actor and Groesbeck native Joe Don Baker has passed away at age 89. Baker passed away on May 7, according to his obituary. He was born on February 12, 1936, and spent his early years in Groesbeck. He attended Groesbeck High School, excelling in both football and basketball. His athletic skills led him to secure a scholarship at North Texas State College, where he joined the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and graduated in 1958 with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration. He received the Distinguished Alumni award from his college in 1994, now renamed University of North Texas. Baker served in the U.S. Army for a two-year period before moving to New York City, where he studied at the Actor's Studio and became a life member. During this time, he gained acting experience performing in the lively New York theater scene. The obituary says Baker eventually moved to Los Angeles, where his acting career gradually took off. He started with small television parts and eventually progressed to major acting roles as leading man and later in life as a character actor. During Baker's long career until his retirement in 2012, he performed in 57 movies – starring in 'Walking Tall', 'Mitchell' and more. He also landed co-starring roles and supporting parts in other mayor projects, including 'Charlie Varrick' and three James Bond films. According to the obituary, Baker's film acting accolades include winning the Robert Altman Award for his role on 'Mud' and nominations for the for the miniseries 'George Wallace'. He performed in numerous television productions, including a starring role in the popular series 'Eischied', and an outstanding performance on the acclaimed British television production of 'Edge of Darkness', which earned him a Best Actor nomination from the British Academy of Television. Baker's eleven-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. The obituary says a funeral service to honor Baker's life will be held on Tuesday, May 20, at Utter McKinley Mortuary in Mission Hills, California at 10 a.m. Friends and family are invited to gather and share memories, celebrating the extraordinary life he led. If you would like to plant trees Baker's memory, you can go here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Los Angeles Times
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Joe Don Baker, actor who wielded a big stick in ‘Walking Tall,' dies at 89
Joe Don Baker, the leading man turned character actor who broke out playing Sheriff Buford Pusser in the 1973 movie 'Walking Tall,' has died, his family announced online. The Texas-born tough guy died May 7 at age 89. No cause of death was given. Baker lived in Southern California when he died. 'Joe Don was a beacon of kindness and generosity. ... Throughout his life, Joe Don touched many lives with his warmth and compassion, leaving an indelible mark on everyone fortunate enough to know him,' his family said. Born on Feb. 12, 1936, in Groesbeck, Texas, Baker played football and basketball well enough to earn a sports scholarship to North Texas State College — now University of North Texas — where he earned a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1958 and pledged to the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. Baker went into the U.S. Army for two years and then emerged in New York, where he studied at the Actors Studio and performed onstage. His acting career took off in the mid-1960s when he moved to Los Angeles, where he started with TV roles in shows like 'The High Chaparral' and 'Mission: Impossible' before taking the spotlight as a leading man in movies like 'Walking Tall' and 'Final Justice.' When he aged into character actor work, he played Claude Kersek in the 1991 Robert DeNiro remake of 'Cape Fear,' Olaf Anderson in Eddie Murphy's 1992 movie 'The Distinguished Gentleman' and Tom Pierce in 1994's 'Reality Bites.' Baker played a villain in the 1987 James Bond movie 'The Living Daylights,' featuring Timothy Dalton as Bond, and then CIA agent Jack Wade in two Bond films starring Pierce Brosnan: 'GoldenEye' in 1995 and 'Tomorrow Never Dies' in 1997. He also spent a lot of time working in TV, playing the title cop role in 'Eischied' in 1979 — he often portrayed officers of the law — Big Jim Folsom in the 1997 miniseries 'George Wallace' and myriad other roles in shows including 'Ironside,' 'The Streets of San Francisco,' 'Gunsmoke' and 'Mod Squad.' As he moved around between TV and film, Baker was ahead of the curve in declaring Hollywood creativity dead. 'In Hollywood, they've chased away all the good writers,' he told The Times in 1986 when he was promoting the BBC-made miniseries 'Edge of Darkness' and strongly favoring foreign work over domestic. 'You never meet the writer when you're making a TV movie in America — they're too ashamed to show up and see how their work has been mangled by some committee. 'I hate the thought of showing up on another TV movie set in America ,' he continued. 'All they care about here is whether you remember the words. In England they take the time to get everything right. I was there six months to make six hours. That's a little more than twice as long as it would take in America.' In the United States, Baker said, 'By the time the networks get through worrying about who they're gonna tick off, they wind up with nothing.' He said it was hard to get American studios interested in anything different. 'They want huge budgets, which are easier to steal from. The studios don't seem to mind losing hundreds of millions — they can write it all off. The rest of us can either pay to see their lousy movies or be taxed to cover their write-offs.' But 'Walking Tall,' the movie that made him, was based on the true story of a Tennessee sheriff whose life was turned tragic by criminals. During his six years in office, the real Pusser, known for carrying a big hickory stick he used as a weapon, fought a gang of bootleggers and con men who were operating along the Mississippi-Tennessee state line. He was shot and stabbed on several occasions and killed a thieving female motel owner who ambushed him. Then in 1967 he was waylaid in his car by criminals who shot him and killed his wife, Pauline. Pusser became a nationally known figure thanks to coverage on network news. Even though the movie took the usual Hollywood liberties with Pusser's life, the film played like a pure piece of American neo-realism: Audiences saw a strong family man who becomes politically involved only after being cheated at a local casino, beaten and left for dead. Elected sheriff, he becomes driven, fighting the local criminal syndicate, corrupt judges and state government officials. The film packed an emotional wallop. It was not an instant success, however, when it was first released in urban theaters and sold as a good-old-boy Southern law-and-order drama. 'The initial ads had me coming out of a swamp with slime coming off me and I had this little stick in my hand,' Baker told The Times in 2004, when a significantly reimagined 'Walking Tall' remake starring Dwayne Johnson was coming out. 'They were just terrible ads.' But outsized success in Asian markets led to a new marketing campaign that turned the movie into an American hit. 'I very seldom get good parts offered me now,' he said in 2004. 'I had better parts before I became a so-called star in 'Walking Tall.'' In a 2000 humor column, former Times columnist Chris Erskine lovingly called Baker 'one of the best bad actors ever.' Good parts or not, he won a Robert Altman Award at the Film Independent Spirit Awards in 2014 for his work in the 2012 Matthew McConaughey movie 'Mud,' where he played the father of a murdered man. It would be his final work before he retired. Baker was married for 11 years to Maria Dolores Rivero-Torres; the two had no children. A voracious reader and lover of cats and nature, the lifetime member of the Actors Studio 'is mourned by a small but very close circle of friends who will miss him eternally,' his family said. A funeral service will be held Tuesday morning at Utter McKinley Mortuary in Mission Hills. Freelance writer Lewis Beale contributed to this report.
