Although his name may not be familiar, his face is. Joe Don Baker, 89, passed away on May 7th. He had just turned 89 in February. Baker will most likely be remembered as playing tough-on-crime Sheriff Buford Pusser in the 1973 movie Walking Tall. A working character actor, Joe Don Baker had over 80 credits to his name. He was also featured alongside Pierce Brosnan and Timothy Dalton in several of the James Bond films.
Joe Don Baker’s Acting Credits
Joe Don Baker generally retired from acting in 2012. Most of his roles were from the 70s, 80s, and 90s. One of his more recent roles was Governor Applewhite in the 2005 Dukes of Hazzard movie. Baker was known for portraying either law enforcement officials or scheming bad guys.
Joe Don Baker was born in Groesbeck, Texas, where he grew up, then attended North Texas State. Eventually, he went into the army and then decided to pursue acting. While in New York, he joined the Actors’ Studio to hone his acting skills.
After taking on a variety of roles in the 60s and 70s, Baker finally scored the lead as Buford in 1973’s Walking Tall. Other notable work was when he filled in for Carroll O’Connor when O’Connor was out during the television series In the Heat of the Night.
Joe Don Baker’s Legacy
The movies in which Joe Don was cast set the tone for many western, spy, or heist thrillers. Baker raised the bar for many character, ensemble, and lead actors whom we see today. Although it is a different storyline with a different character name, a version of Walking Tall was remade in 2004 with Dwayne Johnson (“The Rock”) as the lead.
For those unfamiliar with Joe Don Baker’s work, we recommend you check out one of his movies. You might enjoy watching him as the villain Whitaker in the 1987 James Bond flick The Living Daylights or as ally Wade with Pierce Brosnan in GoldenEye and in Tomorrow Never Dies. These two characters display the range of Joe Don Baker’s acting talents.
