Joe Don Baker (born February 12, 1936) is an American actor originally from Groesbeck, Texas.
Baker gained fame from starring in the popular 1973 film Walking Tall. He appeared in several films and television series throughout the 1970s and 80s. In 1979, he starred as the sophisticated police chief Earl Eischied in the short-lived TV drama Eischied.
Other notable films that Baker appeared in include Fletch, Congo, Leonard Part 6, and the 1991 remake of Cape Fear.
Later, he was cast as CIA agent Jack Wade in the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye, appearing again as Wade in 1997's Tomorrow Never Dies. Baker had previously appeared in the 1987 James Bond film The Living Daylights as a different character.
Mystery Science Theater 3000 Reaction[]
Baker was reportedly upset by the MST3K's treatment of Mitchell, to the point that it was rumored that he threatened physical violence should he meet anyone from MST3K. Kevin Murphy said he believed that Baker didn't actually mean it. This didn't prevent Mystery Science Theater 3000 from using Final Justice.
In a 2006 interview with the TeeVee Podcast, Michael J. Nelson elaborated. He said they'd joked about Baker at a critics convention, which apparently led several of the critics to call Baker for comment, and, according to Mike, "...by the end of being called fifty times, he probably said 'yes, I do hate them, you know, I do want them dead' or whatever. It was confirmed that he wasn't pleased about what we did."[1]
Baker was mentioned during Episode #810. In the RiffTrax presentation of The Last Slumber Party, Mike comments that one of the actors resembles Baker. A fictionalized version of Joe Don Baker appears as an antagonist in the novel The Naked Clone - A Nick Nolte Mystery.
Riffed Movies[]
- Mitchell (Episode #512) - as Mitchell
- Final Justice (Episode #1008 & RiffTrax) - as Deputy Sheriff Thomas Jefferson Geronimo III
Gallery[]
