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- James Bond star Joe Don Baker dies aged 89 (the-independent.com)
Joe Don Baker, the towering American actor known for his tough-guy roles, has passed away at the age of 89. His family confirmed his death on May 7, but did not disclose the cause.
Baker’s career spanned nearly five decades and included a memorable range of characters on both sides of the law. He first gained recognition in Westerns like Guns of the Magnificent Seven and Wild Rovers before achieving widespread fame as the real-life Tennessee Sheriff Buford Pusser in the 1973 hit Walking Tall.
Baker later made a unique mark on the James Bond franchise. He first played the imposing arms dealer Brad Whitaker in The Living Daylights (1987), opposite Timothy Dalton.
He later returned to the series as the affable CIA agent Jack Wade in GoldenEye (1995) and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), alongside Pierce Brosnan. This made him arguably the first American Bond villain and one of the few actors to play both a villain and an ally to 007.
Born in Groesbeck, Texas, in 1936, Baker’s early life was marked by the loss of his mother. After graduating from the University of North Texas and serving in the U.S.
Army, he honed his acting skills at the Actors Studio in New York City. He eventually landed roles in television Westerns and then appeared as Steve McQueen’s younger brother in Sam Peckinpah’s Junior Bonner (1972).
Baker’s talent extended to television as well. He earned a BAFTA TV Award nomination for his performance in the 1985 miniseries Edge of Darkness.
His later work included roles in Martin Scorsese’s Cape Fear (1991) and the A&E series The Cleaner (2009). He also appeared in the acclaimed film Mud (2012), starring Matthew McConaughey.
He retired from acting that same year.
Baker was married to Maria Dolores Rivero-Torres from 1969 to 1980. He is survived by relatives in Groesbeck and a close circle of friends. His obituary remembers him as a kind and generous man with a love of reading, nature, and animals.
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- James Bond star Joe Don Baker dies aged 89 (the-independent.com)