Veteran Actor Joby Baker Dies at 92

Actor Joby Baker, best known for playing Stinky in the Gidget film series, died of natural causes on June 22 in Mount Kisco, New York. He was 92.

Born in Montreal on March 26, 1934, Baker began his television career in the 1950s before gaining recognition in Gidget. He returned as Stinky in the sequels Gidget Goes Hawaiian and Gidget Goes to Rome. He also appeared in the Elvis Presley film Girl Happy and starred in the 1967 sitcom Good Morning World.

Over three decades, Baker made guest appearances on many popular television series, including Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Perry Mason, Dragnet, Mannix, and Barnaby Jones. His film credits also included The Wackiest Ship in the Army, Blackbeard's Ghost, Superdad, and Avalanche.

After retiring from acting in the 1980s, Baker focused on painting and sculpture. In a 2020 interview, he said he had never been interested in stardom and felt he was “the wrong type of person to be an actor.”

Baker is survived by his wife, Megan Moore, three children, two stepdaughters, six grandchildren, and one great-granddaughter.