Christopher James Baker

{{short description|Australian actor}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Christopher James Baker

| image =

| caption =

| birth_name =

| birth_date =

| birth_place =

| death_date =

| death_place =

| other_names = Chris Baker
Christopher Baker

| height = 6'2"

| occupation = Actor / Writer / Director

| yearsactive = 1994–present

| nationality = Australian

| education =

| notable works = True Detective
Ozark
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Stargirl
Eden
Boy Swallows Universe

}}

Christopher James Baker is an Australian actor known for his work as Henry King Sr. / Brainwave in the DC Universe series Stargirl.{{cite news|last1=Damore|first1=Meagan|title=Stargirl: Christopher James Baker Introduces Injustice Society's Brainwave|url=https://www.cbr.com/stargirl-christopher-james-baker-brainwave-interview/|work= Comic Book Resources|accessdate=22 June 2020|date=17 May 2020}}

Early life

Baker grew up in Australia. Raised by parents Maggie Baker and John Baker. In his early life, he lived in the United Kingdom before returning to Australia.{{cite news|title=On Set With HardFork-Series Star Christopher James Baker|url=https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@bakerchristopher/on-set-with-hardfork-series-star-christopher-james-baker|accessdate=22 June 2020|work=steemit|date=7 July 2014}} After finishing high school, Baker did some travelling before studying a three-year drama course in Sydney.https://thepopbreak.com/2019/05/31/christopher-james-baker-talks-shield-stargirl/

Career

After graduating from his acting studies, Baker spent his early career working in theatre. He co-founded the stage company 'Urban Tales' together with other alumni from his acting course, and spent his early career performing more than 14 seasons of theatre works. He was also a member of Nick Enright's theatre company 'State of Play'.https://events.humanitix.com/white-rabbit-red-rabbit-hkjsk4vc

He also played small parts in Australian and locally filmed American films,https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@bakerchristopher/on-set-with-hardfork-series-star-christopher-james-baker including comedy Kangaroo Jack (alongside Jerry O’Connell) and Ned Kelly (alongside Heath Ledger and Orlando Bloom) (both 2003), Hell Has Harbour Views and war film The Great Raid (alongside Benjamin Bratt and James Franco) (both 2005). Further films made while in Australia war film Kokoda (2006), action film The Condemned (2007), adventure film Nim's Island (alongside Jodie Foster and Gerard Butler in 2008) and action-thriller film Sanctum (2011).

After relocating to the States, he initially featured in numerous Off-Broadway theatre roles, before landing the role of Cyril in the Warner Bros. television pilot Deliverance Creek in 2014.https://events.humanitix.com/white-rabbit-red-rabbit-hkjsk4vc Shortly following, he scored the regular role of Blake Churchman, a secondary character in the second season of HBO's True Detective, playing the assistant of Vince Vaughn's character. He also had a recurring role in 2016 crime series Shades of Blue, alongside Jennifer Lopez. In 2019, Baker played Boyd Langmore in Netflix's hit series, Ozark (alongside Jason Bateman and Laura Linney), and Chronicom Hunter Malachi in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D..{{cite news|last1=Sarnecky|first1=Aaron|title=Christopher James Baker on Working on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Stargirl & Accents|url=https://thepopbreak.com/2019/05/31/christopher-james-baker-talks-shield-stargirl/|accessdate=22 June 2020|work=The Pop Break}} In 2020, he was cast as Brainwave in DC series Stargirl. Other television credits include Gotham, Bull, The Blacklist, The Good Cop, and The Rookie.

Baker's film credits while in America included Deliverance Creek (2014), Kieran Darcy-Smith's The Duel (alongside Liam Hemsworth and Woody Harrelson) and The Purge: Election Year (both 2016).

Since moving back to Australia, Baker has featured in Stan drama series Eden as Lou Gracie, and as an Irish immigrant Patrick Thomas in murder mystery miniseries New Gold Mountain (filmed back to back in 2021).

He returned to the US to film the fourth season of Ozark, the second season of Stargirl and the thriller film Unit 234 in the Cayman Islands.

Back in Australia, Baker starred as Ivan Kroll in Netflix miniseries Boy Swallows Universe, based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Brisbane author Trent Dalton (alongside Simon Baker, Travis Fimmel and Bryan Brown),{{Cite web |last=Knox |first=David |date=2022-09-01 |title=Production begins on Boy Swallows Universe for Netflix {{!}} TV Tonight |url=https://tvtonight.com.au/2022/09/production-begins-on-boy-swallows-universe-for-netflix.html |access-date=2024-07-27 |website=tvtonight.com.au |language=en-AU}} and as Mitch Leeway in drama series Prosper (both 2024).

Personal life

Baker moved to New York City in 2009 with his wife Hannah, to further his career. They have two children who were born in Manhattan.https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@bakerchristopher/on-set-with-hardfork-series-star-christopher-james-baker

In 2020, after eleven years in the States, Baker returned to Australia to live, to escape "the COVID situation" and because he wanted his kids to grow up in Australia.https://if.com.au/from-new-york-to-eden-christopher-james-baker-settles-back-home-after-11-years/

Filmography

=Film=

class="wikitable sortable"

! Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

1994

| Army Intelligence (aka Renaissance Man)

| Laundry Private #1

| Feature film

2000

| The Three Stooges

| Clapper Boy (uncredited)

| Feature film

2001

| Serendipity

| Lars Band #1

| Feature film

2002

| The Road from Coorain

| Danny

| TV movie

2003

| Kangaroo Jack

| Crumble

| Feature film

2003

| Ned Kelly

| Kurnow

| Feature film

2004

| Magpie and the Pigeon: A Day in the Life of Superheroes

| Magpie

| Short film

2004

| Ike: Countdown to D-Day

| Group Captain Major James Stagg

| TV movie

2005

| Hell Has Harbour Views

| Martin Cordell

| TV movie

2005

| The Great Raid

| Monty

| Feature film

2006

| Kokoda

| Blue

| Feature film

2006

| Vend

| Vend

| Short film

2006

| Saturday Night Newtown, Sunday Morning Enmore

|

| Short film

2006

| The Game

| John

| Short film

2006

| Sands of Time

| Nicholai Torrez

| Short film

2007

| Bommie

| Glenn

| Short film

2007

| The Condemned

| Eddie C

| Feature film

2008

| Nim's Island

| Ensign

| Feature film

2008

| Amours Filmez Equipage

| Soundy

| Short film

2008

| 1 and 0 nly

| Frank James Morley

| Feature film

2009

| When a Muffin Knocks

| Man

| Short film

2011

| Sanctum

| J.D.

| Feature film

2012

| Focus

| Jake

| Short film

2014

| Appropriate Behavior

| Ted

| Feature film

2015

| Deliverance Creek

| Cyril

| TV movie

2015

| Peter and John

| Jake Rivers

| Feature film

2016

| The Duel

| Monty

| Feature film

2016

| The Purge: Election Year

| Harmon James

| Feature film

2017

| Keep Watching

| The Creator

| Feature film

2021

| Blood Brothers

| Jake

| Feature film

2024

| In Absence

| Irwin

| Short film

2024

| Unit 234

| Doc

| Feature film

=Television=

class="wikitable sortable"

! Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

2000

| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

| Number Two

| TV series, episode: "Closure"

2001

| Changi

| Lofty Morgan

| TV miniseries, 4 episodes

2005

| All Saints

| Leo Boravoskas

| TV series, season 8, episode 20: "In the Name of Love"

2008

| The Abominable Flatmate

| Bommie

| TV micro-series

rowspan="3" | 2009

| The Road to Tropfest

| Bruce Denahey

| TV series

Scariacs

| Scientist #2

| TV series

My Place

| Tippy

| TV series, episode 4: "1978 Mike"

2014

| Gotham

| Raymond Earl / The Goat

| TV series, episode 6: "Spirit of the Goat"

2015

| True Detective

| Blake Churchman

| TV series, 7 episodes

rowspan="2" | 2016

| The Blacklist

| Clayton

| TV series, season 3, episode 2: "Marvin Gerard (No. 80)"

Quarry

| Eugene Linwood

| TV series, 2 episodes

2017

| Bull

| Hayden Watkins

| TV series, episode 21: "How to Dodge a Bullet"

2017; 2022

| Ozark

| Boyd Langmore

| TV series, 8 episodes

rowspan="2" | 2018

| Shades of Blue

| Theo Bennett

| TV series, 7 episodes

The Good Cop

| Corey Speck

| TV series, episode 2: "What is the Supermodel's Secret?"

2018–2019

| The Rookie

| Marcus Vance

| TV series, 2 episodes

2019

| Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

| Malachi

| TV series, season 6, 6 episodes

2020–2021

| Stargirl

| Henry King Sr. / Brainwave

| TV series, season 1–2, 12 episodes

rowspan="2" | 2021

| Eden

| Lou Gracie

| TV miniseries, 7 episodes

New Gold Mountain

| Patrick Thomas

| TV miniseries, 4 episodes

2022

| Darby and Joan

| Curtis

| TV series, 2 episodes

rowspan="2" | 2024

| Boy Swallows Universe

| Ivan Kroll

| TV miniseries, 6 episodes

Prosper

| Mitch Leeway

| TV series, 8 episodes

Theatre

=As actor=

class="wikitable sortable"

! Year

! Title

! Role

! Location / Co.

1999Tumbling DiceStudio 1B, Sydney
1999Father's DayStudio 1B, Sydney with Ferknerkle Productions
1999SpurboardWharf Theatre, Sydney with STC & ATYP
2000Summer of the Seventeenth DollAlbury Performing Arts Centre with HotHouse Theatre, Railway St Theatre Company & Riverina Theatre Company
Dreams of ClytemnestraAgamemnon / Aegisthushttps://resumes.breakdownexpress.com/one_page_resume.cfm?custom_link=677643-1827743
OthelloRoderigohttps://resumes.breakdownexpress.com/one_page_resume.cfm?custom_link=677643-1827743
Friday Night Youth GroupJesushttps://resumes.breakdownexpress.com/one_page_resume.cfm?custom_link=677643-1827743
Iphigenia in AulisAchilleshttps://resumes.breakdownexpress.com/one_page_resume.cfm?custom_link=677643-1827743
2004Don't Stare Too MuchThe Commitment PhobeDarlinghurst Theatre, Sydney with White Rhino & pell mell Productions
2005The Fire RaisersEisenringOld Fitzroy Theatre, Sydney with Flyby Productions
2005The InternationalistDarlinghurst Theatre, Sydney with Practical Theatre Company
2006Mademioselle FifiKarlDarlinghurst Theatre, Sydney with White Rhino
2007Wilde TalesVarious rolesAustralian regional tour with Critical Stages & State of Play
2024White Rabbit, Red RabbitLa Boite Theatre, Brisbane

=As director=

class="wikitable sortable"

! Year

! Title

! Role

! Location / Co.

2007Bangers and MashDirectorAustralian regional tour with Critical Stages & Civic Theatre

https://ausstage.edu.au/pages/contributor/406025

References

{{Reflist}}