Joe Baker(1928-2001)

The son of British vaudevillians, Joe Baker performed pantomime and stand-up in London clubs and cabarets, and acted in such West End stage shows as "Joey, Joey" and "The Great Grimaldi". He starred in his own BBC-TV shows. "The Joe Baker Show", "Baker's Half Dozen", "My Man Joe", and was a favourite of King Charles III on the children's show, Crackerjack! (1955). After moving to Los Angeles in 1975, he starred in movies, TV shows, and dozens of commercials. A friend of Lou Costello's daughter Chris Costello, she once told him "You do my dad better than anyone!" He was an expert impressionist, imitating such stars as Lou Costello, John Garfield and James Cagney. He once taught Laurence Olivier how to imitate Donald Duck.