LOS ANGELES: Joby Baker, the Canadian-born actor, nightclub entertainer and accomplished painter best known for appearing alongside Elvis Presley in Girl Happy and starring in the CBS sitcom Good Morning World, has died at the age of 92.
Baker passed away on June 22 at a hospital in Yonkers, New York, according to his granddaughter, Sofia Silverman.
During a career spanning decades, Baker appeared in numerous films and television series. Early in his career, he was managed by legendary comedian Lou Costello and starred opposite Paul Muni in The Last Angry Man (1959), the veteran actor’s final film. He also appeared alongside Jack Lemmon and Ricky Nelson in The Wackiest Ship in the Army (1960).
A contract player with Columbia Pictures, Baker featured in the popular Gidget film series, appearing in Gidget (1959), Gidget Goes Hawaiian (1961) and Gidget Goes to Rome (1963). He also starred with singer-actress Connie Francis in Looking for Love (1964) and When the Boys Meet the Girls (1965).
In the Elvis Presley musical Girl Happy (1965), Baker played Wilbur, the drummer in a band led by Presley’s character, Rusty Wells, in the spring break comedy set in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Baker also headlined the CBS sitcom Good Morning World, which premiered in 1967 after the conclusion of The Dick Van Dyke Show. He portrayed radio host Dave Lewis alongside Ronnie Schell. Although the comedy featured future star Goldie Hawn in one of her earliest television roles, the series ended after one season.
Reflecting on the show years later, Baker revealed that CBS had initially considered naming it The Joby Baker Show, but he persuaded producers against it because he was uncomfortable with the spotlight.
Born Joseph Baker in Montreal on March 26, 1934, he spent part of his childhood in Hawaii before his family evacuated to California following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. He later moved to Los Angeles, where he launched a successful nightclub act performing as a Jerry Lewis impersonator.
While serving in the U.S. Army, Baker entertained troops and developed a friendship with Lou Costello, who later became his manager and helped launch his acting career.
Baker made his film debut in Target Zero (1955) and went on to appear in numerous television classics, including Dragnet, Bachelor Father, Perry Mason, Combat!, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, F Troop, Mannix, Medical Center and Quincy M.E.
Beyond acting, Baker developed a successful career as a painter, a passion he described as his true calling. He also collaborated with his late wife, singer-songwriter and poet Dory Previn, illustrating The Dory Previn Songbook and several of her other publications.
“I was not interested in stardom. In fact, I was embarrassed by it,” Baker once said. “I was the wrong type of person to be an actor.”
Baker is survived by his fourth wife, Megan; daughters Ricka and Michelle; son Scott; stepdaughters Emma and Eliza; and several grandchildren.