Joe Don Baker is an American actor, famous for his outstanding performances in movies such as ‘Walking Tall’ and ‘Charley Varrick.’ He is a graduate from ‘Actors Studio’ and a lifetime member of this prestigious organization. Baker was interested in acting since an early age. Unfortunately, he was never considered a lead performer in school plays. It was during his university years that he truly understood his calling. After graduation, he served in the ‘United States Army’ for a brief period of time before enrolling at the ‘Actors Studio’ in New York. He started his journey as an actor with theater and ‘Broadway’ when he was in his early 20s. He made his first appearance on TV in ‘Honey West,’ as a truck driver. Baker eventually established himself as an action hero, with his tough and cynical roles in iconic Westerns such as ‘Guns of the Magnificent Seven’ (1969). He reached the pinnacle of his career in the mid-1970s, with consecutive successful films such as ‘Walking Tall,’ ‘Mitchell,’ ‘Final Justice,’ and ‘Charley Varrick.’ Throughout his career, Baker was never recognized as a quintessential Hollywood leading man, notwithstanding the tough characters he played and the critical acclaim he received.
