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Leslie David Baker

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Leslie David Baker
Baker at GalaxyCon Raleigh in 2019
Born (1958-02-19) February 19, 1958 (age 66)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Alma materLoyola University (B.S.)
Spertus Institute (M.S.)
OccupationActor
Years active1998–present

Leslie David Baker (born February 19, 1958) is an American actor. He is known for playing disgruntled paper salesman Stanley Hudson in The Office for nine seasons (2005–2013).

Early life

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Baker was born on February 19, 1958, in Chicago, Illinois. He graduated from Mendel Catholic College Preparatory High School in Chicago, Illinois in 1976. He holds a B.S. in psychology from Loyola University Chicago and an M.S. in human services administration from Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership in Chicago.[1] He taught special education and played an office worker in OfficeMax commercials while working on his MS degree.[2] In Chicago, he worked for the Board of Education, the Department of Public Health, and the Office of Cable and Communications.[1]

Acting career

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Baker moved to Los Angeles, California, in the late 1990s.[1]

The Office

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I still have the nine-to-five experience without the nine-to-five responsibilities. In the nine-to-five world, you don't have anybody who has your breakfast waiting for you in the morning, or lays out your wardrobe, or styles your hair.

Baker on The Office[1]

Baker had another audition scheduled on the day he was called back for The Office. On his way to his Office audition, he was caught in traffic though producers thought he had been in the bathroom and thanked him for his patience. "By then I was kind of sweaty, my clothes were rumpled, and I was cranky," Baker later said. "The character was written the way I was feeling that day, and I just let 'er rip. Two weeks later I got a call: 'You got the pilot.'"[1]

Baker's Office character, Stanley Hudson, is a sales representative for the fictional Dunder Mifflin paper distributor usually portrayed as a defiant, grouchy curmudgeon.[3] It was said that his performance was "a standout" on the show, and with "his monotone voice and calm demeanor, he played well against the off-the-wall nature of many of the other characters."[4] "Did I Stutter?" (season 4, 2008) has a focus on Baker's character; as with many supporting actors on The Office, some of Baker's scenes became memorable to fans.[5] Stanley is rarely, but sometimes, given a "soft side"; in "Stairmageddon" (season 9, 2013), Baker plays a tranquilized, and then giddy, Stanley.[3] At the conclusion of the series, Stanley says he is happy to be living in retirement in Florida.[6]

He was part of the Office cast which won Screen Actors Guild Awards in the Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series category in 2007 and 2008.[7][8]

In December 2017, after several former Office actors expressed interest in a revival of the series, The Hollywood Reporter's Lesley Goldberg said of Baker, "Why wouldn't he return?!"[9] After The Office ended in 2013, The Hollywood Reporter said that Baker has had few roles;[9] Bustle said that he was "plenty busy with his other creative pursuits".[4] In July 2020, Baker launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the production of a pilot for Uncle Stan, a proposed spin-off series of The Office focusing on Stanley as he moves to Los Angeles, California, to help his widowed nephew Lucky run his failing motorcycle repair/flower shop.[10][11][12] The campaign raised $336,450 from 1,640 donors. In August 2023, he released a statement saying the money will be refunded as the project remained stalled indefinitely following COVID delays and the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in Hollywood.[13]

Other work

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Baker at the 38th Saturn Awards in 2012

In 2001, Baker guest-starred in That '70s Show in season 3's "Backstage Pass" as a janitor at the Ted Nugent concert.[14] In November 2011, Baker released the song "2 Be Simple" with an accompanying music video which features Baker (credited as "Black Hugh Hefner") in a bath robe dancing with scantily clad women.[15] "For reasons that remain unclear," wrote Jan Chaney of The Washington Post, "Baker has released ... a track destined to be the party anthem at all your yuletide throwdowns."[16] Cameron Matthews called the song's hook "infectious" with lyrics that "totally [capture] the daydreams of a middle-aged man in crisis."[17]

Baker appeared in Raven's Home as Principal Wentworth; previously, he had small parts in Scorpion and Life in Pieces.[4] He appeared on the CMT series Still the King and in the films Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017), in a voice role, and The Happytime Murders (2018).[9] In another voice role, and workplace dark comedy, he appeared in Fired on Mars as Hubert Danielson.[18]

He also appeared in a January 2018 advertisement for FileMaker Inc., a subsidiary of Apple Inc., as a farmer alongside former Office actors Paul Lieberstein and Kate Flannery.[19] In 2020, Baker starred in a series of commercials for Honey Nut Cheerios.[20]

