fbpx
Wikipedia

Stanley Baker

Sir William Stanley Baker (28 February 1928 – 28 June 1976) was a Welsh actor and film producer. Known for his rugged appearance and intense, grounded screen persona, he was one of the top British male film stars of the late 1950s, and later a producer.[1]


Stanley Baker
Born
William Stanley Baker

(1928-02-28)28 February 1928
Died28 June 1976(1976-06-28) (aged 48)
Málaga, Andalusia, Spain
Occupation(s)Actor, film producer
Years active1943–1944, 1948–1975
Spouse
Ellen Martin
(m. 1950⁠–⁠1976)
Children4

Born into a coal mining family in Glamorgan, Baker began his acting career in the West End. Following national service in the Royal Army Service Corps after the Second World War, he befriended actor Richard Burton and began appearing in film and television roles. He played the lead role in Hell Drivers and supporting role in The Guns of Navarone. He was producer and lead actor in the 1964 film Zulu,[2] in which he portrayed John Chard.

Baker's performance in the 1959 film Yesterday's Enemy was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best British Actor, and he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for his turn in the BBC serial How Green Was My Valley. He was awarded a knighthood in 1976, although he died before the investiture ceremony: a heavy smoker, he developed lung cancer and he died in 1976.

Early life

Baker was born in Ferndale, Glamorgan, Wales, the youngest of three children. His father was a coal miner who lost a leg in a pit accident but continued working as a lift operator at the mine until his death. Baker grew up a self-proclaimed "wild kid" interested in only "football and boxing".[3] He thought he would most likely be a miner or maybe a boxer.[4]

His artistic ability was spotted at an early age by a local teacher, Glynne Morse, who encouraged Baker to act. When he was 14 he was performing in a school play when seen by a casting director from Ealing Studios, who recommended him for a role in Undercover (1943), a war film about the Yugoslav guerrillas in Serbia. He was paid £20 a week, caught the acting bug, and pursued a professional acting career.[5] Six months later Baker appeared with Emlyn Williams in a play in the West End called The Druid's Rest, appearing alongside Richard Burton.

Baker worked for a time as an apprentice electrician, then through Morse's influence, he managed to secure a position with the Birmingham Repertory Theatre in 1944. He was there for three years when he had to do his national service.[6] He served in the Royal Army Service Corps from 1946 until 1948, attaining the rank of sergeant.[7] Following his demobilisation Baker returned to London determined to resume his acting career. He was recommended by Richard Burton for casting in a small role in Terence Rattigan's West End play, Adventure Story (1949).

Early career

He began appearing in films and on television, as well as performing on stage for the Middlesex Repertory Company. He had small roles in All Over the Town (1949), Obsession (1949), Your Witness (1950), Lilli Marlene (1950), Something in the City (1950), The Rossiter Case (1951), Cloudburst (1951), Home to Danger (1951) and Whispering Smith Hits London (1952).

His TV roles included The Tragedy of Pompey the Great (1950) and Rush Job (1951). H Baker attracted attention when cast as the bosun's mate in the Hollywood-financed Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951). It was the ninth most popular film at the British box office that year.[8]

In 1951 he toured England in a play by Christopher Fry, A Sleep of Prisoners which was part of the Festival of Britain. It was about four POWs spending a night in a bombed out church and was staged in actual churches; the rest of the cast includes Denholm Elliott, Hugh Pryse and Leonard White. The project was transferred in its entirety to New York for a limited run, and also toured throughout the US.[9]

While in New York, Baker read the novel The Cruel Sea by Nicholas Monsarrat. Although the role of the cowardly officer Bennett was an Australian in the book, the Englishman Donald Sinden was originally screen-tested for the part and the Welsh Baker was screen-tested for the part of Lockhart. Subsequently, at Jack Hawkins' suggestion and after further screen-tests, the roles were swapped.[10] The Cruel Sea (1953 film) was the most successful film at the British box office in 1953 and Baker was now established in films.

On television was in "A Cradle in Willow" and played Petruchio in a version of Taming of the Shrew (1952).[11] He had a small role in a British-US co-production for Warwick Films, The Red Beret (1953), with Alan Ladd, another big hit in Britain. Warwick liked his work so much they promptly reteamed him with Ladd in Hell Below Zero (1954), with Baker billed fourth as the main villain.

Baker got another break when George Sanders fell ill and was unable to play Sir Mordred in the expensive epic Knights of the Round Table (1953), made by MGM in Britain. Baker stepped in and got excellent reviews; the movie was very popular.[12]

He had his biggest role in a purely British film with The Good Die Young (1954), directed by Lewis Gilbert, playing a boxer who commits a robbery. Baker was cast in Twist of Fate (1954) opposite Ginger Rogers, replacing Walter Rilla, who quit the production ten days into filming.[13] Hollywood came calling again and offered him the choice support role of Achilles in Helen of Troy (1955), shot in Italy for Robert Wise.

Most of Baker's film roles until this stage had been playing villains. His career received another boost when Laurence Olivier selected him to play Henry Tudor in Richard III (1955).

On TV he was in The Creature (1955) by Nigel Kneale, later filmed (without Baker) as The Abominable Snowman (1957). He was in another epic, playing Attalus in Alexander the Great (1956), which starred Burton in the title role and was shot in Spain for Robert Rossen.[14] He also portrayed Rochester in a British TV adaptation of Jane Eyre (1956).

Baker's first leading role in a feature film came with Child in the House (1956), written and directed by Cy Endfield. He had a support role as a psychotic corporal in A Hill in Korea (1956), a Korean War film that also featured early performances from Michael Caine, Stephen Boyd and Robert Shaw. He was the villain in a racing car drama, Checkpoint (1956), opposite Anthony Steel. It was made by the team of Betty E. Box and Ralph Thomas for the Rank Organisation.

Lead actor

Baker finally broke away from supporting parts when cast as the lead in Hell Drivers (1957), a truck driving drama directed by Endfield. Before it was released he played another villain role for Box and Thomas, Campbell's Kingdom (1957), opposite Dirk Bogarde, shot in Italy (substituting for Canada). Following this he was meant to make Tread Softly Stranger with Diana Dors but George Baker was cast instead.[15] Hell Drivers was a minor hit, and at the end of the year exhibitors voted Baker the seventh most popular British star at the British box office for 1957 (after Bogarde, Kenneth More, Peter Finch, John Gregson, Norman Wisdom and John Mills, and before Ian Carmichael, Jack Hawkins and Belinda Lee).[16] The success of Hell Drivers saw Baker play a series of tough anti-heroes. In the words of David Thomson:

Until the early 1960s, Baker was the only male lead in the British cinema who managed to suggest contempt, aggression and the working class. He is the first hint of proletarian male vigor against the grain of Leslie Howard, James Mason, Stewart Granger, John Mills, Dirk Bogarde and the theatrical knights. Which is not to disparage these players, but to say that Baker was a welcome novelty, that he is one of Britain's most important screen actors, and that he has not yet been equalled – not even by Michael Caine.[17]

Baker was a detective in Violent Playground (1958), a drama about juvenile delinquency from the director-producer team Basil Dearden and Michael Relph. He was reunited with Endfield for Sea Fury (1958), an action drama, playing a tugboat captain. He was voted the tenth biggest British star in Britain at the end of the year.

