Actor. He is best remembered for his portrayal of the staunch Brigadier General Matt Merrin in the dramatic epic "Judgment at Nuremberg" (1961). Born unto a family of wealth and position, the only son of a Cleveland Trust Company vice president, after attaining his bachelor's degree in theatrical arts from Williams College, he went on to further his education at Yale University where he had great participation with the 47 Drama Workshop. After being befriended by one of his classmates, the prominent actor and director Elia Kazan, he became a member of the Theatre Guild and began his career as a professional actor appearing in leading roles within such productions as "The Hallams," "Home of the Brave," "Thumbs Up!," "Winged Victory," "Lone Valley," and "The Voice of the Turtle". After being discovered by film director William K. Howard during a dinner party at the prestigious Russian Tea Room, he was so impressed by his articulate voice and dark good looks, that he arranged for him to begin a secondary career in the film industry starting with him being under his supervision in "Mary Burns, Fugitive" (1935). From there he would become a recognizable character actor appearing in over 130 features in a 35-year career; often typecast as cold-hearted thugs, mobsters, killers, henchmen, playboys, snobs, aristocrats, city slickers, con-artists, gigolos, love intrests, and white-collared workers. He appeared in such films as "Big Brown Eyes" (1936), "Night Key" (1937), "Gangs of New York" (1938), "In Name Only" (1939), "Each Dawn I Die" (1939), "Let Us Live" (1939), "Abe Lincoln in Illinois" (1940), "Bad Men of Missouri" (1941), "Shadow of the Thin Man" (1941), "Borrowed Hero" (1941), "Saboteur" (1942), "Prisoner of Japan" (1942), "The Human Comedy" (1943), "Behind Prison Walls" (1943), "Winged Victory" (1944), "The Prairie" (1947), "She Shoulda Said No!" (1949), "The End of the Line" (1957), "The Restless Years" (1958), "Face of a Fugitive" (1959), "The Mountain Road" (1960), "The Property is Condemned" (1966), "Welcome to Hard Times" (1967), "Paint Your Wagon" (1969), "Chisum" (1970), "Willard" (1971), and "Escape from the Planet of the Apes" (1971). During the advent of television, he flourished as a household name appearing in various guest spots on such syndicated sitcoms as "Telephone Time," "Suspense," "M Squad," "Whirlybirds," "The Restless Gun," "Tales of Wells Fargo," "The Rifleman," "Rawhide," "Wagon Train," "Bronco," "Tightrope," "The Alaskans," "Death Valley Days," "Laramie," "Death Valley Days," "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," "Bourbon Street Beat," "Sugarfoot," "Cheyenne," "The United States Steel Hour," "Hong Kong," "Michael Shayne," "Maverick," "The Tall Man," "Ripcord," "Thriller," "Hawaiian Eye," "Lawman," "77 Sunset Strip," "The Untouchables," "Have Gun - Will Travel," "Surfside 6," "The Outer Limits," "Gunsmoke," "Combat!," "Profiles in Courage," "The Fugitive," "Branded," "Perry Mason," "The Wild Wild West," "Daniel Boone," "My Three Sons," "Run for Your Life," "Get Smart," "Ironside," "Mod Squad," "Bonanza," "The Virginian," "Mannix," "Green Acres," "The Bold Ones," "O'Hara, U.S. Treasury," and "Alias Smith and Jones". During his career, he was a member of the Screen Actors Guild, was supportive of the Motion Picture and Television Fund, served in the United States Army Corps during World War II, was supportive of the California State Democratic Committee, had been a regular parishioner within the Catholic church, presided as a chairman for his local charters of the American Red Cross and Easter Seals, and he was married to fellow actresses Barbara Williams from 1936 to 1953 and Christy Palmer from 1955 to 1976 (both marriages produced no children, his union to Williams ended up her death, and his final marriage to Palmer concluded upon his own death). After retiring in 1971, Baxter spent the final years of his life dividing time between his homes in Woodland Hills, California and Redding, Connecticut, was active with Catholic charities, and served as a prominent benefactor for several state parks, museums, hospitals, and schools until his death from complications of cancer.