Filmography

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Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1998 Maggie Frank Episode: "Cats"
1999 Action Guard Episode: "Love Sucks"
2000 Judging Amy Uncle Vin Arlen Episode: "Waterworld"
Malcolm in the Middle Cop Episode: "Halloween Approximately"
2001 That '70s Show Janitor Episode: "Backstage Pass"
2001–2003 The Guardian Teddy Desica 3 episodes
2002 Just Shoot Me! Man Episode: "The Burning House"
2003 Malcolm in the Middle Customer Episode: "Stereo Store"
Scrubs Surgery Patient Episode: "My Interpretation"
2004 Line of Fire Large Man Episode: "The Best-Laid Plans"
2005–2013 The Office Stanley Hudson 188 episodes
2006 The Office: The Accountants Stanley Hudson Webisode: "Stanley"
2008 Kevin's Loan Stanley Hudson Webisode: "Taste the Ice Cream"
2012 The Life & Times of Tim Al Sharpton's College Roommate Voice role; episode: "The Smug Chiropractor/Corporate Disaster"
2013 Key & Peele Benjamin Button Man Episode: “Meagan’s Fight”
2014 Marry Me Jake's Boss Episode: "Pilot"
2015 The Exes Officer Wilson Episode: "Requiem for a Dream"
Austin & Ally Mr. Schxlumbraugh Episode: "Duos & Deception"
2016 Scorpion Judge Tanniston 2 episodes
Still the King Curtis 9 episodes
2017 Life in Pieces Gavin Episode: "Chef Rescue Negotiator Necklace"
Raven's Home Principal Wentworth 2 episodes
Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television Captain Jackson #4 Episode: "Trafficking and the Traffic King"
2017–2023 Puppy Dog Pals Rufus / Frank Voice role; recurring, 81 episodes
2019 Fam Mr. Kersey Episode: "It's Been A While"
2020–2022 Doug Unplugs Uncle Forknick Voice role; 20 episodes
2021 Tom and Jerry in New York Mr. Piper Episode: "Telepathic Tabby/Shoe-in/It's a Gift/Stormin' the doorman"
2022 Roar Johnny Spoons Episode: "The Girl Who Loved Horses"
2023 Fired On Mars Hubert Danielson Voice role; 5 episodes

Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2001 Road to Redemption Tow Truck Driver
2005 Elizabethtown Airport Security #2 Uncredited
2014 Wish I Was Here Audition Actor #1
2015 When Duty Calls Clyde Pierce Television film
2017 Fallen Stars Ron
Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie Officer McPiggly Voice role
2018 The Happytime Murders Lt. Banning
2021 Vivo Florida bus driver Voice role
2023 Hard Miles Skip Bowman
2024 The Lost Holliday Dr. Blevins
2024 Jackpot Earl the Fameland Guard

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Buscemi, Robert (June 4, 2007). "Office Face". Chicago. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  2. ^ Ulster, Laurie (March 24, 2015). "'The Office' Cast: Where Are They Now?". Biography.com. A&E. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  3. ^ a b Tedder, Michael (April 12, 2013). "The Office Recap: Stanley Takes the Stairs". Vulture. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  4. ^ a b c Koch, Drew (February 9, 2018). "What's Stanley From 'The Office' Doing In 2018? Leslie David Baker Reunited With His Dunder Mifflin Co-Stars For Another Hilarious Project". Bustle. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  5. ^ Perkis, Ed (2017). "The Office: Season 4". Cinema Blend. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  6. ^ Hale, Mike (May 17, 2013). "'The Office' Ends the Way It Began: Modestly". The New York Times. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  7. ^ "The 13th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". SAG-AFTRA. Archived from the original on September 30, 2011.
  8. ^ "The 14th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". SAG-AFTRA. Archived from the original on September 13, 2011.
  9. ^ a b c Goldberg, Lesley (December 20, 2017). "'The Office' Reboot: Who Could Return for NBC's Potential Revival?". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  10. ^ "The Office's Leslie David Baker Teases New Stanley Hudson Project".
  11. ^ Harnick, Chris (July 2, 2020). "The Office's Leslie David Baker Has a Kickstarter for Uncle Stan Series". E! Online. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  12. ^ "Uncle Stan".
  13. ^ Sharf, Zack (August 3, 2023). "'The Office' Actor Is Giving Back $110,000 Worth of Fan Donations for Stalled Stanley Spinoff, Says Funds Were Never Used for Personal Matters". Variety. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  14. ^ "Backstage Pass". IMDb.
  15. ^ Hogan, Marc (November 30, 2011). "Stanley from 'The Office' Stars in Surreal Music Video". Spin. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  16. ^ Chaney, Jen (November 29, 2011). "Leslie David Baker, aka Stanley from 'The Office,' has made a music video". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  17. ^ Mathews, Cameron (November 29, 2011). "Stanley From 'The Office' (AKA Leslie David Baker) Releases Hot Music Video". Spinner. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
  18. ^ "HBO Max's Fired on Mars Looks Like Office Space in Outer Space". Gizmodo. April 17, 2023. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  19. ^ Matyszczyk, Chris (January 16, 2018). "Apple gets 'The Office' actors to make its FileMaker exciting". CNET. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  20. ^ Ryu, Jenna. "The funniest celeb commercials, from Ja Rule's low-budget ad to Taylor Swift for Apple Music". USA Today. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
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