The actor Joe Don Baker has passed away at the age of 89, as announced by his family. His death, confirmed in the last hours, occurred on May 7 in Los Angeles.
Born in Texas in 1936, Joe Don Baker participated in theater productions, television shows, and around fifty films until his retirement. He rose to fame with the leading role of Sheriff Buford Pusser in 'Walking Tall' (1973), a film based on real events where he tries to enforce the law on his own by confronting corruption.
However, it was his involvement in three supporting roles in the James Bond franchise that made Joe Don Baker even more popular with the general public.
His first foray was in 'The Living Daylights' (1987), where he portrayed the mercenary and arms dealer Brad Whitaker. He returned to the well-known series in 'GoldenEye' (1995) and 'Tomorrow Never Dies' (1997) to portray Jack Wade, a CIA agent who assists James Bond, played at that time by Pierce Brosnan.
Joe Don Baker also worked with directors such as Martin Scorsese, Steven Soderbergh, and Quentin Tarantino.