Stanley Baker - Stardom

Stardom

Baker finally broke away from supporting parts when cast as the lead in Hell Drivers (1957). This was directed by Cy Endfield, who had first worked with Baker on Child in the House (1956) and went on to make six films in total with the actor. The success of Hell Drivers established Baker as a star and saw exhibitors vote him the 7th most popular British actor that year. He followed this up with a series of popular movies that featured him as a tough anti-hero, usually an authority figure of some kind, such as Violent Playground (1958), Sea Fury (1958), Yesterday's Enemy (1959) and Blind Date (1959). The latter was the first of what would be four collaborations with director Joseph Losey (of which his favourite was The Criminal (1960)); he also made two films each with Val Guest, Ralph Thomas and Robert Aldrich.

After making The Angry Hills (1959) with Robert Aldrich, Baker says the director offered to put him in a 28-part series about an Englishman in New York but turned it down to stay in England. 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. He may have regretted this decision because some years later he asked producer Albert R. Broccoli about playing a villain in one of the films. However, he was cast as "Butcher Brown", a war-weary commando in the 1961 blockbuster war epic The Guns of Navarone.