A dark, brooding, virile British star, Baker was onscreen beginning with a juvenile role at age 14 in Undercover (1941). After this he took to the stage, returning to the movies in the late '40s. He rose from character roles to stardom, due to his ability to play trustworthy or nefarious types with equal ease, usually in action-adventure flicks. In the '60s Baker co-produced some of his own films. A victim of lung cancer, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth the month before his death.