He made the Hollywood-financed The Angry Hills (1959) in Greece with Robert Aldrich opposite Robert Mitchum. Baker said Aldrich offered to engage him in a 28-part series about an Englishman in New York, but he had turned it down to stay in Britain.[18]

Baker had the lead in Yesterday's Enemy (1959), a World War II drama set in Burma for Hammer Films, directed by Val Guest. He was a detective in Blind Date (1959) for director Joseph Losey, one of Baker's favourite roles.[19] He made a fourth film with Endfield, Jet Storm (1959) playing an airline captain. None of these films were particularly huge at the box office but at the end of the year Baker was voted the fourth most popular British star.[20] Hell Is a City (1960) had him as another hardbitten detective, a second collaboration with Val Guest. He was reunited with Losey for The Criminal (1960), playing an ex-con, and Baker's favourite role.[21]

He played the relatively small role of "Butcher Brown", a war-weary commando, in the Hollywood blockbuster war epic The Guns of Navarone (1961) shot in Greece.[22] It was a massive hit at the box office.

A third collaboration with Losey was Eva (1962), a French-Italian film where Baker acted opposite Jeanne Moreau. Aldrich asked him to play another villain role, in the Biblical epic Sodom and Gomorrah (1962). There was some talk he would play Rufio in Cleopatra (1963) but it did not eventuate.[23] He was a tough army officer committing a robbery in A Prize of Arms (1962) but the film failed at the box office and it seemed the market for the tough action films in which Baker had specialised might be drying up. He appeared opposite Jean Seberg in In the French Style (1962), a French-American romance produced by Irwin Shaw. He was in The Man Who Finally Died (1963) for British TV.

Baker's widow later claimed that he was originally offered the role of James Bond, but turned it down not wanting to commit to a long-term contract. She also says he was going to star in This Sporting Life but had to drop out when Guns of Navarone went over schedule. She says Baker never regretted losing the part of Bond to Sean Connery but regretted not making This Sporting Life.[24]

Production

Baker formed his own company, 'Diamond Films' with Cy Endfield. They developed a script about the Battle of Rorke's Drift written by Endfield and John Prebble. While making Sodom and Gomorrah Baker struck up a relationship with that film's producer, Joseph E. Levine which enabled him to raise the $3 million budget for Zulu (1964), directed by Endfield, shot partly on location in South Africa.[25] Zulu was a big hit at the box office and made a star of Michael Caine. Baker played the lead part of Lieutenant John Chard VC in what remains his best-remembered role. He later owned Chard's Victoria Cross and Zulu War Medal from 1972 until his death in 1976.[26] (Chard died at age 49 in 1897, only a year older than Baker at his death; both died of cancer).

Baker made two more films in South Africa: Dingaka (1965), on which he worked as an actor only but which was distributed by Levine, and Sands of the Kalahari (1965), which he starred in and produced, directed by Endfield and financed by Levine. Both were box-office failures commercially and Baker made no further films with Endfield. Baker had plans to film Wilbur Smith's debut novel When the Lion Feeds and The Coral Strand by John Masters.[27] but neither project was realised.

He made a TV movie for the United Nations entitled Who Has Seen the Wind? (1965), and appeared in two episodes of Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre: After the Lion, Jackals (1966) and Code Name: Heraclitus (1967). In 1966 he made a deal with Universal to produce and star in a film.[28] He made a final film with Losey, Accident (1967), cast against type as an academic.

Baker formed the production company Oakhurst Productions with Michael Deeley. Its first cinema film was Robbery (1967), a heist film with Baker in the lead role. It was a solid success in Britain and launched the Hollywood career of director Peter Yates. Baker announced he would make another film for Levine, A Nice Girl Like Me acting opposite Hayley Mills who would play a girl who constantly gets pregnant.[29] The film would be made by Levine, but not with Baker or Mills. He was also going to film the John Roeburt novel The Climate of Hell with James Goldstone.[30] and the Norman Lewis novel Everyman's Brother.[31] He appeared in The Girl with the Pistol (1968), an Italian comedy, then worked as a producer only on two films for Oakhurst: The Other People (1968), which was never released, and The Italian Job (1969) a heist comedy with Michael Caine, a big hit. He was also part of the consortium which set up Harlech Television. At the end of 1968 exhibitors voted him the ninth biggest star in Britain, after John Wayne, Julie Christie, Steve McQueen, Tommy Steele, Paul Newman, Sean Connery, Clint Eastwood and Julie Andrews.[32]

Baker produced and starred in Where's Jack? (1969) for Oakhurst opposite Tommy Steele for director James Clavell. It was a box office failure.[33] As an actor only, he appeared in The Games (1970) for 20th Century Fox. He appeared in two films for producer Dimitri de Grunwald: The Last Grenade (1970), playing a mercenary, and Perfect Friday (1970), a heist movie directed by Peter Hall which Baker helped produce.[34]

Later career

In the 1970s, Baker announced a number of projects as producer: an adaptation of George MacDonald Fraser's novel Flashman, to be directed by Richard Lester; Summer Fires with Peter Hall."I don't make films to see myself perform, I do it to act", said Baker. "I've enjoyed everything I've worked on, including the bad pictures... I enjoy being a working actor. I've been accused by journalists of lack of discretion, lack of taste. Well I'd rather have that lack than the lack of having made them... Producing is total involvement and compatible with acting, while I don't think directing is. Producing gives you a continuity of effort that helps with acting."[35]

He also expanded his business interests. He was one of the founder members of Harlech Television, and was a director of it until his death.[36][37]

With Michael Deeley and Barry Spikings, he formed 'Great Western Enterprises', which was involved in a number of projects in the entertainment field, notably music concerts, and in the late 1960s it bought Alembic House (now called Peninsula Heights) on the Albert Embankment, where Baker occupied the penthouse apartment for a number of years.[38] Baker, Deeley, and Spikings were also part of a consortium that bought British Lion Films and Shepperton Studios, selling Alembic House to finance it.[39] Baker said in 1972 that:

I love business for the activity it creates, the total commitment. The acting bit is great for the ego, (but) all the real excitement is in business... I'm still surprised how good I am at business.[40]

However, Baker was the victim of bad timing. The British film industry went into serious decline at the end of the 1960s, and a number of Oakhurst films were unsuccessful at the box office. Plans to make a costume drama called Sunblack, directed by Gordon Flemyng, did not come to fruition.[21] His commercial foray into pop music festivals was financially disastrous, with the Great Western Bardney Pop Festival in Lincoln ending up losing £200,000.[41][42][43] The British stock market crashed at the end of 1973, throwing the over-leveraged British Lion into turmoil.

Baker was forced to keep acting to pay the bills, often accepting roles in poor films which adversely affected his status as a star. His son Glyn later said that:

"My dad had to accept any and everything to keep the companies afloat. Doing staggeringly-bad stuff like Popsy Pop, which was an Italian–Venezuelan co-production and A Lizard in a Woman's Skin [both 1971] – a movie which makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. At the slowest period, Stanley still had a payroll of at least 100 in his employ. So it was, 'Here we go – take the money, make this trash, hopefully, no one will ever see it.' Famous last words."'[44]

According to Michael Deeley, the financiers of British Lion Films were reluctant for Baker to be involved in the management of the company because they felt his focus was more on his acting career.[45]

The Butterfly Affair (1970) was with Claudia Cardinale; A Lizard in a Woman's Skin (1971) was an Italian giallo movie; Innocent Bystanders (1972) was directed by Peter Collinson who had done The Italian Job.

Towards the end of his life Baker pulled back on his business activities and worked mostly as an actor, taking roles in television including two of the BBC's Play of the Month series: The Changeling and Robinson Crusoe (both 1974),[46] plus Who Killed Lamb? (1974) and Graceless Go I (1974).

He made a series of films in Spain: Zorro (1975), starring Alain Delon, where Baker played the main villain; Bride to Be (1975), with Sarah Miles.

Baker's final British performance was in a BBC Wales adaptation of How Green Was My Valley (1975), broadcast shortly before he was diagnosed with cancer. Shortly before his death he was planning on producing a prequel to Zulu, Zulu Dawn.[47] His last role was in an Italian TV miniseries, Orzowei, il figlio della savana [it] (1976), based on the novel Orzowei.

