Joe Don Baker, who became a fan favorite for his performance as take-no-guff Sheriff Buford Pusser in the 1973 Southern cinema classic Walking Tall, has died.
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Baker’s family announced that he passed away on May 7, but chose not to reveal the cause of death. He was 89.
Born on Feb. 12, 1936, in Groesbeck, Texas, Baker pursued his passion for football at North Texas State College. After graduating in 1959, he served two years in the Army before relocating to New York City to study acting at the renowned Actors Studio. A dedicated artist, he became a lifelong member of the esteemed institution.
After a period performing on the New York stage, he made his Broadway debut in 1963 with Marathon ’33 and followed it up a year later with Blues for Mister Charlie.
After a period performing on the New York stage, he made his Broadway debut in 1963 with Marathon ’33 and followed it up a year later with Blues for Mister Charlie.
Baker later relocated to Los Angeles, where he embarked on a successful career in television and film. According to IMDb, He made guest appearances on popular series such as Gunsmoke, The Big Valley, Mission: Impossible, and The Streets of San Francisco, among others.
He also broke into film with minor parts in Cool Hand Luke and The Valachi Papers.
Joe Don Baker Helps Create an Entire Film Genre
But it was his breakout role in 1973 that made him a legend to generations of Southerners, wielding a four-foot-long hickory club as the justice-serving Sheriff Buford Pusser in Walking Tall. The drive-in classic was the prototypical vigilante justice flick, smashing onto the scene before Death Wish took the genre to the masses.
The imposing Baker leveraged his success in Walking Tall to build a thriving screen career throughout the 1970s and ’80s, portraying a range of tough characters. He left his mark in films like Charley Varrick (1973), Speedtrap (1977), and (Mystery Science Theater 3000 favorite) Mitchell (1975).
Although Baker was often cast as the heavy, he began to take on more comedic roles throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Notable performances include his portrayal of a police chief in the 1985 Chevy Chase comedy Fletch and his appearance in Tim Burton’s 1996 sci-fi satire Mars Attacks!
Baker appeared in three James Bond films during the 1980s and 1990s, playing both a foil and an ally of the iconic super spy. In The Living Daylights (1987), he starred as a formidable antagonist opposite Timothy Dalton’s Bond. Later, he switched sides to play a CIA ally to 007 in Pierce Brosnan’s GoldenEye (1995) and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997).
His final film role was in 2012’s Mud, alongside Matthew McConaughey.
He married Maria Dolores Rivero-Torres in 1969, but their union ended in divorce in 1980. Baker is survived by his extended family in Groesbeck, Texas.