JOE DON BAKER BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Joe Don Baker was born on February 12th, 1936 in Groesbeck, Texas to parents Edna and Doyle Charles Baker.  After High School, Baker went on to study at the University of North Texas and began showing an interest in theater appearing on a number of stage productions.
 
In 1967 he was offered a small role on the film, "Cool Hand Luke".  His big break came not long afterward when he was cast in the film, "Junior Bonner" followed by a role in the film, "Walking Tall" (1973).  His most well known role was also in 1973 in the film, "Charley Varrick".
 
His career has spanned over four decades.  Most of his roles after the film, "Charley Varrick" were for the most part forgettable until he did make a comeback when he was cast in the television movie, "To Kill a Cop" (1978) which later became a television series, "Eischied" (1979) playing police detective Earl Eischied. 
 
Joe Don is most well known in the united Kingdom form the BBC Television drama, "Edge of Darkness" and for his role on this program he received a British Academy Television Awards nomination. 
 
As his career progressed some of his later roles were in, "The Living Daylight" (1987) portraying the character, Brad Whitaker in this Bond film.  He later returned to the James Bond film series in 1995 and again in 1997 in, "GoldenEye" and "Tomorrow Never Dies".  Other films from his career have been roles in, "Cape Fear" (1991), "Mars Attacks!" (1996), "Tomorrow Never Dies" (1996), "The Cleaner" (2009) and "Mud" scheduled to release 2013.
 
He has been married one time to Maria Dolores Rivero-Torres whom he wed in 1969 but later divorced.  He has no children of his own and has not remarried. He remains working in the industry taking on the occasional role.

Filmography

2013 Mud
2009 The Cleaner 
2008 Strange Wilderness
2005 The Dukes of Hazzard 
2003 The Commission
2001 Joe Dirt
2001 Vegas, City of Dreams 
1999 Too Rich: The Secret Life of Doris Duke
1998 Poodle Springs
1997 Tomorrow Never Dies 
1997 George Wallace
1997 To Dance with Olivia 
1996 Mars Attacks! 
1996 The Siege at Ruby Ridge 
1995 GoldenEye 
1995 The Grass Harp 
1995 Congo
1995 Panther
1995 Underneath 
1995 Felony 
1994 Traps
1994 Ring of Steel 
1994 Reality Bites 
1993 Complex of Fear 
1992 The Distinguished Gentleman 
1992 Citizen Cohn 
1991 Cape Fear 
1990 The Children 
1989 In the Heat of the Night
1989 Screen Two 
1988 Criminal Law 
1987 Leonard Part 6
1987 The Killing Time 
1987 The Living Daylights 
1987 The Abduction of Kari Swenson 
1986 Getting Even 
1985 Edge of Darkness
1985 Fletch 
1985 Final Justice 
1984 The Natural 
1983 Joysticks 
1982 Wacko 
1979-1980 Eischied
1980 Power
1978 To Kill a Cop
1977 Speedtrap
1977 The Pack 
1977 The Shadow of Chikara
1977 Checkered Flag or Crash 
1975 Mitchell 
1975 Framed
1974 Golden Needles 
1973 The Outfit 
1973 Charley Varrick 
1973 The Streets of San Francisco
1973 Doc Elliot
1973 Walking Tall
1972 That Certain Summer
1972 Ironside
1972 Welcome Home, Soldier Boys
1972 Junior Bonner
1971 Mongo's Back in Town 
1971 Mission: Impossible
1971 Wild Rovers
1971 The High Chaparral 
1970 The Most Deadly Game 
1970 Adam at Six A.M. 
1970 The F.B.I.
1968-1970 Lancer
1970 Bracken's World 
1969 Mod Squad 
1969 Guns of the Magnificent Seven
1969 The Big Valley 
1966-1969 Gunsmoke 
1968 The Outsider 
1968 Bonanza
1967 Felony Squad
1967 Cool Hand Luke
1967 Judd for the Defense
1965 Honey West