Joe Don Baker (Jack Wade)

Joe Don Baker playing Jack Wade

Born in Groesbeck, Texas, USA on 12th February 1936

Starred In Goldeneye (1995) and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

Film information

Jack Wade played by Joe Don Baker appears in Goldeneye and Tomorrow Never Dies. After James Bond arrives in St Petersburg, he walks over to a waiting Jack Wade where he delivers the agreed ‘meeting line’.

Calling Bond a “stiff ass Brit", Wade tells Bond to follow him to his car. After briefing Bond on the latest news, Wade takes Bond to see Valentin Dmitrovich Zukovsky. Later in the film Wade lands a small plane just in front of Bonds BMW Z3. He gives Bond the latest information from Langley and then drives Bonds car away. Wade then later appears in the final scenes of Goldeneye showing Bond what he thought was a deserted field, to actually contain a large number of US Marines in camouflage.

Jack Wade returns in Tomorrow Never Dies in a short scene. After recovering the GPS Encoder from Henry Gupta, Bond arranges for Dr Greenwalt to look at the Encoder. After learning that the GPS Encoder has been tampered with, Bond asks a favour of Wade, who arranges a HALO jump for Bond to investigate the HMS Devonshire.

Character information

In Goldeneye and Tomorrow Never Dies, Jack Wade is Bonds CIA contact. Wade is a down-to-earth, takes no messing, comical character – with eccentric tendencies and an unconventional image. Wade shares a similar sense of humour with Bond and he also shares Bonds passion for beautiful women. Wade is rather eccentric and has fairly unorthodox methods of working. In Goldeneye, rather than exchange his 'contact lines' with Bond, Wade skips it and tells Bond to get with the times and just get in the car. In Tomorrow Never Dies Wade loses all creditability of being a CIA agent when he accompanies Bond, in his dress uniform, wearing a very loud Hawaiian shirt. Wades comical, brash scenes are amusing but it’s lucky he only appears in short scenes. §