Joe Don Baker

Joe Don Baker (born February 12, 1936) is an American actor.

Career
He began his career as a guest on TV series Honey West (1965), Judd for the Defense (1967), and Bonanza (1968) among other. Her first major role was in the western movie, Guns of the Magnificent Seven (1969), starring with George Kennedy

Baker is known for starring in emblematic action movie in the '70s as Walking Tall (1973), which plays the incorruptible sheriff Buford Pusser of Tennessee, the movie was one of the most violent in the '70s and launched Baker star in action movies. His second movie Charley Varrick (1973), was directed by Don Siegel. Here he plays a hired killer who should be responsible for eliminating Charley Varrick played by Walter Matthau In the 1980 Baker appeared on television and movies as The Natural (1984), Final Justice (1985), The Abduction of Kari Swenson, TV (1987), and the TV series In the Heat of the Night (1989) as Chief Tom Dugan.

In 1992 he starred as Claude Kersek in charge of guarding Sam Bowden; Nick Nolte, in Cape Fear (1991), with Robert De Niro and directed by Martin Scorsese.

He also worked in the James Bond movies The Living Daylights (1987), GoldenEye (1995) and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997).

One of his last jobs was at The Dukes of Hazzard (2005), Baker as Governor Jim Applewhite.

1967 episode Judd For the Defense. Character: Meryl Varney