Death

Baker was a heavy cigarette and cigar smoker, and was diagnosed with lung cancer on 13 February 1976. He underwent surgery later that month. However, the cancer had spread to his bones and he died from pneumonia on 28 June 1976, in Málaga, Spain, aged 48.[48]

His body was cremated at Putney Vale Crematorium; his ashes being scattered on a hillside overlooking his childhood home. He told his wife shortly before he died:

I have no regrets. I've had a fantastic life; no one has had a more fantastic life than I have. From the beginning I have been surrounded by love. I'm the son of a Welsh miner and I was born into love, married into love and spent my life in love.[49]

Personal life

In 1950 Baker married the actress Ellen Martin, who had been introduced to him by Burton. Their marriage lasted until his death and they had four children, Martin and Sally (twins), Glyn and Adam. Glyn appeared in The Wild Geese (1978), opposite Richard Burton, and in Return of the Jedi (1983), as Lieutenant Endicott, the imperial officer who said, "Inform the commander that Lord Vader's shuttle has arrived."[50]

He was a friend and drinking companion of Richard Burton.[51]

Baker was politically a socialist, and an acquaintance of Prime Minister Harold Wilson. He was an opponent of Welsh nationalism and recorded television broadcasts in support of the Welsh Labour Party. In a 1969 interview he said, "I'm a Welshman and proud of it, but I'm no nationalist. I think the Welsh Nationalists are foolish and misguided people."[52] Baker was heavily criticised for earning vast sums of money despite propounding left-wing politics, sending all his children to English public schools, and owning a large holiday home in Spain.[citation needed]

He considered becoming a tax exile in the 1960s but ultimately decided he would miss Britain too much. Many of his friends believed Baker had damaged his acting career through his attempts to transform himself into a businessman.[53]

In an interview shortly before his death he admitted to being a compulsive gambler all his life, although he claimed he always had enough money to look after his family.[47]

On 27 May 1976, it was announced that he had been awarded a knighthood in the 1976 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours,[54] although he did not live to be invested in person at Buckingham Palace.[55]

Legacy

Ferndale RFC, a rugby club in the Rhondda Valleys, South Wales, established a tribute to Baker in the form of their "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 BBC 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.[56]

Filmography

Year Title Role Director Notes
1943 Undercover Peter Sergei Nolbandov
1949 All Over the Town Barnes Derek Twist
Obsession Policeman Edward Dmytryk Uncredited
1950 Your Witness Police Sgt. Bannoch, Trial Witness Robert Montgomery
Lilli Marlene Evans Arthur Crabtree
Something in the City Policeman Maclean Rogers Uncredited
1951 The Rossiter Case Joe Francis Searle
Captain Horatio Hornblower Mr. Harrison Raoul Walsh
Cloudburst Milkman Francis Searle
Home to Danger Willie Dougan Terence Fisher
1952 Whispering Smith Hits London Reporter No. 1 Francis Searle
1953 The Cruel Sea Bennett Charles Frend
The Red Beret Breton Terence Young
Knights of the Round Table Modred Richard Thorpe
The Tell-Tale Heart Narrator J.B.Williams
1954 Hell Below Zero Erik Bland Mark Robson
The Good Die Young Mike Morgan Lewis Gilbert
Twist of Fate Louis Galt David Miller
1955 Richard III Henry, Earl of Richmond Laurence Olivier
1956 Helen of Troy Achilles Robert Wise
Alexander the Great Attalus Robert Rossen
Child in the House Stephen Lorimer Cy Endfield
A Hill in Korea Cpl. Ryker Julian Amyes
Checkpoint O'Donovan Ralph Thomas
1957 Hell Drivers Tom Yately Cy Endfield
Campbell's Kingdom Owen Morgan Ralph Thomas
1958 Violent Playground Det. Sgt. Jack Truman Basil Dearden
Sea Fury Abel Hewson Cy Endfield
1959 The Angry Hills Conrad Heisler Robert Aldrich
Yesterday's Enemy Captain Langford Val Guest
Blind Date Insp. Morgan Joseph Losey
Jet Storm Capt. Bardow Cy Endfield
1960 Hell Is a City Inspector Harry Martineau Val Guest
The Criminal Johnny Bannion Joseph Losey
1961 The Guns of Navarone Pvt. Butcher Brown J. Lee Thompson
1962 Eva Tyvian Jones Joseph Losey
Sodom and Gomorrah Astaroth Robert Aldrich
A Prize of Arms Turpin Cliff Owen
1963 In the French Style Walter Beddoes Robert Parrish
The Man Who Finally Died Joe Newman Quentin Lawrence
1964 Zulu Lt. John Chard Cy Endfield Also producer
Dingaka Tom Davis Jamie Uys
1965 One of Them Is Named Brett Narrator Roger Graef
Sands of the Kalahari Mike Bain Cy Endfield Also producer
1967 Accident Charley Joseph Losey
Robbery Paul Clifton Peter Yates Also producer
1968 The Girl with the Pistol Dr. Tom Osborne Mario Monicelli
The Other People Producer only (uncredited)
1969 Where's Jack? Jonathan Wild James Clavell Also producer
The Italian Job Producer only (uncredited)
1970 The Last Grenade Maj. Harry Grigsby Gordon Flemyng
The Games Bill Oliver Michael Winner
Perfect Friday Mr. Graham Peter Hall Also producer
Colosseum and Juicy Lucy Producer only
1971 A Lizard in a Woman's Skin Inspector Corvin Lucio Fulci
The Butterfly Affair Inspector Silva Jean Herman
1972 Innocent Bystanders John Craig Peter Collinson
1975 Zorro Col. Huerta Duccio Tessari
Bride to Be Pedro de Vargas Rafael Moreno Alba

TV series, miniseries and films

Year Title Role Notes
1949 Choir Practice Geraint Llewellyn Television film
The Luck of the Graces Television film
1950 Marion Tom Price Television film
The Tragedy of Pompey the Great Acillus Television film
1951 Rush Job Sid Bonner Television film
1952 The Taming of the Shrew Petruchio Television film
Martine Alfred Television film
A Cradle of Willow Martin Television film
1955 The Creature Tom Friend
1956 Jane Eyre Mr. Rochester Television miniseries
Who Goes Home? Tony Spencer Television film
A Death in the Family Richard Eynesham Television film
1958 Arms and the Man Captain Bluntschli Television film
Armchair Theatre Luce Dorell 3.16 "The Criminals"
1960 BBC Sunday-Night Play Big Tom 2.05 "The Squeeze"
1964 Drama '64 Chief Insp. Tom Dyke 4.08 "A Fear of Strangers"
1965 Who Has Seen the Wind? Janos Television film
1966 ITV Play of the Week John Ellis 12.13 "The Tormentors"
1967 After the Lion, Jackals C.C. Conover Television film
Code Name: Heraclitus Frank G. Wheatley Television film
1970 ITV Sunday Night Theatre Sam Tennant 2.31 "Fade Out"
1974 Who Killed Lamb? Detective Inspector Jamieson Television film
Late Night Drama 1.13 "Graceless Go I"
The Changeling De Flores Television film
Robinson Crusoe[57] Robinson Crusoe Television film
1975 How Green Was My Valley Gwilym Morgan Television miniseries
1976 Orzowei, il figlio della savana [it] Paul Television miniseries, (final appearance)

Box office rankings

Baker featured several times in the annual poll of British exhibitors for Motion Picture Annual listing the most popular stars at the local box office:

  • 1957 – 7th most popular British star[16]
  • 1958 – 10th most popular British star
  • 1959 – 4th most popular British star[20]
  • 1960 – 8th most popular star in Britain regardless of nationality
  • 1968 – 9th most popular star in Britain regardless of nationality

