Early roles During the 1963–64 Broadway season, he appeared on stage in ''
Marathon '33 at the ANTA Theatre in New York City. His career had its roots in television, though he did appear in several movies, including an uncredited part in the 1967 film Cool Hand Luke. He appeared in many television series, graduating to featured guest roles in such series as The Big Valley (in which he played a Harvard-educated Native American with a penchant for fighting) and Mod Squad (where he appeared as an illiterate vending machine robber). He was the title character in the 1971 TV movie Mongo's Back in Town'', starring
Telly Savalas. Standing at 6'2" tall (189 cm), Baker's physical prowess and stereotypical Texas drawl would prove perfect in Westerns, both on film and television. While working regularly on television on shows such as
Bonanza and
Gunsmoke, he appeared in supporting roles in such films
Guns of the Magnificent Seven (1969) and
Blake Edwards'
Wild Rovers, but his film career did not quicken until he scored the role of
Steve McQueen's younger brother in
Sam Peckinpah's
Junior Bonner, a film about a contemporary rodeo cowboy, which was released in late 1972.
Lancer Baker appeared in the pilot episode of 1968's
Lancer, titled "The High Riders", as the main villain, "Day Pardee". This role was later fictionalized in
Quentin Tarantino's 2019 film,
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood—changed to 'Decoteau' and played by
Leonardo DiCaprio as
Rick Dalton. He went on to appear in a later episode as Clovis Horner in 1970.
Walking Tall and stardom In 1973, Baker had his breakthrough playing sheriff
Buford Pusser in the
biographical vigilante action film Walking Tall, directed by
Phil Karlson. Released in February as a regional exploitation picture,
Walking Tall connected with audiences and became an unexpected hit, circulating for national distribution with a new TV ad campaign using the slogan, "When was the last time you stood up and applauded a movie?" The film eventually earned $23 million at the box office. His performance was praised by influential film critic
Pauline Kael, but he decided not to star in the sequel. Later that year, his work in
Charley Varrick helped solidify Baker's reputation. He also co-starred with
Robert Duvall in the 1973 crime film
The Outfit. He starred in the 1974 adventure film
Golden Needles. In 1977, he had leading roles in
Checkered Flag or Crash opposite
Susan Sarandon and
Larry Hagman as well as
The Shadow of Chikara with
Ted Neeley and
Sondra Locke. In 1975, he starred in Phil Karlson's
Framed, the final film of Karlson's Hollywood career. On April 10, 1978, the two-part television program
To Kill a Cop premiered. In it Baker was paired with
Louis Gossett Jr. as a police detective, Eischied, which led to a TV series with the same character the following year. Baker co-starred with
Karen Black in the miniseries
Power (1980), a scarcely-disguised story of labor leader
Jimmy Hoffa. Baker played the Whammer, a baseball player modeled on
Babe Ruth, in the 1984 baseball drama
The Natural, which starred
Robert Redford. In 1985, he portrayed the corrupt Chief Jerry Karlin in
Fletch. In the UK, he played CIA agent Darius Jedburgh in the
BBC Television drama serial
Edge of Darkness. He was nominated for Best Actor by the
British Academy Television Awards, losing to his co-star
Bob Peck.
Martin Scorsese directed him as a private detective in the 1991 remake of
Cape Fear, hired by protagonist Sam Bowden (
Nick Nolte) to protect his family from psychopathic ex-convict
Max Cady (
Robert De Niro). Baker received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of North Texas in 1994. While actor
Carroll O'Connor was undergoing
coronary bypass surgery, Baker took his place on the television series
In the Heat of the Night for four episodes in early 1989. Baker appeared as Captain Tom Dugan, a retired police captain who substituted while O'Connor's character was away at a police convention. More recently, he appeared in
Joe Dirt,
The Dukes of Hazzard, and
Strange Wilderness. In 2009, Baker delivered another performance in
The Cleaner on
A&E, playing an alcoholic military veteran attempting to help a friend cope with the loss of his son. He hires William Banks (played by
Benjamin Bratt) to help him start back down the road to sobriety. Baker played King in
Mud (2012).
James Bond series In 1987, Baker played the villainous arms dealer
Brad Whitaker in the
James Bond film
The Living Daylights, starring
Timothy Dalton as
007. In 1995 and 1997, Baker returned to the series, this time playing a different character, CIA agent Jack Wade, in
GoldenEye and
Tomorrow Never Dies, with
Pierce Brosnan as Bond. == Death ==