Born in Bulgaria to a British father and Irish mother, George Baker achieved prominence as an actor, making his joint film and stage debuts in 1952. At home in avuncular roles, Baker made an impressive Reverend Charles Dodson in the 1965 British TV movie Alice. He was equally adept at authoritative characterizations, appearing in this capacity in two of the James Bond epics and as Emperor Tiberius in I Claudius (1957). In the late '80s, George Baker starred in a series of elaborate, 60-minute TV murder mysteries as the unflappable Chief Inspector Wexford.
When I met George in New Zealand he was appearing in a murder mystery play. I photographed him at the studio of the Police Station in Auckland and we later retired to the ninth floor lounge for a drink. It was a quiet Saturday afternoon and one of Detective Inspectors joined us. I introduced them and was intrigued to find that, after about five minutes, it wasn't a conversation between an actor and a detective, but a conversation between two detectives.
I often found that celebrities travelling soon get tired of hotels and restaurant food and invited many of them to our home for a home-cooked meal and comfortable relaxation away from the loneliness of a hotel.
At the time our youngest daughter, Lisa, was studying for the part of Cicely in The Importance of Being Earnest, the amusing and clever Oscar Wilde play. When George heard of this he began tossing lines at Lisa and she caught them and tossed hers back. He was a relaxed and friendly guest and I have been pleased to witness his success in British film and television since our meeting.
He now lives in a quiet little village in Wiltshire, UK, and several years ago took an interest in the local youth, being upset by their having to lounge around in the cold and dark with nothing to do, a sure recipe for mischief. George aroused local citizens and the West Lavington Youth Club became a reality. George has continued this work and was deservedly awarded the M.B.E. in 2007.