Joby Baker

• Name — Joby Baker • Born — 26 March 1934 • Birthplace — Montreal, Quebec, Canada • Died — 22 June 2026 • Place of death — Yonkers, New York, U.S. • Occupation — Actor, painter • Years Active — 1952–1984; 2024 • Children — 5

Baker was born in Montreal, Quebec, on March 26, 1934. He relocated to the then-territory of Hawaii with his father when his mother died shortly after he was born. His sobriquet Joby is a shortening of "Jobela," the nickname his father bestowed upon him in childhood. On December 7, 1941, during the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the house he lived in was hit by friendly fire in the immediate aftermath. Baker lived most of his childhood in Oahu, Hawaii then moved to New York City to attend school. While in the U.S. Army, he entertained troops.

An early role in Baker's career was in a 1958 episode of The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, "Ronnie Makes A Record", where he was cast as a recording studio vocalist. In the early 1960s, he made guest appearances on many television series. In 1962, he appeared on Perry Mason as Kenneth Carter in "The Case of the Bogus Books". He appeared as a semi-regular in the first season of the WWII TV series Combat! as Pvt. Kelly. Other television series appearances included The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Dr. Kildare and The Dick Van Dyke Show. In 1967, a year after The Dick Van Dyke Show ended, Baker was chosen by CBS to be Van Dyke's successor in what was originally pitched as The Joby Baker Show; Baker strongly objected to the title since he did not want his name attached to a show that could have been a career-defining flop. The series eventually was named Good Morning World; it followed a similar premise to Van Dyke's show, except centered around a radio show instead of television. Good Morning World ended after a single season in 1968. In 1960, he co-starred with Jack Lemmon and Ricky Nelson in The Wackiest Ship in the Army. He appeared in the Elvis Presley movie Girl Happy (1965), When the Boys Meet the Girls (1965), and in all three Gidget movies. In 1967, Baker was cast as a travelling magician, Dr. William Davis, in the episode "The Saga of Dr. Davis" on the syndicated series Death Valley Days, hosted by Robert Taylor. Judi Meredith played his wife, Jenny, whose death leads him to take an adopted son, Tad, on his remaining westward journeys. Baker began a long association with Walt Disney Studios where he appeared in The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin (1967), Blackbeard's Ghost (1968), and Superdad (1974). This was followed by a succession of character roles, including an appearance in an episode of the 1973 situation comedy A Touch of Grace and a stint as "Colonel Marvin" on the 1980 sitcom The Six O'Clock Follies. Baker was in Avalanche (1978). Baker largely left acting after marrying Dory Previn in 1984; he felt that he did not have the temperament or personality to be a full-time actor.

