Joe Don Baker

Joe Don Baker

1936-02-12 Groesbeck, Texas, USA 63 Credits

Biography

Joe Don Baker (February 12, 1936 - May 7, 2025) was an American film actor, perhaps best known for his roles as a Mafia hitman in Charley Varrick, real-life Tennessee sheriff Buford Pusser in Walking Tall, James Bond villain Brad Whitaker in The Living Daylights, and CIA agent Jack Wade in the James Bond films GoldenEye and Tomorrow Never Dies.

Known For

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Complete Filmography

Mud

Mud

2013

as King

7.1
Acting

Two teenage boys find a fugitive hiding out on an island in the Mississippi River and help him reunite with his lover and escape an avenging family an...

Strange Wilderness

Strange Wilderness

2008

as Bill Calhoun

4.9
Acting

With the ratings dropping for a wilderness-themed TV show, two animal fans go to the Andes in search of Bigfoot.

The 50 Greatest Television Dramas

The 50 Greatest Television Dramas

2007

as Self

Acting

Boasting an amazing selection of the most watched, most influential and most highly acclaimed programmes ever made, The 50 Greatest Television Dramas ...

The Dukes of Hazzard

The Dukes of Hazzard

2005

as Governor Jim Applewhite

5.6
Acting

Cousins, Bo and Luke Duke, with the help of their eye-catching cousin, Daisy and moonshine-running Uncle Jesse, try and save the family farm from bein...

Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade

Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade

2004

as Self (archive footage)

7.8
Acting

An account of the life and work of American film director Sam Peckinpah (1925-84), a tortured artist whose genius and inner demons changed the Western...

The Commission

The Commission

2003

as Rep. Hale Boggs

1.0
Acting

Using transcripts from the Warren Commission Report, this film documents the workings of the Warren Commission, which investigated the assassination o...

Best Ever Bond

2002

as Jack Wade (archive footage) (uncredited)

5.0
Acting

Roger Moore presents the ten best sequences ever to have appeared in the James Bond series, and cast members recall their favourite moments.

Joe Dirt

Joe Dirt

2001

as Don, Brandy's Dad (uncredited)

5.6
Acting

Joe Dirt is a janitor with a mullet hairdo, acid-washed jeans and a dream to find the parents that he lost at the Grand Canyon when he was a belligere...

Vegas, City of Dreams

Vegas, City of Dreams

2001

as Dylan Garrett

2.0
Acting

When the body of Gabrielle Garrett is found on Lake Mead on a Christmas day, the coroner rules it as suicide. However, her three sisters begin their o...

Inside The Living Daylights

Inside The Living Daylights

2000

as Self

8.0
Acting

The making of the film that introduced Timothy Dalton as James Bond, who gave Bond a darker edge for a new generation.

Inside 'The Living Daylights'

Inside 'The Living Daylights'

2000

as Self

6.2
Acting

A behind the scenes look at the James Bond film "The Living Daylights"

Poodle Springs

Poodle Springs

1998

as P.J. Parker

5.5
Acting

Private eye Philip Marlowe and his bride move to a desert town, where he uncovers a land scheme.

Tomorrow Never Dies

Tomorrow Never Dies

1997

as Wade

6.4
Acting

A deranged media mogul is staging international incidents to pit the world's superpowers against each other. Now James Bond must take on this evil mas...

George Wallace

George Wallace

1997

as Big Jim Folsom

6.8
Acting

George Wallace is a 1997 television film starring Gary Sinise as George Wallace, the former Governor of Alabama. It was directed by John Frankenheimer...

To Dance with Olivia

To Dance with Olivia

1997

as Horace

Acting

A lawyer trying to cope with his son's accidental death takes on a case where a farmer is charged with booby trapping a watermelon patch with a shotgu...

Mars Attacks!

Mars Attacks!

1996

as Glenn Norris

6.4
Acting

A fleet of Martian spacecraft surrounds the world's major cities and all of humanity waits to see if the extraterrestrial visitors have, as they claim...

The Grass Harp

The Grass Harp

1996

as Sheriff Junius Candle

5.8
Acting

Based on the novel by Truman Capote, this often-witty coming-of-age drama looks at a young man growing up with an unusual family in the Deep South in ...

The Siege at Ruby Ridge

The Siege at Ruby Ridge

1996

as Gerry Spence

5.1
Acting

A mini-series dramatization of the controversial 1992 attack by federal agents on the Idaho home of Randy Weaver, a white seperatist. The ten-day sieg...

GoldenEye

GoldenEye

1995

as Jack Wade

6.9
Acting

When a powerful satellite system falls into the hands of Alec Trevelyan, AKA Agent 006, a former ally-turned-enemy, only James Bond can save the world...

