| Art Baker (actor) | |
|---|---|
| Born | Arthur Shank January 7, 1898 New York City, New York, USA |
| Died | August 26, 1966 (aged 68) Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park |
| Occupation | Film, television, radio actor |
| Years active | 1937–1966 |
Art Baker, born Arthur Shank, (January 7, 1898 – August 26, 1966) was a film, television and radio actor of the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.
Born in New York City, he was most well known for his radio and television work which began in the mid-1930s. Starting in 1938, he began "Art Baker's Notebook" on Los Angeles' KFI radio station, which lasted for two decades.[1]
Baker appeared in over forty films including Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound (1945), The Farmer's Daughter (1947), Frank Capra's State of the Union (1948), Any Number Can Play (1949) starring Clark Gable, and The Underworld Story (1950).
His tall, slim frame, snow white hair, smooth slightly nasal voice and a genial nature made him a natural for playing business tycoons, doctors, and senators in various movies. Baker grew up in New York and, after a number of different jobs, eventually became an actor.
He had four children, Virginia, who died of TB, Arthur (Bart), Robert and Dorothy by his first wife. They lived in Iowa.
Baker was best noted for his work on the television series You Asked For It (for which he became affectionately dubbed, "your genie with the light, white hair") between December 1950 and January 1958, being succeeded by Jack Smith. He died of a heart attack in a bank in L.A. in 1966.