Baker first married Joan Blackman, whom he met in drama school in 1959 and divorced in 1961. He married Joyce Harriet Winter in 1961 and divorced in 1975. In 1984, Baker married lyricist and songwriter Dory Previn. He illustrated The Dory Previn Songbook, published in 1995. Baker, in 1984, stopped acting and established himself as a painter, sculptor and jewelry artisan. He and Previn moved to Southfield, Massachusetts. Baker was inspired by his wife, Previn. Previn died in 2012. He married Megan Moore in 2014. Baker died at a hospital in Yonkers, New York, on June 22, 2026, at the age of 92, ten days after his co-star Ronnie Schell from Good Morning World died, at the age of 94.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1952 — The Red Skelton Hour — Junior — 2 episodes • 1957 — Studio One — Trial spectator — Episode: "The Defender, part 1" • The West Point Story — Cadet Monty Berrin — Episode: "Dangerous Area" • Bachelor Father — Boy at Stage Door — Episode: "Uncle Bentley Keeps His Promise" • 1957-59 — Dragnet — Guest star Guest star Bob Tepps — Episodes: * "The Big Truck" * "The Big Boot" * "The Big Counterfeit" • 1958 — The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show — Quartet Member — Episode: "Ronnie Makes a Record" • The George Burns Show — Self — Episode: "George and the Private Eye" • 1958-62 — Alfred Hitchcock Presents — Thor Jimmy Dolan Vernon — Episodes: * "Six People, No Music" * "Madame Mystery" * "The Right Kind of Medicine" • 1960 — Surfside 6 — Bernie Bergen — Episode: "Power of Suggestion" • 1961 — The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet — Joby — Episode: "The Fraternity Rents Out a Room" • Cain's Hundred — Larry Delby — Episode: "King of the Mountain" • Dr. Kildare — Jerry House — Episode: "A Million Dollar Property" • The Roaring 20's — Joby Price — Episode: "Pinky Goes to College" • Wagon Train — Nathan May — Episode: "The Bettina May Story" • 1961-62 — Bachelor Father — Biff Merideth — Episodes: * "A Man Among Men" * "How Howard Won His 'C'" • 1962 — Frontier Circus — George Washington Jukes — Episode: "Mighty Like Rogues" • Gunsmoke — Ky — Episode: "Call Me Dodie" • Perry Mason — Kenneth Carter — Episode: "The Case of the Bogus Books" • Sam Benedict — Nick Correa — Episode: "Everybody's Playing Polo" • 1962-63 — Combat! — Kelly — Episodes: * "Lost Sheep, Lost Shepherd" * "The Celebrity" * "Survival" • 1963 — The Greatest Show on Earth — Rick Andover — Episode: "The Loser" • The Alfred Hitchcock Hour — Doc Carroll — Episode: "The Cadaver" • 1964 — Ben Casey — Harry Martin — Episode: "The Evidence of Things Not Seen" • 12 O'Clock High — Lieutenant Blake — Episode: "Golden Boy Had Nine Black Sheep" (Pilot) • 1965 — American Bandstand — Self — Episode: "Episode #8.27" • The Loner — Billy Ford — Episode: "The Oath" • 1965-66 — The Dick Van Dyke Show — * Manuel Rodriguez * Fred Staggs — Episodes: * "Viva Petrie" * "Love Thy Other Neighbor" • 1966 — F Troop — Mario Maracucci — Episode: "La Dolce Courage" • 1967 — Death Valley Days — Dr. William Davis — Episode: "The Saga of Dr. Davis" • Valley of Mystery — Pete Patton — Made-for-TV movie directed by Joseph Lejtes • 1967-68 — Good Morning World — David Lewis — Lead role • 1968 — Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In — Self — Episode: "Sally Field, Terry-Thomas, Joby Baker, Godfrey Cambridge, Jerry Lewis, John Wayne" • 1969 — Mannix — Rudy Marin — Episode: "The Sound of Darkness" • 1971 — Love, American Style — Ted — Segment: "Love and the Vacation" (S 3:Ep 8) • 1972 — The Streets of San Francisco — Jamie Lane — Episode: "The First Day of Forever" • Assignment Vienna — Russell — Episode: "Queen's Gambit" • 1973 — A Touch of Grace — Dickson — Episode: "The Commercial" • Cry Rape — Jerry Cohen — Made-for-TV movie directed by Corey Allen • 1974 — Run, Joe, Run — Missionary 2 — Episode: "Missionary" • Barnaby Jones — Joe Holland — Episode: "Blueprint for a Caper" • 1974-75 — Police Story — * Macon * Harold — Episodes: * "The Hunters" * "The Man in the Shadows" • 1975 — Kate McShane — Episode: "Publish or Perish" • Medical Center — Tony Tabor — Episode: "The Silent Witness" • 1976 — Bronk — Sgt. Ben Waite — Episode: "The Deadlier Sex" • Gemini Man — Josef — Episode: "Suspect Your Local Police" • 1977 — The City — Mel Greenwall — Made-for-TV movie directed by Harvey Hart • Most Wanted — Pete Kerman — Episode: "The People Mover" • 1977-82 — Quincy, M.E. — Various — 4 episodes • 1979 — Stone — Murray Weinstock — 3 episodes • Sex and the Single Parent — Millard — Made-for-TV movie directed by Jackie Cooper • 1980 — Jimmy B. & André — Judge Tom Lucci — Made-for-TV movie directed by Guy Green • Nobody's Perfect — Dixie — Episode: "What's on Third?" • The Six O'Clock Follies — Col. Harvey Mann — 6 episodes • 1981 — Simon & Simon — Parker Stans — Episode: "Details at Eleven" (Pilot) • 1982 — McClain's Law — Dr. Lester — Episode: "The Last Hero" • 1983 — Tucker's Witch — Mickey Daugherty — Episode: "Rock Is a Hard Place" • 1984 — The Paper Chase — Police Detective — Episode: "Burden of Proof"