Select theatre credits

Awards

References

  1. ^ "Stanley Baker: 10 essential films". Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  2. ^ . Film4. Archived from the original on 27 March 2009. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  3. ^ Sylvia Duncan, 'The Home Town I Love', Woman's Own 1971. Retrieved 26 May 2012
  4. ^ "The life story of STANLEY BAKER" (11 September 1954). Picture show, 63, 12
  5. ^ Stanley Baker, 'My Story', Woman's Mirror, November 1961. Retrieved 26 May 2012
  6. ^ "Motion Picture Communication" by Kimmis Hendrick. The Christian Science Monitor; Boston, Massachusetts 28 Aug 1963: 18.
  7. ^ "(Sir) Stanley Baker – Actors and Actresses – Films as Actor:, Films as co-producer:, Publications". filmreference.com.
  8. ^ "Vivien Leigh Actress of the Year". Townsville Daily Bulletin. Qld. 29 December 1951. p. 1. Retrieved 9 July 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ^ "CHURCH TO HOUSE FRY'S PLAY HERE: 'A Sleep of Prisoners' Will Be Presented at St. James'-- Drama Opening 16 Oct News and Notes of the Stage" by LOUIS CALTA. New York Times 18 Sep 1951: 38
  10. ^ A Touch Of The Memoirs. Donald Sinden. Hodder & Stoughton 1982. page 154
  11. ^ "Television" The Observer; London (UK) 27 Apr 1952: 6.
  12. ^ "Tamiroff set for UK film". The Mail. Adelaide. 1 August 1953. p. 4 Supplement: SUNDAY MAGAZINE. Retrieved 19 May 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  13. ^ "News from the studios". The Australian Women's Weekly. 24 February 1954. p. 50. Retrieved 19 May 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  14. ^ "ALEXANDER'S' RESEARCHER" by M.E. FREEDGOOD. New York Times 11 Dec 1955: 156.
  15. ^ "New Loren Subjects Revealed; Elizabeth Taylor in 'Quixote'" Schallert, Edwin. Los Angeles Times 21 Oct 1957: C13
  16. ^ a b "BRITISH ACTORS HEAD FILM POLL: BOX-OFFICE SURVEY", The Manchester Guardian, 27 December 1957, p. 3.
  17. ^ David Thomson, The New Biographical Dictionary of Film, Little Brown 2002 p 45
  18. ^ Raymond Hyams, 'Why I Turned Down a Fortune', Photoplay, January 1960 p35. Retrieved 26 May 2012
  19. ^ Howard Thompson, 'STANLEY BAKER: PERIPATETIC ACTOR-PRODUCER: GENESIS PROVINCIAL DEBUT', The New York Times 1 September 1963: X5.
  20. ^ a b "Year of Profitable British Films." The Times [London, England], 1 January 1960, p. 13. The Times Digital Archive, 11 July 2012. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  21. ^ a b 'Playing the Game', Films and Filming August 1970 p32. Retrieved 26 May 2012
  22. ^ "SHOOTING 'GUNS OF NAVARONE' ON THE AEGEAN: Grecian Settings Provide Major War Film with Authenticity and Color" by HALSEY RAINES. New York Times 8 May 1960: X7.
  23. ^ "Wanger Realigns 'Cleopatra' Cast: New Musical Honors Lincoln; French Stars in 'Longest Day'" Scheuer, Philip K. Los Angeles Times 31 July 1961: C9.
  24. ^ Berry, Dave (10 April 2004). "My Stanley turned down Bond role". Western Mail. Cardiff.
  25. ^ "Looking at Hollywood: Here's the Inside Story—How 'Zulu' Was Made" Hopper, Hedda. Chicago Tribune 14 Aug 1963: b2.
  26. ^ Victorian & Colonial Anecdotes 19 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine, battlefield-site.co.uk. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  27. ^ "Joi Signs for 'Heart' Role" Martin, Betty. Los Angeles Times 27 Nov 1965: 17.
  28. ^ "MOVIE CALL SHEET: Warners to Film 'Rainbow'" Martin, Betty. Los Angeles Times 28 Sep 1966: D12.
  29. ^ "They Seek Out Saul Bellow: 'MAF BOYS' STRANGER" DUE ON THE RUN" by A.H. WEILER. New York Times 28 May 1967: D9.
  30. ^ "MOVIE CALL SHEET: Roth Organizes Company" Martin, Betty. Los Angeles Times 16 Oct 1967: c28.
  31. ^ "Tisha Sterling in Space Film" Martin, Betty. Los Angeles Times 8 July 1968: f15.
  32. ^ "John Wayne-money-spinner" The Guardian; London (UK) 31 Dec 1968: 3.
  33. ^ "Accident". TV Guide.
  34. ^ A way out of films' financial quicksand?: "Global co-op plans for Anouilh, Huxley, Lawrence" by Louise Sweeney. The Christian Science Monitor; Boston, Massachusetts 1 Dec 1969: 16
  35. ^ Blume, Mary (14 August 1971). "Stanley Baker Likes to Act". Los Angeles Times. p. a8.
  36. ^ "ITA announcement criticized as 'expropriation without compensation'." The Times [London, England] 12 June 1967: 8. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 12 July 2012.
  37. ^ JULIAN MOUNTER, South Wales Correspondent. "Harlech TV cake 'will take some chewing'." The Times [London, England] 16 June 1967: 10. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 12 July 2012.
  38. ^ "The Studio Tour: Walking among the ruins of the British film industry". thebritishstudiotour.wordpress.com. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  39. ^ Newland, Paul (2010). Don't Look Now: British Cinema in the 1970s. Intellect Books. pp. 36–38. ISBN 9781841503202. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  40. ^ 'The Tough Guy Who's In Business', Radio Times, 3 March 1973. Retrieved 28 May 2012
  41. ^ Walker (1985), p.118
  42. ^ Geoffrey Wansell, Bardney, Lincolnshire, 25 May. "Pop festivals 'on trial' in Lincolnshire hamlet." Times [London, England] 26 May 1972: 4. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 12 July 2012.
  43. ^ Geoffrey Wansell. "35,000 arrive in village for four-day pop festival." Times [London, England] 27 May 1972: 2. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 12 July 2012.
  44. ^ Mel Neuhaus, "Apes of Wrath", Examiner.com, 19 July 2011
  45. ^ Michael Deeley, Blade Runners, Deer Hunters and Blowing the Bloody Doors Off: My Life in Cult Movies, Pegasus Books, 2009 p 109
  46. ^ "A spirited "Crusoe" was tough for star". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 42, no. 31. 1 January 1975. p. 10. Retrieved 9 July 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  47. ^ a b 'Gambling is Unfair to Punters Says Stanley Baker' Titbits April 1976 pp. 12–13. Retrieved 26 May 2012
  48. ^ "VETERAN ACTOR Sir Stanley Baker dies, 49". The Canberra Times. Vol. 50, no. 14, 418. 30 June 1976. p. 4. Retrieved 18 July 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  49. ^ Ellen Baker, 'My Husband, My Love', Woman's Own Magazine, December 1976. Retrieved 26 May 2012
  50. ^ Profile, ODNB. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  51. ^ Burton, R. (11 July 1976). "LAMENT FOR A DEAD WELSHMAN." The Observer
  52. ^ Sedazzari, Matteo. "ZANI on One of Britain's Greatest Actors- Stanley Baker Part Two". zani.co.uk. from the original on 3 September 2014.
  53. ^ Shail, Robert (2010). Paul Newland (ed.). Stanley Baker and British Lion: A Cautionary Tale. Don't Look Now: British Cinema in the 1970s. Bristol: Intellect Books. p. 38. ISBN 978-1-84150-320-2.
  54. ^ "SIR HAROLD'S LIST An'absurd charade of honours". The Canberra Times. Vol. 50, no. 14, 390. 28 May 1976. p. 4. Retrieved 18 July 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  55. ^ Stanley Baker profile, BBC. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  56. ^ "Ferndale remembers silver-screen legend Sir Stanley Baker". WalesOnline. 22 November 2007. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  57. ^ "A spirited "Crusoe" was tough for star". The Australian Women's Weekly. 1 January 1975. p. 10. Retrieved 19 May 2012 – via National Library of Australia.

