Joe Don Baker, an imposing character actor who left his mark on action films, Westerns and James Bond adventures, has died at 89. An obituary for the actor reveals he died on May 7 and is survived by a small group of friends.

Baker was born on February 12, 1936, and spent his early life in Texas, attending Groesbeck High School and North Texas State College. After serving for two years in the U.S. Army, Baker traveled to New York City to pursue a career in theater.

He eventually began a career in television with a small part in the 1965 Western “Iron Horse,” and soon started appearing in films, with an uncredited start in 1967’s “Cool Hand Luke.”

His most famous role was that of wrestler-turned-sheriff Buford Pusser in the 1973 film “Walking Tall.” Baker appeared in scores of projects as a character actor, including three different Bond films and box office hits including 1984’s “The Natural,...