Actor Joe Don Baker Passes Away at 89: Remembering His Roles in ‘Walking Tall’ and ‘Cape Fear’

Joe Don Baker, the Texas-born actor who became a staple in ’70s and ’80s action films, has passed away. He was 89.

Baker’s family announced he died May 7. A cause of death was not shared.

The prolific actor launched his career after serving two years in the U.S. Army. He moved to New York City to study acting at the Actor’s Studio before later moving to Los Angeles where his acting career took off in 1965 with television appearances in shows such as Honey West, Iron Horse, Gunsmoke, and more.

His first breakout role came in 1972 when he starred alongside Steve McQueen in Sam Peckinpah’s Junior Bonner. Baker later led the unexpected box office hit Walking Tall in 1973 in which he played Tennessee Sheriff Buford Pusser, who put everything on the line to clean up his town of crime and corruption.

Baker was also one of the few actors to have starred in multiple James Bond iterations. He first played the 007 villain Brad Whitaker in The Living Daylights in 1987 opposite Timothy Dalton’s Bond, before later playing CIA Agent Jack Wade opposite Pierce Brosnan in GoldenEye and Tomorrow Never Dies.

His filmography includes several classics, including Reality Bites, Mars Attacks!, The Dukes of Hazzard, Cape Fear, and more.

The actor was also nominated for a BAFTA for Best Actor for his performance in the BBC miniseries Edge of Darkness. “I could have done that all my life, I think, or at least for years and been happy,” he said about the role, per The Hollywood Reporter.

The action star retired from acting in 2012 after completing his final role in Mud, starring Matthew McConaughey and Tye Sheridan.

Baker is survived by relatives in his Texas hometown of Groesbeck.

“He is mourned by a small but very close circle of friends who will miss him eternally,” his official obituary reads. “Though he may no longer be with us in body, his spirit will always remain, a guiding light in the lives he touched. Rest in peace, Joe Don. You will be dearly missed but never forgotten.”