Bibliography

  • Walker, Alexander (1985). National Heroes: British Cinema in the Seventies and Eighties. Harrap.

External links

  • Stanley Baker at IMDb
  • Stanley Baker biography and credits, Screenonline.org. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  • The Sir Stanley Baker Tribute Site, freewebs.com. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  • Ferndale RFC official website, "Sir Stanley Baker Lounge". Retrieved 8 April 2014.

stanley, baker, other, people, named, disambiguation, william, february, 1928, june, 1976, welsh, actor, film, producer, known, rugged, appearance, intense, grounded, screen, persona, british, male, film, stars, late, 1950s, later, producer, sirbaker, lizard, . For other people named Stanley Baker see Stanley Baker disambiguation Sir William Stanley Baker 28 February 1928 28 June 1976 was a Welsh actor and film producer Known for his rugged appearance and intense grounded screen persona he was one of the top British male film stars of the late 1950s and later a producer 1 SirStanley BakerBaker in A Lizard in a Woman s Skin 1971 BornWilliam Stanley Baker 1928 02 28 28 February 1928Ferndale Glamorgan WalesDied28 June 1976 1976 06 28 aged 48 Malaga Andalusia SpainOccupation s Actor film producerYears active1943 1944 1948 1975SpouseEllen Martin m 1950 1976 wbr Children4Born into a coal mining family in Glamorgan Baker began his acting career in the West End Following national service in the Royal Army Service Corps after the Second World War he befriended actor Richard Burton and began appearing in film and television roles He played the lead role in Hell Drivers and supporting role in The Guns of Navarone He was producer and lead actor in the 1964 film Zulu 2 in which he portrayed John Chard Baker s performance in the 1959 film Yesterday s Enemy was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best British Actor and he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for his turn in the BBC serial How Green Was My Valley He was awarded a knighthood in 1976 although he died before the investiture ceremony a heavy smoker he developed lung cancer and he died in 1976 Contents 1 Early life 2 Early career 3 Lead actor 4 Production 5 Later career 6 Death 7 Personal life 8 Legacy 9 Filmography 10 TV series miniseries and films 11 Box office rankings 12 Select theatre credits 13 Awards 14 References 15 Bibliography 16 External linksEarly life EditBaker was born in Ferndale Glamorgan Wales the youngest of three children His father was a coal miner who lost a leg in a pit accident but continued working as a lift operator at the mine until his death Baker grew up a self proclaimed wild kid interested in only football and boxing 3 He thought he would most likely be a miner or maybe a boxer 4 His artistic ability was spotted at an early age by a local teacher Glynne Morse who encouraged Baker to act When he was 14 he was performing in a school play when seen by a casting director from Ealing Studios who recommended him for a role in Undercover 1943 a war film about the Yugoslav guerrillas in Serbia He was paid 20 a week caught the acting bug and pursued a professional acting career 5 Six months later Baker appeared with Emlyn Williams in a play in the West End called The Druid s Rest appearing alongside Richard Burton Baker worked for a time as an apprentice electrician then through Morse s influence he managed to secure a position with the Birmingham Repertory Theatre in 1944 He was there for three years when he had to do his national service 6 He served in the Royal Army Service Corps from 1946 until 1948 attaining the rank of sergeant 7 Following his demobilisation Baker returned to London determined to resume his acting career He was recommended by Richard Burton for casting in a small role in Terence Rattigan s West End play Adventure Story 1949 Early career EditHe began appearing in films and on television as well as performing on stage for the Middlesex Repertory Company He had small roles in All Over the Town 1949 Obsession 1949 Your Witness 1950 Lilli Marlene 1950 Something in the City 1950 The Rossiter Case 1951 Cloudburst 1951 Home to Danger 1951 and Whispering Smith Hits London 1952 His TV roles included The Tragedy of Pompey the Great 1950 and Rush Job 1951 H Baker attracted attention when cast as the bosun s mate in the Hollywood financed Captain Horatio Hornblower 1951 It was the ninth most popular film at the British box office that year 8 In 1951 he toured England in a play by Christopher Fry A Sleep of Prisoners which was part of the Festival of Britain It was about four POWs spending a night in a bombed out church and was staged in actual churches the rest of the cast includes Denholm Elliott Hugh Pryse and Leonard White The project was transferred in its entirety to New York for a limited run and also toured throughout the US 9 While in New York Baker read the novel The Cruel Sea by Nicholas Monsarrat Although the role of the cowardly officer Bennett was an Australian in the book the Englishman Donald Sinden was originally screen tested for the part and the Welsh Baker was screen tested for the part of Lockhart Subsequently at Jack Hawkins suggestion and after further screen tests the roles were swapped 10 The Cruel Sea 1953 film was the most successful film at the British box office in 1953 and Baker was now established in films On television was in A Cradle in Willow and played Petruchio in a version of Taming of the Shrew 1952 11 He had a small role in a British US co production for Warwick Films The Red Beret 1953 with Alan Ladd another big hit in Britain Warwick liked his work so much they promptly reteamed him with Ladd in Hell Below Zero 1954 with Baker billed fourth as the main villain Baker got another break when George Sanders fell ill and was unable to play Sir Mordred in the expensive epic Knights of the Round Table 1953 made by MGM in Britain Baker stepped in and got excellent reviews the movie was very popular 12 He had his biggest role in a purely British film with The Good Die Young 1954 directed by Lewis Gilbert playing a boxer who commits a robbery Baker was cast in Twist of Fate 1954 opposite Ginger Rogers replacing Walter Rilla who quit the production ten days into filming 13 Hollywood came calling again and offered him the choice support role of Achilles in Helen of Troy 1955 shot in Italy for Robert Wise Most of Baker s film roles until this stage had been playing villains His career received another boost when Laurence Olivier selected him to play Henry Tudor in Richard III 1955 On TV he was in The Creature 1955 by Nigel Kneale later filmed without Baker as The Abominable Snowman 1957 He was in another epic playing Attalus in Alexander the Great 1956 which starred Burton in the title role and was shot in Spain for Robert Rossen 14 He also portrayed Rochester in a British TV adaptation of Jane Eyre 1956 Baker s first leading role in a feature film came with Child in the House 1956 written and directed by Cy Endfield He had a support role as a psychotic corporal in A Hill in Korea 1956 a Korean War film that also featured early performances from Michael Caine Stephen Boyd and Robert Shaw He was the villain in a racing car drama Checkpoint 1956 opposite Anthony Steel It was made by the team of Betty E Box and Ralph Thomas for the Rank Organisation Lead actor EditBaker finally broke away from supporting parts when cast as the lead in Hell Drivers 1957 a truck driving drama directed by Endfield Before it was released he played another villain role for Box and Thomas Campbell s Kingdom 1957 opposite Dirk Bogarde shot in Italy substituting for Canada Following this he was meant to make Tread Softly Stranger with Diana Dors but George Baker was cast instead 15 Hell Drivers was a minor hit and at the end of the year exhibitors voted Baker the seventh most popular British star at the British box office for 1957 after Bogarde Kenneth More Peter Finch John Gregson