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Who Was Joe Don Baker? BAFTA Nominee Dies at 89
Joe Don Baker breathed his last on May 7. His family confirmed the news of his passing via an obituary. The actor was 89.
Joe Don Baker, an American actor and a notable member of the Performing Arts Community, passed away on May 7. He was 89. His family confirmed the news of his passing via an obituary.
"It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Joe Don, a noted member of the Performing Arts Community, who left us on 5/7/2025 at the age of 89," the obituary read.
Joe Don Baker's early life
Baker spent his early years in Texas. He attended Groesbeck High School for his primary education and graduated from North Texas State College, now renamed University of North Texas, with a bachelor's degree in business administration. He served in the U.S. Army for two years before moving to New York, where he learned acting at The Actors Studio. To kickstart his acting career, he moved to Los Angeles and grabbed opportunities.
Joe Don Baker's acting career
Baker played a pivotal role in 57 films before his retirement in 2012. He proved his acting prowess in three James Bond films, along with Walking Tall, Mitchell, Guns of the Magnificent Seven, Charlie Varrick, Mud, Leonard Part 6, Cape Fear, Reality Bites, The Grass Harp, Mars Attacks!, Joe Dirt, and Junior Bonner, among others.
He was nominated for a BAFTA award in the Best Actor category for his performance in Edge of Darkness, but he lost to his co-star, Englishman Ben Peck. In the six-hour BBC miniseries, directed by Martin Campbell, he played a crack CIA man, Darius Jedburgh.
He was married to Maria Dolores Rivero-Torres for 11 years from 1969 to 1980. He has no offspring and is survived by relatives in Groesbeck. A funeral service will be held on Tuesday at Utter McKinley Mortuary in Mission Hills, California, to honour his life and legacy.
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