Congo

Congo

1995

as R.B. Travis

5.6
Acting

Eight people embark on an expedition into the Congo, a mysterious expanse of unexplored Africa where human greed and the laws of nature have gone bers...

Panther

Panther

1995

as Brimmer

6.2
Acting

Panther is a semi-historic film about the origins of The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. The movie spans about 3 years (1966-68) of the Black Pa...

The Underneath

The Underneath

1995

as Clay Hinkle

5.6
Acting

A recovering gambling addict attempts to reconcile with his family and friends but finds trouble and temptation when caught between feelings for his e...

Felony

Felony

1994

as Donovan

4.6
Acting

A reality cop show films a police raid on a drug ring that goes awry and results in the massacre of 11 policemen. All of this gets taped by the camera...

Ring of Steel

Ring of Steel

1994

as Man in Black

5.1
Acting

A champion fencer accidentally kills an opponent in a match. Disgraced, he is blackballed from the fencing community, until a mysterious stranger save...

Reality Bites

Reality Bites

1994

as Tom Pierce

6.6
Acting

A small circle of friends suffering from post-collegiate blues must confront the hard truth about life, love and the pursuit of gainful employment. As...

Complex of Fear

Complex of Fear

1993

as Det. Frank Farrel

6.4
Acting

Condominium residents are terrified when they learn that two of their neighbors have been brutally raped and that the culprit may be living in their m...

The Distinguished Gentleman

The Distinguished Gentleman

1992

as Olaf Andersen

6.1
Acting

A Florida con man uses the recent death of the long time Congressman from his district, who he just happens to share a last name with, to get elected ...

Citizen Cohn

Citizen Cohn

1992

as Sen. Joseph McCarthy

6.2
Acting

As lawyer and power broker Roy Cohn lies dying of AIDS in a private hospital room, ghosts from his past visit him as he reflects on his life and loves...

Cape Fear

Cape Fear

1991

as Claude Kersek

7.3
Acting

Sam Bowden is a small-town corporate attorney. Max Cady is a tattooed, cigar-smoking, Bible-quoting, psychotic rapist. What do they have in common? 14...

The Children

The Children

1990

as Cliffe Wheater

3.8
Acting

Rose Sellars is a middle-aged woman who falls in love with a widower. However, his children believe that their father is too old to start a new relati...

Criminal Law

Criminal Law

1989

as Detective Mesel

5.6
Acting

Ben Chase is an on-the-rise Boston attorney currently defending a wealthy client in a high-profile murder case. Martin Thiel is the wealthy young man ...

Defrosting the Fridge

Defrosting the Fridge

1989

as Hunter McCall

1.0
Acting

The Lowesthorpe Trawlers an English, American football team, hire American coach Hunter McCall and persuade local firm Salty Sea Fish Foods to be thei...

Leonard Part 6

Leonard Part 6

1987

as Snyderburn

2.8
Acting

After separating from his wife, Leonard Parker (Cosby) quit the spy business and became a restaurateur. His wife refuses to speak with him, and his da...

The Killing Time

The Killing Time

1987

as Carl Cunningham

5.0
Acting

After a psychopath murders a man who was on his way to a job as a deputy sheriff in a small California town, he assumes the deputy's identity and arri...

The Living Daylights

The Living Daylights

1987

as Brad Whitaker

6.5
Acting

After a defecting Russian general reveals a plot to assassinate foreign spies, James Bond is assigned a secret mission to dispatch the new head of the...

Abduction

Abduction

1987

as Sheriff Onstad

5.5
Acting

Based on the shocking true story of Olympic medalist Kari Swenson who was abducted by two "Mountain Men" while jogging in the foothills of the Rockies...

Getting Even

Getting Even

1986

as King R. Kenderson

2.5
Acting

A soldier-of-fortune steals some Russian nerve gas from Afghanistan, and brings it to the U.S. to be analyzed. A greedy millionaire rancher finds out ...

Fletch

Fletch

1985

as Chief Jerry Karlin

6.7
Acting

When investigative reporter Irwin "Fletch" Fletcher goes undercover to write a piece on the drug trade at a local beach, he's approached by wealthy bu...

Final Justice

Final Justice

1984

as Geronimo

2.5
Acting

Due to his violent past, Deputy Sheriff Thomas Jefferson Geronimo III has been transferred to a rural outpost. When two thugs kill the sheriff, Geroni...

The Natural

The Natural

1984

as The Whammer

6.9
Acting

An unknown middle-aged batter named Roy Hobbs with a mysterious past appears out of nowhere to take a losing 1930s baseball team to the top of the lea...

Joysticks

Joysticks

1983

as Joseph Rutter

4.7
Acting

A successful businessman attempts to shut down a video arcade he believes is harmful to the mental health of children.

Wacko

Wacko

1982

as Dick Harbinger

5.1
Acting

Thirteen years after the "Lawnmower Killer" killed her sister, high school student Mary Graves and obsessed detective Dick Harbinger are on the lookou...