Norman Wisdom and John Mills and before Ian Carmichael Jack Hawkins and Belinda Lee 16 The success of Hell Drivers saw Baker play a series of tough anti heroes In the words of David Thomson Until the early 1960s Baker was the only male lead in the British cinema who managed to suggest contempt aggression and the working class He is the first hint of proletarian male vigor against the grain of Leslie Howard James Mason Stewart Granger John Mills Dirk Bogarde and the theatrical knights Which is not to disparage these players but to say that Baker was a welcome novelty that he is one of Britain s most important screen actors and that he has not yet been equalled not even by Michael Caine 17 Baker was a detective in Violent Playground 1958 a drama about juvenile delinquency from the director producer team Basil Dearden and Michael Relph He was reunited with Endfield for Sea Fury 1958 an action drama playing a tugboat captain He was voted the tenth biggest British star in Britain at the end of the year He made the Hollywood financed The Angry Hills 1959 in Greece with Robert Aldrich opposite Robert Mitchum Baker said Aldrich offered to engage him in a 28 part series about an Englishman in New York but he had turned it down to stay in Britain 18 Baker had the lead in Yesterday s Enemy 1959 a World War II drama set in Burma for Hammer Films directed by Val Guest He was a detective in Blind Date 1959 for director Joseph Losey one of Baker s favourite roles 19 He made a fourth film with Endfield Jet Storm 1959 playing an airline captain None of these films were particularly huge at the box office but at the end of the year Baker was voted the fourth most popular British star 20 Hell Is a City 1960 had him as another hardbitten detective a second collaboration with Val Guest He was reunited with Losey for The Criminal 1960 playing an ex con and Baker s favourite role 21 He played the relatively small role of Butcher Brown a war weary commando in the Hollywood blockbuster war epic The Guns of Navarone 1961 shot in Greece 22 It was a massive hit at the box office A third collaboration with Losey was Eva 1962 a French Italian film where Baker acted opposite Jeanne Moreau Aldrich asked him to play another villain role in the Biblical epic Sodom and Gomorrah 1962 There was some talk he would play Rufio in Cleopatra 1963 but it did not eventuate 23 He was a tough army officer committing a robbery in A Prize of Arms 1962 but the film failed at the box office and it seemed the market for the tough action films in which Baker had specialised might be drying up He appeared opposite Jean Seberg in In the French Style 1962 a French American romance produced by Irwin Shaw He was in The Man Who Finally Died 1963 for British TV Baker s widow later claimed that he was originally offered the role of James Bond but turned it down not wanting to commit to a long term contract She also says he was going to star in This Sporting Life but had to drop out when Guns of Navarone went over schedule She says Baker never regretted losing the part of Bond to Sean Connery but regretted not making This Sporting Life 24 Production EditBaker formed his own company Diamond Films with Cy Endfield They developed a script about the Battle of Rorke s Drift written by Endfield and John Prebble While making Sodom and Gomorrah Baker struck up a relationship with that film s producer Joseph E Levine which enabled him to raise the 3 million budget for Zulu 1964 directed by Endfield shot partly on location in South Africa 25 Zulu was a big hit at the box office and made a star of Michael Caine Baker played the lead part of Lieutenant John Chard VC in what remains his best remembered role He later owned Chard s Victoria Cross and Zulu War Medal from 1972 until his death in 1976 26 Chard died at age 49 in 1897 only a year older than Baker at his death both died of cancer Baker made two more films in South Africa Dingaka 1965 on which he worked as an actor only but which was distributed by Levine and Sands of the Kalahari 1965 which he starred in and produced directed by Endfield and financed by Levine Both were box office failures commercially and Baker made no further films with Endfield Baker had plans to film Wilbur Smith s debut novel When the Lion Feeds and The Coral Strand by John Masters 27 but neither project was realised He made a TV movie for the United Nations entitled Who Has Seen the Wind 1965 and appeared in two episodes of Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre After the Lion Jackals 1966 and Code Name Heraclitus 1967 In 1966 he made a deal with Universal to produce and star in a film 28 He made a final film with Losey Accident 1967 cast against type as an academic Baker formed the production company Oakhurst Productions with Michael Deeley Its first cinema film was Robbery 1967 a heist film with Baker in the lead role It was a solid success in Britain and launched the Hollywood career of director Peter Yates Baker announced he would make another film for Levine A Nice Girl Like Me acting opposite Hayley Mills who would play a girl who constantly gets pregnant 29 The film would be made by Levine but not with Baker or Mills He was also going to film the John Roeburt novel The Climate of Hell with James Goldstone 30 and the Norman Lewis novel Everyman s Brother 31 He appeared in The Girl with the Pistol 1968 an Italian comedy then worked as a producer only on two films for Oakhurst The Other People 1968 which was never released and The Italian Job 1969 a heist comedy with Michael Caine a big hit He was also part of the consortium which set up Harlech Television At the end of 1968 exhibitors voted him the ninth biggest star in Britain after John Wayne Julie Christie Steve McQueen Tommy Steele Paul Newman Sean Connery Clint Eastwood and Julie Andrews 32 Baker produced and starred in Where s Jack 1969 for Oakhurst opposite Tommy Steele for director James Clavell It was a box office failure 33 As an actor only he appeared in The Games 1970 for 20th Century Fox He appeared in two films for producer Dimitri de Grunwald The Last Grenade 1970 playing a mercenary and Perfect Friday 1970 a heist movie directed by Peter Hall which Baker helped produce 34 Later career EditIn the 1970s Baker announced a number of projects as producer an adaptation of George MacDonald Fraser s novel Flashman to be directed by Richard Lester Summer Fires with Peter Hall I don t make films to see myself perform I do it to act said Baker I ve enjoyed everything I ve worked on including the bad pictures I enjoy being a working actor I ve been accused by journalists of lack of discretion lack of taste Well I d rather have that lack than the lack of having made them Producing is total involvement and compatible with acting while I don t think directing is Producing gives you a continuity of effort that helps with acting 35 He also expanded his business interests He was one of the founder members of Harlech Television and was a director of it until his death 36 37 With Michael Deeley and Barry Spikings he formed Great Western Enterprises which was involved in a number of projects in the entertainment field notably music concerts and in the late 1960s it bought Alembic House now called Peninsula Heights on the Albert Embankment where Baker occupied the penthouse apartment for a number of years 38 Baker Deeley and Spikings were also part of a consortium that bought British Lion Films and Shepperton Studios selling Alembic House to finance it 39 Baker said in 1972 that I love business for the activity it creates the total commitment The acting bit is great for the ego but all the real excitement is in business I m still surprised how good I am at business 40 However Baker was the victim of bad timing The British film industry went into serious decline at the end of the 1960s and a number of Oakhurst films were unsuccessful at the box office Plans to make a costume drama called Sunblack directed by Gordon Flemyng