Sir William Stanley Baker (February 28, 1928 - June 28, 1976), known as Stanley Baker, was a Welsh actor and film producer.
Baker was born in Ferndale, Rhondda Valley, Wales, but moved to London with his parents in the mid-1930s. He was an actor and film producer who came to prominence in the 1950s; although he made his film debut in 1943 as a teenager in the film Undercover, his first role as an adult was in All Over the Moon (1949).
At first Baker was usually cast as a villain - tough, gritty and fiery. In private life, he was a close friend and drinking companion of another Welsh actor, Richard Burton. Both men had been taught by the same teacher at school who had encouraged their theatrical abilities. Notable among his early roles was as the unpleasant and somewhat cowardly Bennett in The Cruel Sea (1953).
However, he was not always a villain and he did have a few more endearing roles, especially after Laurence Olivier selected him to play Henry Tudor in his 1955 movie Richard III. He also played a shell-shocked commando in the 1961 war epic The Guns of Navarone. Perhaps one of Baker's most memorable roles was as Lieutenant John Chard VC in Zulu alongside newcomer Michael Caine. He also made an impression opposite Patrick McGoohan in Hell Drivers, as a lorry driver who would not toe the line. In Joseph Losey's Accident, he gave a sustained performance as Charley and in 1970's Perfect Friday, he showed his skill in comedy and romantic acting as Mr Graham, opposite Ursula Andress.
In 1961 Baker was offered the role of superspy James Bond for the forthcoming film Dr No, but he turned it down because he was unwilling to commit to a three-picture contract. It is believed he may have regretted this decision, since some years later he asked producer Albert R. Broccoli about playing a villain in one of the films.
He formed his own production company in the 1960s and produced films that included Robbery (1967) and The Italian Job (1969). Along with his production and film career Stanley Baker also appeared on the small screen including the dramas The Changeling (1974), Robinson Crusoe (1974), and also in a BBC adaptation of How Green Was My Valley (1975).
Baker was a dedicated socialist off screen, and a friend of the Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson. In 1976 he was granted a knighthood in Wilson's controversial resignation list of honours, known as The Lavender List, although he never lived to receive the honour officially at Buckingham Palace. He died that same year from pneumonia following surgery for lung cancer in Málaga, Spain, aged forty-eight, and was cremated at Putney Vale Crematorium.
Ferndale RFC in the Rhondda Valleys, south Wales, have a loving tribute to Sir Stanley in the form of their new "Sir Stanley Baker Lounge". Officially opened by his widow, Ellen, Lady Baker, on Friday 24 November 2006, the day's events featured a presentation to Sir Stanley's sons and family members, and a fitting and moving tribute to the man himself via speeches and tales from celebrities and various local people who knew him best. The afternoon also featured a Radio Wales tribute to Sir Stanley, hosted by Owen Money and recorded live in Ferndale RFC itself. The Sir Stanley Baker Lounge features many pictures and memorabilia from his successful career, including a wall plaque commemorating the official opening in both English and Welsh, and is a fitting tribute to Ferndale's most famous son.
Partial filmography
Undercover (1943)
Cloudburst (1950)
Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N. (1951)
Knights of the Round Table (1953)
The Cruel Sea (1953)
The Red Beret (1953)
The Tell-Tale Heart (1953) (voice)
The Good Die Young (1954)
Richard III (1955)
Helen of Troy (1956)
Alexander the Great (1956)
A Hill in Korea (1956)
Hell Drivers (1957)
Campbell's Kingdom (1957)
Blind Date (1959)
Jet Storm (1959)
Hell Is a City (1960)
The Guns of Navarone (1961)
Eva (1962)
A Prize of Arms (1962)
Sodom and Gomorrah (1963)
Zulu (1964)
Dingaka (1965)
Sands of the Kalahari (1965)
Accident (1967)
Robbery (1967)
Perfect Friday (1970)
A Lizard in a Woman's Skin (Lucertola con la pelle di donna, Una) (1971)
External links
Stanley Baker at the Internet Movie Database
Stanley Baker biography and credits at BFI Screenonline
Ferndale RFC official website - a report of the official opening of the "Sir Stanley Baker Lounge"
A Tribute site to Sir Stanley Baker
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Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Baker"
Categories: 1928 births | 1976 deaths | Welsh actors | Welsh film actors | Welsh television actors | Welsh stage actors | Deaths from lung cancer | Knights Bachelor | People from Glamorgan | Burials at Putney Vale Cemetery
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This page was last modified on 17 September 2008, at 18:36.
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