Power

Power

1980

as Tommy Vanda

2.0
Acting

Loosely based on the life of Jimmy Hoffa, this traces the rise of Tommy Vanda (Joe Don Baker) from a Chicago dock worker to an influential labor leade...

To Kill a Cop

To Kill a Cop

1978

as Chief Earl M. Eischied

Acting

Earl Eischied is a man with his hands full. As the Chief of Detectives in New York City he is trying to break up a group of black militants that are o...

The Pack

The Pack

1977

as Jerry

6.9
Acting

The residents of vacation spot Seal Island find themselves terrorized by a pack of dogs -- the remnants of discarded pets by visiting vacationers.

Speedtrap

Speedtrap

1977

as Pete Novick

5.5
Acting

After a wave of unsolved car thefts, an insurance company calls in a private investigator to solve the case. While the chief of police isn't thrilled ...

The Shadow of Chikara

The Shadow of Chikara

1977

as Wishbone Cutter

4.7
Acting

Two former Confederate captains try to remove diamonds hidden in the Arkansas mountains, but a native spirit guards the sacred site against intruders.

Checkered Flag or Crash

Checkered Flag or Crash

1977

as Walkaway Madden

2.8
Acting

Hard-charging race car driver "Walkaway" Madden, nicknamed so for his history of walking away from car crashes, just wants to win the big Manilla 1000...

Mitchell

Mitchell

1975

as Mitchell

3.2
Acting

A tough-guy cop pursues two drug runners across the city to bust a large syndicate. Very much an anti-hero, Mitchell often ignores the orders of his ...

Framed

Framed

1975

as Ron Lewis

6.6
Acting

Joe Don Baker plays a gambler who is framed for a crime he did not commit. A corrupt legal system leads him into a plea bargain and four years behind ...

Golden Needles

Golden Needles

1974

as Dan Mason

4.3
Acting

An ancient Asian statue with the power to grant health and long life via secret acupuncture points is being pursued by a wealthy criminal, but his pla...

The Outfit

The Outfit

1973

as Cody

6.8
Acting

A two-bit criminal takes on the Mafia to avenge his brother's death. Earl Macklin is a small time criminal who is released from prison after an unsucc...

Charley Varrick

Charley Varrick

1973

as Molly

7.4
Acting

Charley Varrick robs a bank in a small town with his friends, but instead of obtaining a small amount of money, they discover they stole a very large ...

Walking Tall

Walking Tall

1973

as Buford Pusser

6.6
Acting

Ex-wrestler and Tennessee Sheriff Buford Pusser walks tall and carries a big stick as he tussles with county-wide corruption and moonshining thugs.

That Certain Summer

That Certain Summer

1972

as Phil Bonner

6.9
Acting

The first US teleplay to deal sympathetically with homosexuality. Divorced San Francisco contractor Doug Salter is looking forward to a summer visit ...

Junior Bonner

Junior Bonner

1972

as Curly Bonner

6.1
Acting

With his bronco-busting career on its last legs, Junior Bonner heads to his hometown to try his luck in the annual rodeo. But his fond childhood memor...

The Valachi Papers

The Valachi Papers

1972

as Irish member of Valachi gang (uncredited)

6.5
Acting

When Joe Valachi has a price put on his head by Don Vito Genovese, he must take desperate steps to protect himself while in prison. An unsuccessful at...

Welcome Home, Soldier Boys

Welcome Home, Soldier Boys

1971

as Danny

3.5
Acting

Danny, Shooter, Fatback, and the Kid. They learned a trade in the army. Killing.

Mongo's Back in Town

Mongo's Back in Town

1971

as Mongo Nash

4.8
Acting

Professional killer is hired by his brother, a gang boss, to wipe out a rival gangster.

Wild Rovers

Wild Rovers

1971

as Paul Buckman

6.3
Acting

Ross Bodine and Frank Post are cowhands on Walt Buckman's R-Bar-R ranch. Bodine is older and broods a bit about how he will get along when he's too ol...

Adam at Six A.M.

Adam at Six A.M.

1970

as Harvey Gavin

4.7
Acting

A disenchanted young Professor of Semantics at a California college learns of a distant relative's death in Missouri. He journeys cross-country to the...

Guns of the Magnificent Seven

Guns of the Magnificent Seven

1969

as Slater

5.3
Acting

When Quintero, a Mexican revolutionary leader, is left to rot in jail by the forces of President Diaz, it's up to his subordinate, Max, to bust him ou...

Cool Hand Luke

Cool Hand Luke

1967

as Fixer

7.7
Acting

When petty criminal Luke Jackson is sentenced to two years in a Florida prison farm, he doesn't play by the rules of either the sadistic warden or the...