did not come to fruition 21 His commercial foray into pop music festivals was financially disastrous with the Great Western Bardney Pop Festival in Lincoln ending up losing 200 000 41 42 43 The British stock market crashed at the end of 1973 throwing the over leveraged British Lion into turmoil Baker was forced to keep acting to pay the bills often accepting roles in poor films which adversely affected his status as a star His son Glyn later said that My dad had to accept any and everything to keep the companies afloat Doing staggeringly bad stuff like Popsy Pop which was an Italian Venezuelan co production and A Lizard in a Woman s Skin both 1971 a movie which makes absolutely no sense whatsoever At the slowest period Stanley still had a payroll of at least 100 in his employ So it was Here we go take the money make this trash hopefully no one will ever see it Famous last words 44 According to Michael Deeley the financiers of British Lion Films were reluctant for Baker to be involved in the management of the company because they felt his focus was more on his acting career 45 The Butterfly Affair 1970 was with Claudia Cardinale A Lizard in a Woman s Skin 1971 was an Italian giallo movie Innocent Bystanders 1972 was directed by Peter Collinson who had done The Italian Job Towards the end of his life Baker pulled back on his business activities and worked mostly as an actor taking roles in television including two of the BBC s Play of the Month series The Changeling and Robinson Crusoe both 1974 46 plus Who Killed Lamb 1974 and Graceless Go I 1974 He made a series of films in Spain Zorro 1975 starring Alain Delon where Baker played the main villain Bride to Be 1975 with Sarah Miles Baker s final British performance was in a BBC Wales adaptation of How Green Was My Valley 1975 broadcast shortly before he was diagnosed with cancer Shortly before his death he was planning on producing a prequel to Zulu Zulu Dawn 47 His last role was in an Italian TV miniseries Orzowei il figlio della savana it 1976 based on the novel Orzowei Death EditBaker was a heavy cigarette and cigar smoker and was diagnosed with lung cancer on 13 February 1976 He underwent surgery later that month However the cancer had spread to his bones and he died from pneumonia on 28 June 1976 in Malaga Spain aged 48 48 His body was cremated at Putney Vale Crematorium his ashes being scattered on a hillside overlooking his childhood home He told his wife shortly before he died I have no regrets I ve had a fantastic life no one has had a more fantastic life than I have From the beginning I have been surrounded by love I m the son of a Welsh miner and I was born into love married into love and spent my life in love 49 Personal life EditIn 1950 Baker married the actress Ellen Martin who had been introduced to him by Burton Their marriage lasted until his death and they had four children Martin and Sally twins Glyn and Adam Glyn appeared in The Wild Geese 1978 opposite Richard Burton and in Return of the Jedi 1983 as Lieutenant Endicott the imperial officer who said Inform the commander that Lord Vader s shuttle has arrived 50 He was a friend and drinking companion of Richard Burton 51 Baker was politically a socialist and an acquaintance of Prime Minister Harold Wilson He was an opponent of Welsh nationalism and recorded television broadcasts in support of the Welsh Labour Party In a 1969 interview he said I m a Welshman and proud of it but I m no nationalist I think the Welsh Nationalists are foolish and misguided people 52 Baker was heavily criticised for earning vast sums of money despite propounding left wing politics sending all his children to English public schools and owning a large holiday home in Spain citation needed He considered becoming a tax exile in the 1960s but ultimately decided he would miss Britain too much Many of his friends believed Baker had damaged his acting career through his attempts to transform himself into a businessman 53 In an interview shortly before his death he admitted to being a compulsive gambler all his life although he claimed he always had enough money to look after his family 47 On 27 May 1976 it was announced that he had been awarded a knighthood in the 1976 Prime Minister s Resignation Honours 54 although he did not live to be invested in person at Buckingham Palace 55 Legacy EditFerndale RFC a rugby club in the Rhondda Valleys South Wales established a tribute to Baker in the form of their 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 BBC 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 56 Filmography EditYear Title Role Director Notes1943 Undercover Peter Sergei Nolbandov1949 All Over the Town Barnes Derek TwistObsession Policeman Edward Dmytryk Uncredited1950 Your Witness Police Sgt Bannoch Trial Witness Robert MontgomeryLilli Marlene Evans Arthur CrabtreeSomething in the City Policeman Maclean Rogers Uncredited1951 The Rossiter Case Joe Francis SearleCaptain Horatio Hornblower Mr Harrison Raoul WalshCloudburst Milkman Francis SearleHome to Danger Willie Dougan Terence Fisher1952 Whispering Smith Hits London Reporter No 1 Francis Searle1953 The Cruel Sea Bennett Charles FrendThe Red Beret Breton Terence YoungKnights of the Round Table Modred Richard ThorpeThe Tell Tale Heart Narrator J B Williams1954 Hell Below Zero Erik Bland Mark RobsonThe Good Die Young Mike Morgan Lewis GilbertTwist of Fate Louis Galt David Miller1955 Richard III Henry Earl of Richmond Laurence Olivier1956 Helen of Troy Achilles Robert WiseAlexander the Great Attalus Robert RossenChild in the House Stephen Lorimer Cy EndfieldA Hill in Korea Cpl Ryker Julian AmyesCheckpoint O Donovan Ralph Thomas1957 Hell Drivers Tom Yately Cy EndfieldCampbell s Kingdom Owen Morgan Ralph Thomas1958 Violent Playground Det Sgt Jack Truman Basil DeardenSea Fury Abel Hewson Cy Endfield1959 The Angry Hills Conrad Heisler Robert AldrichYesterday s Enemy Captain Langford Val GuestBlind Date Insp Morgan Joseph LoseyJet Storm Capt Bardow Cy Endfield1960 Hell Is a City Inspector Harry Martineau Val GuestThe Criminal Johnny Bannion Joseph Losey1961 The Guns of Navarone Pvt Butcher Brown J Lee Thompson1962 Eva Tyvian Jones Joseph LoseySodom and Gomorrah Astaroth Robert AldrichA Prize of Arms Turpin Cliff Owen1963 In the French Style Walter Beddoes Robert ParrishThe Man Who Finally Died Joe Newman Quentin Lawrence1964 Zulu Lt John Chard Cy Endfield Also producerDingaka Tom Davis Jamie Uys1965 One of Them Is Named Brett Narrator Roger GraefSands of the Kalahari Mike Bain Cy Endfield Also producer1967 Accident Charley Joseph LoseyRobbery Paul Clifton Peter Yates Also producer1968 The Girl with the Pistol Dr Tom Osborne Mario MonicelliThe Other People Producer only uncredited 1969 Where s Jack Jonathan Wild James Clavell Also producerThe Italian Job Producer only uncredited 1970 The Last Grenade Maj Harry Grigsby Gordon FlemyngThe Games Bill Oliver Michael WinnerPerfect Friday Mr Graham Peter Hall Also producerColosseum and Juicy Lucy Producer only1971 A Lizard in a Woman s Skin Inspector Corvin Lucio FulciThe Butterfly Affair Inspector Silva Jean Herman1972 Innocent Bystanders John Craig Peter Collinson1975 Zorro Col Huerta Duccio TessariBride to Be Pedro de Vargas Rafael Moreno AlbaTV series miniseries and films EditYear Title Role Notes1949 Choir Practice Geraint Llewellyn Television filmThe Luck of the Graces Television film1950 Marion Tom Price Television filmThe Tragedy of Pompey the Great Acillus Television film1951 Rush Job Sid Bonner Television film1952 The Taming of the Shrew Petruchio Television filmMartine Alfred Television filmA Cradle of Willow Martin Television film1955 The Creature Tom Friend1956 Jane Eyre Mr Rochester Television miniseriesWho Goes Home Tony Spencer Television filmA Death in the Family Richard Eynesham Television film1958 Arms and the Man Captain Bluntschli Television filmArmchair Theatre Luce Dorell 3 16 The Criminals 1960 BBC Sunday Night Play Big Tom 2 05 The