Joe Don Baker, best known for portraying real-life Sheriff Buford Pusser in the 1973 classic Walking Tall, has died at the age of 89, his family announced on May 7, according to Deadline. In Walking Tall, Baker famously wielded a wooden club as Pusser, dishing out his own brand of Tennessee justice. The cause of death has not been revealed.
He was an American actor renowned for his portrayals of rugged, “tough guy” characters on both sides of the law. Born in 1936 in Groesbeck, Texas, Baker was raised by his aunt after his mother’s death when he was 12.
He attended North Texas State College on a sports scholarship, graduating with a degree in business administration in 1958. Following two years of service in the U.S. Army, he pursued acting at the Actors Studio in New York City.
