Tom Baker (American actor)

infobox actor
name=Tom Baker
birthdate=birth date|1940|8|28
deathdate=death date and age|1982|9|2|1940|8|28
occupation=Film actor

Tom Baker (August 28, 1940 – September 2, 1982) was an American actor who starred in the Andy Warhol movie "I, A Man" (1967). He was a known drug addict and alcoholic, and a close friend of Jim Morrison of The Doors.

Career

Baker started his career as a stage actor in New York City and assisted Norman Mailer in the stage adaptation of Mailer's novel "The Deer Park". Once he moved to Hollywood he acted in a series of B movies. He also continued to do stage work, directing the 1973 premiere of "The Grabbing of the Fairy", a masque by Michael McClure.

He produced and directed his own film, "Bongo Wolf's Revenge" [http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/4695] in 1970. The cast included Severn Darden and P J Proby. A number of people from Morrison's circle of friends worked on the production including Babe Hill and Frank Lisciandro and music was provided by Mike Bloomfield and The Doors.

One of Baker's co-stars in "I, a Man" was Valerie Solanas, who later shot Warhol in his office at The Factory.

Relationship with Jim Morrison

The relationship he had with Morrison and Morrison's long term girlfriend Pamela Courson was described in a memoir, "Blue Centre Light", and an extract was published in "High Times" in June 1981. The stormy friendship between the three largely informed the play "The Lizard King", written by Jay Jeff Jones, which was produced in Los Angeles in 1991.

Death

His death due to a drug overdose in 1982 caused confusion in the media. British actor Tom Baker was more well-known at the time, due to his portrayal of the Doctor on the BBC programme "Doctor Who", and was also a heavy drinker. Some publications mistakenly reported that the British actor had died.

Fictional portrayals

Baker is portrayed by actor Michael Madsen in the Oliver Stone film "The Doors" (1991).

The singer, author and guerilla politican Kinky Friedman not only dedicated his novel "Elvis, Jesus & Coca-Cola" to his one time friend, but the plot of the book also features Baker's wake.

External links

*imdb name|0048983|Tom Baker
*amg name|2:415327|Tom Baker