Sam Baker (
Taylor, Indiana; 7 May 1907–
Abilene, Kansas; 8 May 1982), born Samuel D. Baker, was an American actor who usually performed with
Rudolph Valentino,
Ramon Novarro
José Ramón Gil Samaniego (February 6, 1899 – October 30, 1968), known professionally as Ramon Novarro, was a Mexican-American actor. He began his career in silent films in 1917 and eventually became a leading man and one of the top box ...
,
Harold Lloyd
Harold Clayton Lloyd, Sr. (April 20, 1893 – March 8, 1971) was an American actor, comedian, and stunt performer who appeared in many silent comedy films.Obituary '' Variety'', March 10, 1971, page 55.
One of the most influential film c ...
and
Charlie Chaplin.
This Indiana-born actor played the Link in the film ''
The Missing Link'' (1927), whose imposing presence made him a natural for early jungle flicks. His most easily recalled role may have been Hugo in
Sherman S. Krellberg
Samuel Sherman Krellberg (1892 - 1979) was a film distributor and producer in the United States. The Library of Congress has a collection of his papers. He distributed films nationally under various corporate names including Regal Talking Picture ...
's notorious serial ''
The Lost City'' (1935). His most memorable role was
Queequeg in ''
The Sea Beast'' (1926).
Baker's filmography is brief, as the
sound era
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed befor ...
saw him move quickly from featured roles as
African chieftain
A tribal chief or chieftain is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom.
Tribe
The concept of tribe is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of western Afroeurasia.
Tribal societies are sometimes categorized a ...
s to bits as black convicts. His first screen appearance was in a genre project: he was the sworder in
Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Elton Fairbanks Sr. (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman; May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films including '' The Thi ...
' ''
The Thief of Bagdad'' (1924). In John Barrymore's ''
The Sea Beast'', a silent ''Moby Dick'', he played
Queequeg. In the sound remake of ''The Island of Lost Ships'' (1929), he played himself and received the smallest mention.
He died in
Abilene, Kansas, in early May 1982.
Filmography
References
Bibliography
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Sam
1907 births
1982 deaths
American male silent film actors
American male film actors
African-American male actors
20th-century American male actors
20th-century African-American people