James Bond actor Joe Don Baker dies aged 89

Jon Don Baker’s illustrious career started in the late 60s (Picture: L. Cohen/WireImage)

Three-time James Bond actor Joe Don Baker has died aged 89, his family have announced.

Baker played the franchise’s first American villain as smarmy arms trader Brad Whitaker in the 1987 film The Living Daylights with Timothy Dalton as 007.

He also played good guy CIA Agent Jack Wade in Pierce Brosnan’s first two outings as James Bond in GoldenEye in 1995 and Tomorrow Never Dies in 1997.

Baker died on May 7, his family stated in an obituary. No further details, including the cause of death, were given.

Rising to fame in the late 60s, Baker established himself as an action star with supporting roles in Westerns Guns of the Magnificent Seven and Wild Rovers.

His breakthrough role was real-life Tennessee Sheriff Buford Pusser in the 1973 movie Walking Tall. It told the story of Pusser becoming a lawman in McNairy County after a career as a professional wrestler.

Baker starred in three Bond films as both a villain and a good guy (Picture: Rex) He performed opposite both Dalton and Brosnan as 007 (Picture: Rex)

That same year, Baker also starred as a mafia hitman in neo-noir crime film Charley Varrick, which helped cement his reputation as a Hollywood star and ‘tough guy’ character actor.

He followed Charley Varrick with a role in films including Mitchell, The Outfit, Golden Needles, Framed and Checkered Flag or Crashed, in which he starred opposite Susan Sarandon.

In 1984, Baker starred in the Oscar-nominated sports film The Natural alongside stars including Robert Redford, Glenn Close, Kim Basinger and Robert Duvall.

The following year, he played a police chief in the Chevy Chase comedy Fletch.

Baker gained a reputation in Hollywood for playing ‘tough guy’ characters (Picture: CBS via Getty Images)

Baker’s credits in the 90s include romantic comedy Reality Bites, the first film directed by Ben Stiller, and the Martin Scorsese classic Cape Fear, along with Robert De Niro and Jessica Lange.

More to follow.

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