Joe Don Baker passed on May 7 at the age of 89.
While he was not as prolific an actor as many (103 roles per iMDB), his on-screen persona always seemed to bulk large.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Baker found success playing both leading and supporting roles, including a mafia hitman in Charley Varrick (1973), a brute force detective in Mitchell (1975), a legendary baseball player in The Natural (1984), a police chief in the Chevy Chase comedy Fletch (1985), and a morally dubious private investigator in Martin Scorsese’s Cape Fear (1991). Wiki
Baker usually played tough guys, to which he was suited by physique and attitude. He is the only actor to have played both a good guy and a villain in the James Bond movie series.
Whether you think of him playing Buford Pusser in the original Walking Tall, the hit man in Charley Varrick, or the obvious Babe-Ruth clone The Whammer in The Natural, Baker always stood out – not as a scene stealer but more like Brian Dennehy, just because he projected being a big immovable guy.
Baker graduated North Texas College in Denton, TX in 1958 before doing his two years in the Army like most men of his time. He was stationed in Washington, DC according to Military.com.
He will always be Walking Tall in my eyes, but he memorable for the small CIA roles in the Bond films. He played the big dumb looking (yet canny) quite well.
MITCHELL! RIP.
My, my, my, my, Mittens!
Raise a warm can of Schlitz in tribute.
Godspeed, Fare Well, and Rest Easy, Good Sir. A life well lived. One cannot ask for much more than that.
Rest in peace. God be with your family now.
He would have been perfect for Princess Bride
“I’m on the brute squad”
“You ARE the brute squad”
I don’t see anyone in that role other than Andre. He was twice as heavy and more than a foot taller. Plus his thick accent added some charm.
Agree. As I mentioned, he could probably have played almost any Dennehy role, but Fezzik was in a whole other size range. About the only other person I could see doing that would be the guy playing Pauli in “Reacher”, but I don’t see him showing the sweet side Andre did.
Feels like he played the same role in every movie (looking at YOU, Jason Statham) but he played it well. Particularly enjoyed MST3000 riffing his movie “Final Justice”.
MST3000 riffed JDB on his other movie “Mitchell”
For any of the Deplorable Garbage who have no idea what you are talking about, use the next 90 minutes to enlighten yourselves.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ECupIhIuei0&pp=ygUOTXN0M2sgbWl0Y2hlbGw%3D
Well Felix, we are a little Lighter without you, Rest in Peace.
I loved him as the dirty cop in ‘ Fletch ‘
One of my favourite movies