Legendary actorJoe Don Bakermight be best remembered for hisaction movieroles in the 1970s, but his six-decade career saw him play a wide variety of unique characters. The Texas-born performer got his start in the late 1960s with an uncredited role inCool Hand Luke, but would soon begin showing up in supporting roles in action films and westerns at the beginning of the next decade. By the middle of the 1970s he was a bona fide movie star, and was often given top billing in many exploitation and genre films.
Though he would become something of arecurring punchline on the showMystery Science Theater 3000, Baker’s career continued to diversify as the decades wore on, and he found success on TV. Often bouncing between bombastic tough-guys and sleazy heels, Baker’s true strength was that he could inhabit a character with a reality that many of his contemporaries couldn’t muster. While he would never return to leading-man status in his later years, Baker could be relied upon to turn in a strong supporting performance, especially when given a role that was uniquely suited to his talents.
Though he passed away in 2025, Joe Don Baker’s final performance came in the underrated Matthew McConaughey film,Mud, in 2012. The coming-of-age drama takes a page from Mark Twain’sAdventures of Huckleberry FinnandTom Sawyernovels, but with a dash of modern cynicism.
Joe Don Baker is only in the film briefly in the role of King, a man with ruthless intentions who wants his revenge against the titular character. The appearance in the film earned Baker the only major award win in his entire career when he snagged the Robert Altman Award at the 2014 Independent Spirit Awards. While it might not be his most memorable part,it was a fitting role for Baker to end his career with.
The sci-fi/action filmCongowas a box office smash in 1995, though the reviews were mixed at best. Hearkening back to an older era, the film is reminiscent of the classic adventure films from the golden age of Hollywood, but with a dose of modern sci-fi cheese.
The actor had a talent for hiding his villainous characters behind his natural folksy charm.
Baker appears as TraviCom CEO R.B. Travis, who dispatches the second expedition to rescue his son and find the blue diamond. Though the script is poor to say the least,Baker is perfect for the role of the cynical CEOwho is actually in it for the money and doesn’t care what damage he inflicts. The actor had a talent for hiding his villainous characters behind his natural folksy charm.
ThoughMars Attacks!isn’t generally ranked amongTim Burton’s best films, it’s an interesting experiment that showed off the filmmaker’s unique vision. Based on the eponymous series of trading cards,Mars Attacks!is a tongue-in-cheek parody of sci-fi films with a wicked sense of humor and an all-star cast including Jack Nicholson and Pierce Brosnan.
Starring alongside a young Jack Black, Joe Don Baker plays Glenn Norris, the father of Lukas Haas' Richie. Baker’s performance is surprisingly comedic, andostensibly parodies many of the “Good ol' Boy” roles he was known for playing in the ’70s.
The first of three James Bond films that Joe Don Baker would appear in,The Living Daylightsis also the first movie to star Timothy Dalton as 007. Continuing the series' trend toward cartoonish action and over-the-top fun,The Living Daylightsis a standard ’80s Bond movie that stands in stark contrast to the violence of its successor,Licence to Kill.
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The role of Brad Whitaker is a supporting villain in the film, butBaker is deft at giving the obnoxious arms dealer a lived-in feeling. Though there are those who think Baker was miscast in the role, it is that clash that makes Whitaker feel more like a real person instead of a strange stereotype.
Based on Gregory Mcdonald’s popular novels,Fletchstars Chevy Chase as a journalist with a knack for disguises who finds himself in too deep while investigating a story. The movie often slips through the cracks when recalling the best ’80s comedies, but it was anchored by Chase’s overwhelming starpower.
Chevy Chase returned for the sequel,Fletch Lives, and a third film was produced in 2022 with Jon Hamm in the lead role.
Perfectly cast as the straight man, Joe Don Baker plays Chief Jerry Karlin, yet another stentorian authority role that was right in his wheelhouse. While the part is utterly devoid of humor,Baker’s performance makes Chief Karlin a believable figure in a film that is known for its over-the-top humor.
Joe Don Baker’s time as a leading man was rather short, and his 1975 filmFramedis one of his most underrated outingsfrom that period. Baker plays a bar owner who is desperate for justice as the entire corrupt system tries to put him away.Part prison movieand part redneck-exploitation epic,Framedwas trying to cash in on the success of Baker’s starmaking appearance inWalking Tall.
While the film itself is far from perfect,the gritty realism sets it apart from the usual action fare, and Baker’s performance as Ron is dynamic and layered. The one-man-against-the-system formula was an important factor in many exploitation movies from that era, andFramedtook things one step further by having some truly death-defying stunts.
After appearing as a villain inThe Living Daylights, Joe Don Baker popped up inGoldenEyeas James Bond’s CIA ally, Jack Wade. Helping to reignite the franchise after its longest break up to that point, the first Pierce Brosnan film brought back the explosive action and kept just a touch of 007’s beloved campiness. Often considered one of the best Bond films ever,GoldenEyewas certainly the highlight of Brosnan’s tenure.
Baker doesn’t appear for too long inGoldenEye, but his brief moments onscreen are filled with character. Spinning some folksy charm,Wade is the quintessential American counterpoint to Bond’s suave British agent. Unlike earlier characters (such as Sheriff J.W. Pepper), Wade is exaggerated but still remains likable.
The 1984 sports dramaThe Naturaladapts Bernard Malamud’s debut novel of the same name, and is generally considered one ofthe best baseball filmsof all time. Deftly balancing a magical realist tone and the usual cliches of sports dramas,The Naturalhas a lyrical quality that makes it a love-letter to the sport of baseball and its long history of tradition.
he is only given a brief time to make an impression, and The Whammer nearly steals the show.
Joe Don Baker appears in a supporting role as The Whammer, a famous slugger who challenges Roy to strike him out. The Whammer is loosely based on baseball legend Babe Ruth, andBaker’s performance really sells the arrogance of the fictitious version of the sports superstar. Like many of Baker’s best roles, he is only given a brief time to make an impression, and The Whammer nearly steals the show.
Martin Scorsese’s remake ofCape Feartook the ideas of the original film and novel and made them even more nightmarish.Ostensibly Scorsese’s first horror film, the gripping thriller features Robert De Niro in what might be his most deranged role as recently freed ex-con Max Cady. Hyperstylized and appropriately verbose, the film both pays tribute to the original, and tells its own version of the story.
Baker plays the role of private investigator Claude Kersek, who is hired by the family to keep tabs on Cady.Kersek is one of Baker’s most complicated characters, and he is both a hero and villain simultaneously. While his fight against Cady is heroic, his bumbling methods and casual violence make him a sleazy example of the injustice that Cady rails against.
1973’sWalking Tallwas the movie that made Joe Don Baker a household name, and his turn as Buford Pusser will forever be his defining legacy. Loosely based on the real life of the aforementioned person,Walking Tallis essentially a revenge film where one determined man takes on the entire corrupt system that has infiltrated his small town.
A key part of the 1970s redneck-exploitation boom,Walking Tallmixes action, drama, and comedy into a concoction that elevates it above many of its exploitation contemporaries. As for Baker’s performance, he breathes life into Pusser and makes him more than just a cliche and exaggerated folk hero. A remake starring The Rock failed to capture the magic of the original, and there’s a reason whyWalking Tallwill always beJoe Don Baker’s biggest contribution to the art of film.
