Rex 'Snowy' Baker

Rex 'Snowy' Baker

Born: February 8, 1884
Died: December 2, 1953
in Surry Hills, New South Wales, Australia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Reginald Leslie "Snowy" Baker (8 February 1884 – 2 December 1953) was an Australian athlete, sports promoter, and actor. Born in Surry Hills, an inner-city suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Baker excelled at a number of sports, winning New South Wales swimming and boxing championships while still a teenager. Playing rugby union for Eastern Suburbs, he played several games for New South Wales against Queensland, and in 1904 represented Australia in two Test matches against Great Britain. At the 1908 London Olympics, Baker represented Australasia in swimming and diving, as well as taking part in the middleweight boxing event, in which he won a silver medal. He also excelled in horsemanship, water polo, running, rowing and cricket. However, "His stature as an athlete depends largely upon the enormous range rather than the outstanding excellence of his activities; it was as an entrepreneur-showman, publicist and businessman that he seems in retrospect to have been most important."

Baker retired from competition after being injured in a motor-vehicle accident, and became involved in boxing promotion, bringing a number of top fighters from North America and Europe to fight in Australia. During this time, he began to act in a number of silent film roles which showcased his horsemanship, including The Enemy Within, The Man from Kangaroo, and The Shadow of Lightning Ridge. In 1920, Baker left Australia for the United States, where he became known as an entrepreneur and stunt coach. He died in 1953 in Los Angeles, California, from cerebrovascular disease.

Baker became Australia's darling of the screen when his silent movie career took off. His movies included The Enemy Within, The Man from Kangaroo, and The Shadow of Lightning Ridge. During this same time, he was also writing and editing a publication titled 'Snowy Baker's Magazine'. For many years, until he settled in the United States, Baker was Australia's leading actor and matinee idol.

Movies for Rex 'Snowy' Baker...

Polo with the Stars
Title: Polo with the Stars
Character: Self
Released: September 20, 1941
Type: Movie
A short in the WB Hollywood Novelty series (production number 7301) about the training of polo ponies. Buddy Rogers buys one of the ponies in training, and later uses him in a match where Jack Holt and Joe E. Brown are among the players. Edward G. Robinson and Jack Oakie are among the spectators who see Joe. E. Brown knock in the winning score.
bee
The Kid From Texas
Title: The Kid From Texas
Character: Polo Match Umpire
Released: April 14, 1939
Type: Movie
A loud-mouthed Texas cowpuncher tries his hand at polo finding himself at odds with high society and trying to save a floundering Wild West show.
bee
Big City
Title: Big City
Character: 'Snowy' Baker (as Snowy Baker)
Released: September 3, 1937
Type: Movie
Anna and Joe are newly married, playful and deeply in love. Joe is scraping by as cab driver in New York City during a period of corruption, mob control and violence between cab companies.
bee
The Sword of Valor
Title: The Sword of Valor
Released: May 6, 1924
Type: Movie
American romantic comedy which had the well known Australian actor Snowy Baker as a cast member. The daughter of a Spanish don falls in love with an American captain the moment she sees him. Her father takes the girl to the Riveria, where she is promised to a wealthy cad, but the captain arrives in time to rescue her from him as well as a crazed gypsy who has abducted her.
bee
The Empire Builders
Title: The Empire Builders
Released: March 1, 1924
Type: Movie
Australian Rex [Snowy] Baker stars in this USA film. Rex as Captain William Ballard of the Territorials is sent to make a treaty with the natives. But he meets resistance from the Boers, still unreconciled to British rule.Love interest is Katryn van der Poel [Margaret Landis] Theodore Lorch plays Hendrik van der Poel Pinckney Harrison as Karui the king. J.P. Lockney as the friendly "treader". And as the "baddy" Fritz van Roon played by Jere Austin. After fighting and horse riding and rescues "Rex" wins the natives over to the British way of life, and "gets" the girl!
bee
The White Panther
Title: The White Panther
Character: Bruce Wainright
Released: January 22, 1924
Type: Movie
Australian star Rex "Snowy" Baker stars in this military melodrama. This was the first of a series of four films Baker made for producer Phil Goldstone, and they were offered on a States' Rights basis. Irene Falliday (Gertrude McConnell) is the daughter of the British governor (William Bainbridge) who rules over an Indian province. She finds Yasmini (Lois Scott) wearing the shawl she believes she has lost and asks Tommy Farrell (Phil Burke) to get it back. Farrell is in love with Irene, but Yasmini loves him, and when he finally gets the shawl from her, the circumstances shame her in the eyes of her father Shere Ali, Sirdar of the Afghans (Frank Whitson), and his subjects.
bee
His Last Race
Title: His Last Race
Released: August 1, 1923
Type: Movie
bee
Screen Snapshots, Series 3, No. 12
Title: Screen Snapshots, Series 3, No. 12
Character: Self
Released: November 5, 1922
Type: Movie
Another entry in the popular one-reel series.
bee
The Fighting Breed
Title: The Fighting Breed
Character: Brian O'Farrell (as Snowy Baker)
Released: September 1, 1921
Type: Movie
A wealthy young Australian, the last of the "Fighting O'Farrells," decides to secretly work at his own farm in order to prove himself.
bee
Sleeping Acres
Title: Sleeping Acres
Released: January 1, 1921
Type: Movie
Sleeping Acres
bee
The Man from Kangaroo
Title: The Man from Kangaroo
Character: John Harland
Released: January 24, 1920
Type: Movie
John Harland is a former boxer turned reverend posted to the town of Kangaroo. He falls in love with Muriel, an orphaned heiress, and discovers that her guardian Martin Giles is embezzling her inheritance. Harland earns the ire of parishioners by teaching young boys to box, and Giles manipulates local opinion to have the bishop remove him. Harland rescues a gentleman from a mugging in Sydney who suggests that he go to Kalmaroo where a criminal gang has driven the church out of the area. Harland preaches, and unexpectedly sees Muriel in the congregation; her property is near Kalmaroo. But her overseer is Red Jack Braggan who leads the gang which violently breaks up Harland's mission - much to the distress of Muriel who regards Harland as too timid - and is in cahoots with Giles.
bee
The Enemy Within
Title: The Enemy Within
Character: Jack Arlie
Released: March 10, 1918
Type: Movie
Snowy Baker is a secret service agent called in to crack a ring of foreign agents involved in treason and civil violence in Australia. Jack's sweetheart, Myee, is kidnapped by the villains, but after a long chase Jack is able to trap the enemy and rescue Myee.