Stanley Baker was born in in the Rhondda Valley in South Wales, the son of a miner – he wanted to be an actor from his earliest years.

A perceptive teacher at his school noticed the boy’s talent, gave him elocution lessons and the chance to perform in school plays.

He was leaving school at 14 years old and by a stroke of luck in the audience of his very last school play was Producer Sergei Nolbandov who was impressed by the young Stanley Baker and offered him a screen test for the part of a youngster in the film ‘Undercover’ to be made at Ealing Film Studios. – then 15 he was offered and took the part

The following year he joined the Birmingham Repertory Company but soon afterwards he received his call up papers. After two years in the forces he was back, but couldn’t seem to make any headway with his acting career and then out of the blue he managed to get a part in the play ‘A Sleep of Prisoners’ by Christopher Fry which was performed in London and New York.

Not too long after that he applied for a key role in ‘The Cruel Sea’ and this was followed by tough guy roles in ‘The Red Beret’ with Alan Ladd, ‘Hell Below Zero’ with Alan again, ‘A Hill in Korea’ and ‘Checkpoint’

Stanley Baker then gravitated on to parts where he played the policeman – he did really well in Blind Date and ‘Hell is a City’ in which he played the role of Detective Inspector Martineau

ABOVE – he looks into the camera lens whilst on location in Manchester for ‘Hell is a City’

Later roles came in ‘Hell Drivers’ and ‘Yesterday’s Enemy’

ABOVE – Stanley Baker was a friend of Billy Smart the circus owner and once spent a weekend performing under the Big Top – actually appearing in the circus ring.

ABOVE – Stanley Baker is also a keen boxer and his mantelpiece at home has quite a few trophies.

ABOVE – He is pictured outside his home in Wimbledon where he lives with his wife Ellen Martell.

ABOVE – Stanley Baker is also a keen cine photographer – looks like a 16 mm camera – I often wonder what has happened to all the cine film that these stars have taken – it would be fascinating to see them. They must be somewhere