Squeeze 1964 Drama 64 Chief Insp Tom Dyke 4 08 A Fear of Strangers 1965 Who Has Seen the Wind Janos Television film1966 ITV Play of the Week John Ellis 12 13 The Tormentors 1967 After the Lion Jackals C C Conover Television filmCode Name Heraclitus Frank G Wheatley Television film1970 ITV Sunday Night Theatre Sam Tennant 2 31 Fade Out 1974 Who Killed Lamb Detective Inspector Jamieson Television filmLate Night Drama 1 13 Graceless Go I The Changeling De Flores Television filmRobinson Crusoe 57 Robinson Crusoe Television film1975 How Green Was My Valley Gwilym Morgan Television miniseries1976 Orzowei il figlio della savana it Paul Television miniseries final appearance Box office rankings EditBaker featured several times in the annual poll of British exhibitors for Motion Picture Annual listing the most popular stars at the local box office 1957 7th most popular British star 16 1958 10th most popular British star 1959 4th most popular British star 20 1960 8th most popular star in Britain regardless of nationality 1968 9th most popular star in Britain regardless of nationalitySelect theatre credits EditThe Druid s Rest by Emlyn Williams 1943 with Richard Burton 1944 46 various with Birmingham Repertory Theatre Adventure Story by Terence Rattigan 1949 with Paul Scofield Treasure Island 1949 with Middlesex Repertory Company Wuthering Heights 1949 with Middlesex Repertory CompanyAwards Edit1959 BAFTA Nomination for Best British Actor for Yesterday s EnemyReferences Edit Stanley Baker 10 essential films Retrieved 8 August 2021 100 Greatest War Films 10 to 6 Film4 Archived from the original on 27 March 2009 Retrieved 12 May 2016 Sylvia Duncan The Home Town I Love Woman s Own 1971 Retrieved 26 May 2012 The life story of STANLEY BAKER 11 September 1954 Picture show 63 12 Stanley Baker My Story Woman s Mirror November 1961 Retrieved 26 May 2012 Motion Picture Communication by Kimmis Hendrick The Christian Science Monitor Boston Massachusetts 28 Aug 1963 18 Sir Stanley Baker Actors and Actresses Films as Actor Films as co producer Publications filmreference com Vivien Leigh Actress of the Year Townsville Daily Bulletin Qld 29 December 1951 p 1 Retrieved 9 July 2012 via National Library of Australia CHURCH TO HOUSE FRY S PLAY HERE A Sleep of Prisoners Will Be Presented at St James Drama Opening 16 Oct News and Notes of the Stage by LOUIS CALTA New York Times 18 Sep 1951 38 A Touch Of The Memoirs Donald Sinden Hodder amp Stoughton 1982 page 154 Television The Observer London UK 27 Apr 1952 6 Tamiroff set for UK film The Mail Adelaide 1 August 1953 p 4 Supplement SUNDAY MAGAZINE Retrieved 19 May 2012 via National Library of Australia News from the studios The Australian Women s Weekly 24 February 1954 p 50 Retrieved 19 May 2012 via National Library of Australia ALEXANDER S RESEARCHER by M E FREEDGOOD New York Times 11 Dec 1955 156 New Loren Subjects Revealed Elizabeth Taylor in Quixote Schallert Edwin Los Angeles Times 21 Oct 1957 C13 a b BRITISH ACTORS HEAD FILM POLL BOX OFFICE SURVEY The Manchester Guardian 27 December 1957 p 3 David Thomson The New Biographical Dictionary of Film Little Brown 2002 p 45 Raymond Hyams Why I Turned Down a Fortune Photoplay January 1960 p35 Retrieved 26 May 2012 Howard Thompson STANLEY BAKER PERIPATETIC ACTOR PRODUCER GENESIS PROVINCIAL DEBUT The New York Times 1 September 1963 X5 a b Year of Profitable British Films The Times London England 1 January 1960 p 13 The Times Digital Archive 11 July 2012 Retrieved 8 April 2014 a b Playing the Game Films and Filming August 1970 p32 Retrieved 26 May 2012 SHOOTING GUNS OF NAVARONE ON THE AEGEAN Grecian Settings Provide Major War Film with Authenticity and Color by HALSEY RAINES New York Times 8 May 1960 X7 Wanger Realigns Cleopatra Cast New Musical Honors Lincoln French Stars in Longest Day Scheuer Philip K Los Angeles Times 31 July 1961 C9 Berry Dave 10 April 2004 My Stanley turned down Bond role Western Mail Cardiff Looking at Hollywood Here s the Inside Story How Zulu Was Made Hopper Hedda Chicago Tribune 14 Aug 1963 b2 Victorian amp Colonial Anecdotes Archived 19 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine battlefield site co uk Retrieved 8 April 2014 Joi Signs for Heart Role Martin Betty Los Angeles Times 27 Nov 1965 17 MOVIE CALL SHEET Warners to Film Rainbow Martin Betty Los Angeles Times 28 Sep 1966 D12 They Seek Out Saul Bellow MAF BOYS STRANGER DUE ON THE RUN by A H WEILER New York Times 28 May 1967 D9 MOVIE CALL SHEET Roth Organizes Company Martin Betty Los Angeles Times 16 Oct 1967 c28 Tisha Sterling in Space Film Martin Betty Los Angeles Times 8 July 1968 f15 John Wayne money spinner The Guardian London UK 31 Dec 1968 3 Accident TV Guide A way out of films financial quicksand Global co op plans for Anouilh Huxley Lawrence by Louise Sweeney The Christian Science Monitor Boston Massachusetts 1 Dec 1969 16 Blume Mary 14 August 1971 Stanley Baker Likes to Act Los Angeles Times p a8 ITA announcement criticized as expropriation without compensation The Times London England 12 June 1967 8 The Times Digital Archive Web 12 July 2012 JULIAN MOUNTER South Wales Correspondent Harlech TV cake will take some chewing The Times London England 16 June 1967 10 The Times Digital Archive Web 12 July 2012 The Studio Tour Walking among the ruins of the British film industry thebritishstudiotour wordpress com Retrieved 8 June 2016 Newland Paul 2010 Don t Look Now British Cinema in the 1970s Intellect Books pp 36 38 ISBN 9781841503202 Retrieved 8 June 2016 The Tough Guy Who s In Business Radio Times 3 March 1973 Retrieved 28 May 2012 Walker 1985 p 118 Geoffrey Wansell Bardney Lincolnshire 25 May Pop festivals on trial in Lincolnshire hamlet Times London England 26 May 1972 4 The Times Digital Archive Web 12 July 2012 Geoffrey Wansell 35 000 arrive in village for four day pop festival Times London England 27 May 1972 2 The Times Digital Archive Web 12 July 2012 Mel Neuhaus Apes of Wrath Examiner com 19 July 2011 Michael Deeley Blade Runners Deer Hunters and Blowing the Bloody Doors Off My Life in Cult Movies Pegasus Books 2009 p 109 A spirited Crusoe was tough for star The Australian Women s Weekly Vol 42 no 31 1 January 1975 p 10 Retrieved 9 July 2017 via National Library of Australia a b Gambling is Unfair to Punters Says Stanley Baker Titbits April 1976 pp 12 13 Retrieved 26 May 2012 VETERAN ACTOR Sir Stanley Baker dies 49 The Canberra Times Vol 50 no 14 418 30 June 1976 p 4 Retrieved 18 July 2017 via National Library of Australia Ellen Baker My Husband My Love Woman s Own Magazine December 1976 Retrieved 26 May 2012 Profile ODNB Retrieved 8 April 2014 Burton R 11 July 1976 LAMENT FOR A DEAD WELSHMAN The Observer Sedazzari Matteo ZANI on One of Britain s Greatest Actors Stanley Baker Part Two zani co uk Archived from the original on 3 September 2014 Shail Robert 2010 Paul Newland ed Stanley Baker and British Lion A Cautionary Tale Don t Look Now British Cinema in the 1970s Bristol Intellect Books p 38 ISBN 978 1 84150 320 2 SIR HAROLD S LIST An absurd charade of honours The Canberra Times Vol 50 no 14 390 28 May 1976 p 4 Retrieved 18 July 2017 via National Library of Australia Stanley Baker profile BBC Retrieved 8 April 2014 Ferndale remembers silver screen legend Sir Stanley Baker WalesOnline 22 November 2007 Retrieved 29 April 2017 A spirited Crusoe was tough for star The Australian Women s Weekly 1 January 1975 p 10 Retrieved 19 May 2012 via National Library of Australia Bibliography EditWalker Alexander 1985 National Heroes British Cinema in the Seventies and Eighties Harrap External links EditStanley Baker at IMDb Stanley Baker biography and credits Screenonline org Retrieved 8 April 2014 The Sir Stanley Baker Tribute Site freewebs com Retrieved 8 April 2014 Ferndale RFC official website Sir Stanley Baker Lounge Retrieved 8 April 2014 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Stanley Baker amp oldid 1136809691, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.