Joe Don Baker, the actor who is the real sheriff of sheriff Buford Pusser in the 1973 vigilante film High -end wore a big stick to make me his own justice mark of Tennessee, who died on May 7, announced his family. He was 89 years old.
A cause of death has not been disclosed.
Born on February 12, 1936 in Groesbeck, Texas, Baker played football for northern Texas State College and, after graduating in 1959, served a two -year stay in the army before moving to New York to study the theater at the actor’s studio. He would remain a life member of the famous organization.
After a little time on the New York stage – he appeared in Broadway in 1963 Marathon ’33 And, a year later, in Blues for Mr. Charlie. He then moved to Los Angeles and launched a television and cinematographic career which included appearances of guests on a series such as Honey West, Gunsmoke, The Big Valley, Mission: Impossible, launch And The streets of San Franciscoamong others. The first film roles included small pieces in Cool Hand Luke And Valachi papers.
High -end Poster, 1973
Getty
His signature role came in 1973, when he took a four -feet long hickory club as a weapon of choice for High -endBUFORD PURST. The criticisms may have mobilized, but the film, directed by Phil Karlson, was a success with the public taken in the enthusiasm for the vigilante-film of the 1970s which understood Death Wish, dirty Harry And even Taxi driver.
The georgia-based rock group, Drive-By Truckers, devoted a three-song race on their 2004 album South dirty to pushing and Walk up, Speak the Tell on the other side of the law on “the boys of Alabama”, “Cottoneed” and “The Buford Stick”.
Standing at 6’2 ″ and with the wide frame of the second that he was at university, Baker had a prolific screen career playing hard guys on both sides of the law throughout the 1970s and 80s in films such as Charley Varrick (1973), Mitchell (1975) and Speedtrap (1977). The roles of comedy were more and more headed for Baker in the 80s and 1990s, including another role of police chief in the comedy of Chevy Chase 1985 Fletch And, in 1996, Tim Burton Mars attack!
Other memorable roles included a baseball player known as Whammer in front of Robert Redford Naturalness (1984) and, in 1991, a corrupt investigator in Martin Scorsese Fear cape.
He went beyond the NBC criminal drama Eischied, Playing the chief of the NYPD detective chief who had a gentle side for his pet cat. The series made its debut in September 1979 but lasted only one season.
Baker also appeared in Three James Bond Films from the 80s and 90s. He played a bad guy Living lights (1987) opposite Timothy Dalton as Bond, and an Ally CIA 007 agent in the Pierce Brosnan-Dirige Goldeneye (1995) and Tomorrow never dies (1997).
After appearing in nearly 60 films throughout his career, Baker retired in 2012. Her marriage in 1969 with Maria Dolores Rivero-Torres ended with divorce in 1980. Baker is survived by a family extended to Groesbeck, Texas. A funeral service to honor his life will take place on Tuesday at Mission Hills, California.
Erik Pedersen contributed to this report.
