Joby Baker was born on March 26, 1934, in Montreal,Quebec. His mother died when he was very young, and the family moved to Oahu, Hawaii. Following the attack on Pearl Harbour, he and his stepmother were evacuated to San Francisco. He attended school in New York City and then served in the United States Army, where he entertained the troops. Among the men he served with was Lou Costello's son-in-law. He convinced Mr. Costello to do a show at his camp. As a result, the comic became both Joby Baker's friend and manager. He sometimes stayed at Lou Costello's home.
It was while he was working as a page at NBC that he made his television debut on The Red Skelton Show in 1952. During the Fifties, he guest starred on the shows Studio One, The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, Dragnet, and Surfside 6. He made his movie debut in Target Zero in 1955. He appeared in the movies Gidget (1959), The Last Angry Man (1960), Key Wtiness (1960), and The Wackiest Ship in the Army (1960).
In the Sixties, he starred on the single-season sitcom Good Morning World. He guest starred on the shows The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Cain's Hundred, Dr. Kildare, The Roaring 20's, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Wagon Train, Bachelor Father, Frontier Circus, Gunsmoke, Sam Benedict, Combat!, The Greatest Show on Earth,. Ben Casey, 12 O' Clock High, The Loner, The Dick Van Dyke Show, and Mannix. He appeared in the movies Gidget Goes Hawaiian (1961), Gidget Goes to Rome (1963), Hootenanny Hoot (1963), Looking for Love (1964), Girl Happy (1965), When the Boys Meet the Girls (1965), The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin (1967), and Blackbeard's Ghost (1968).
In the Seventies, Joby Baker had regular roles on the shows Stone and The Six O' Clock Follies. He appeared in the shows Love, American Style; The Streets of San Francisco; Assignment: Vienna; A Touch of Grace; Run, Joe, Run; Barnaby Jones; Police Story; Kate McShane; Medical Center; Bronk; Gemini Man; Most Wanted; and Nobody's Perfect. He appeared in the movies Self-Portrait (1973), which he also wrote, Superdad (1973), and Avalanche (1978).
In the Eighties, Joby Baker guest starred on the shows Simon and Simon; Quincy, M.E.; McClain's Law; Tucker's Witch; and The Paper Chase. He retired from acting in 1984 to concentrate on his career as a painter, sculptor, and jeweller. His artwork has been displayed at galleries in Los Angeles and have sold for thousands of dollars.
While Joby Baker considered himself a painter rather than an actor, he had considerable talent as an actor. In particular, he had a gift for comedy, that was on display on Good Morning World and elsewhere. In the Dick Van Dyke Show episode "Love Thy Other Neighbour," he played the husband of an old school pal of Millie, who creates jealousy in Laura when she thinks Millie is spending more time with her. In the F Troop episode "La Dolce Courage," he played a spurned lover who pursues the object of his affection when she and her father visit Fort Courage. While it isn't necessarily a good movie, he was funny as supermarket stockman and part-time bass player in Looking for Love. He could play dramatic roles as well. In the Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode "Madame Mystery," he played a smarmy publicist seeks to exploit the death of an actress. Joby Baker had considerable talent both as an actor and as an artist.
