Stanley Baker

Was doing a bit of casual internet research on Stanley Baker, as you do, and came across this fascinating interview from 1961 – just before Zulu but when Baker was already established as a semi-name in British cinema. Technically he was a star but somehow you don’t think of Baker as a star. I’d say he was the level of someone like James Woods, a very intense actor who lept to fame playing villains but moved over to heroic roles.

Baker’s unmistakable in his early British films, with his glowering scowl and brooding presence – he totally went against the mould of the Mills-Granger-More types. Actually maybe not entirely against type – he had some similarities to James Mason’s star person, with one key difference: Baker’s persona tended to be strongly working class. Baker worked his way up through the ranks, grabbing sympathetic roles whenever he could (Richard III was a turning point) before becoming a star in the 60s. He didn’t remain a star for long – partly because his energy was sapped through producing, partly because he starred in a couple of box office flops, partly because he simply lacked humour in many of his portrayals. But he was a talented actor with considerable behind the scenes nous and never seemed to lack work thanks to the thriving British television industry.

I’m surprised there isn’t more of a Baker cult out there – his tough image would be seem a natural in this Get Carter-loving New Lad era. There is one, and maybe it will grow in future years.

NB despite Baker's coal mining background, in this interview he still puts on that plummy BBC accent the Brits expected of their actors.