Joe Don Baker Biography
Joe Don Baker is an American character actor best known for his tough guy roles in various westerns and in the James Bond series. Born in Groesbeck, Texas on February 12th 1936, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a business degree in 1958 before training to be an actor and beginning a career onstage during Broadway’s 1963-64 season.
He had minor roles in many TV and film productions through the late 1960s and early 70s, and breakthrough moment came in 1973 with the success of Walking Tall, helmed by director Phil Karlson.
Waking Tall was released in February as a regional movie and became an unexpected sensation, racking up $23 million at box offices around the nation.
Joe Don Baker’s physical prowess and Texan drawl made him perfect for westerns, leading him to appear in films such as Guns of the Magnificent Seven and Wild Rovers, as well as popular television series such as Bonanza and Gunsmoke.
Joe Don Baker is most recognized for his roles in 3 different James Bond films, however. First he was cast to play Brad Whitaker in 1987’s The Living Daylights alongside Timothy Dalton’s James Bond. He returned twice more to portray Bond’s ally, CIA agent Jack Wade, firstly in GoldenEye (1995) then Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) with Pierce Brosnan as 007.
He is one of the few actors who played both an antagonist and a Bond ally in different Bond films, alongside Charles Gray, Richard Kiel, and Walter Gotell.
Recent movie credits include Joe Dirt, The Dukes of Hazzard, Strange Wilderness, and Mud (2012) – his last known film appearance.
Joe Don Baker FAQs
Joe Don Baker appeared in three James Bond movies, The Living Daylights (1987) as villain Brad Whitaker, and he starred in GoldenEye (1995) and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) both as CIA agent Jack Wade.
He is 6 feet 2 inches (188 cm) tall.
As of 2023, Joe Don Baker’s net worth is estimated to be around $6 million. He has accumulated his wealth through his successful acting career spanning several decades.
Joe Don Baker is a private man, and nobody outside his circle knows of his marital status, but he was previously married to Maria Dolores Rivero-Torres from 1969 to 1980.
Woodland Hills, California (CA), US.
Although Joe Don Baker has slowed down his acting career in recent years, he has not officially retired from the industry entirely. However, his last film was Mud in 2012.
