Joe Don Baker brought an imposing presence to men on both sides of the law. We rate him most highly when a part makes room for his intelligence and obvious enjoyment of acting, as Edge of Darkness does.
Fi1m perspective
In Edge of Darkness (1985), Joe Don Baker’s Darius Jedburgh seems to be enjoying himself, a welcome quality in a six-part nuclear thriller. The flamboyant CIA agent gives Baker room to be clever as well as imposing. We warmed to him because the pleasure in his acting stopped the series’ seriousness becoming oppressive. Director Martin Campbell lets its fears unsettle us, while Bob Peck gives the story its personal force. Baker is one reason to stay with it when the writing grows needlessly obscure.
The sheriff Buford Pusser in Walking Tall (1973) and the mob hitman Molly in Charley Varrick (1973) show how readily he could be put on either side of the law. The former was his breakthrough as a lead, but the tough-guy casting that followed could be restrictive. Mitchell (1975) belongs to that period of typecasting. His physique and Southern drawl made him an obvious choice for such parts; the risk was that they would be all a film asked of him.
In The Underneath (1995), we found Baker good company as Clay Hinkle even when the film itself left us cold. Soderbergh’s film has intelligent cutting and handsome lighting, but its central man offers little to care about. Baker belongs to a supporting cast that fares better, alongside William Fichtner’s threatening Tommy Dundee and Adam Trese’s quietly aggrieved David. We should not pretend that his contribution cures the film’s central weakness. Baker gives us a reason to keep watching without making this a film we can warmly recommend.
His Bond casting makes the two sides of his screen presence plain: Brad Whitaker is a villain in The Living Daylights (1987), Jack Wade a CIA ally in GoldenEye (1995). Wade draws on elements of Jedburgh, taking something of that earlier performance into another thriller. Such casting makes sense, though it can encourage us to settle for the familiar bulk and manner. We prefer the parts that ask more of him than looking capable of violence. Start with Edge of Darkness, and allow for a thriller that occasionally makes its story harder to follow than it needs to be.
Biography
Joe Don Baker was an American actor. Born in Groesbeck, Texas, he attended North Texas State College on a sports scholarship, served in the US Army and trained at the Actors Studio in New York before beginning his screen career in the mid-1960s.
He gained prominence with leading roles in Walking Tall (1973) as Sheriff Buford Pusser and Charley Varrick (1973). Baker appeared in three James Bond films, playing villain Brad Whitaker in The Living Daylights (1987) and CIA agent Jack Wade in GoldenEye (1995) and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997). Other credits include Cape Fear (1991), Mars Attacks! (1996) and Mud (2013). He received a BAFTA television nomination for his performance in the BBC serial Edge of Darkness (1985).
Baker died in Los Angeles on 7 May 2025.
