50 Years of Little House on the Prairie: Kevin Hagen (Dr. Hiram Baker)

 

Kevin Hagen (April 3, 1928 – July 9, 2005) was an American actor best known for his role as Dr. Hiram Baker on NBC's TV series Little House on the Prairie.

Kevin Hagen played Ed Bosworth in a 1958 episode of Have Gun, Will Travel Three Sons

Early life

Hagen was born in Chicago, Illinois, to professional ballroom dancers, Haakon Olaf Hagen and Marvel Lucile Wadsworth. After his father deserted the family, Hagen was raised by his mother, grandmother, and aunts. As a 15-year-old, he relocated to Portland, Oregon, where one of his aunts had taken a teaching job.

Hagen attended Portland's Jefferson High School. His family returned to Chicago, and he attended Oregon State University in Corvallis and the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California, from which he received a degree in international relations.

Acting roles

Hagen's first regular role on a series was in 1958 playing John Colton, the city administrator of New Orleans in the CBS Western Yancy Derringer.

On April 29, 1962, Hagen was cast in the episode "Cort" of Lawman.

Hagen guest-starred on Gunsmoke, The Big Valley, Bonanza, Laramie, Have Gun - Will Travel, Mannix, The Time Tunnel, and Perry Mason. He made three appearances on Mason. In 1958 he played Sgt. Burke in "The Case of the Sardonic Sergeant"; in (1965) he played murderer Jacob Leonard in "The Case of the Gambling Lady", and Samuel Carleton in "The Case of the Fugitive Fraulein." Hagan appeared as Inspector Dobbs Kobick in nine episodes of Land of the Giants from 1968 to 1970.

Other appearances included Tales of Wells Fargo, The Untouchables, Bat Masterson, Riverboat, The High Chapparal, Wagon Train (S1 E21 "The Annie MacGregor Story" 1958 and S8 E25 “The Silver Lady” 1965), Outlaws, Straightaway, GE True, Hawaiian Eye, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Twilight Zone, Daniel Boone, Blue Light, Mission: Impossible, Rawhide, 77 Sunset Strip, M*A*S*H, The Rifleman (as Billy St.John in S2 E31 "The Prodigal" 1960), Lancer, The Virginian, The Guns of Will Sonnett, The Cowboys, Lost in Space, The Silent Force, Sara, Quincy, M.E., Simon and Simon, and Knots Landing.

Hagen played a Confederate renegade who kills James Stewart's son and daughter-in-law in the 1965 film Shenandoah. His most famous role was Doc Baker on Little House on the Prairie.

Personal life

In 1992, Hagen moved to Grants Pass in southwestern Oregon where he performed in concerts, dinner theaters, and on stage in Medford, Ashland, and Grants Pass, including the one-man show A Playful Dose of Prairie Wisdom.

In 2004, Hagen was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. He died on July 9, 2005, at his home in Grants Pass. Hagen was survived by his son, Kristopher, and his wife, Jan, whom he married in 1993.

Filmography

1957       The Tales of Wells Fargo               Mitt      

1958       The Light in the Forest   Fiddler Uncredited

Gunsmoke in Tucson      Clem Haney       

Gunsmoke          Bill Jennings       

1959       Gunsmoke          Coney Thorn      Episode: "Love of A Woman"

Pork Chop Hill    Corporal Kissell

1960       The Twilight Zone            Captain James Webber Episode: "Elegy"

1961       The Untouchables           "Swede" Kelso   Episode: "Stranglehold"

Straightaway      Frazer   Episode: "The Stranger"

1962       Maverick             Justin Radcliffe Episode: "One of Our Trains is Missing"

Gunsmoke          Bowman              Episode: "Wagon Girls"

Rider on a Dead Horse   Jake Fry               

1963       The Virginian      Oscar Swenson Episode: "Run Away Home"

The Man from Galveston             John Dillard        

1964       Rio Conchos       Episode: "Blondebeard"               

Gunsmoke          Emmett Ginnis Episode: "No Hands"

1965       Shenandoah      Mule, Rebel Deserter   

1966       Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea             Holden Episode: "The Shape Of Doom"

1967       Bonanza               Brother Guy       Episode: S9.E10 Showdown at Tahoe

The Ride to Hangman's Tree       Prisoner               Uncredited

The Last Challenge          Frank Garrison 

The High Chaparral          Tanner Episode "Shadows on the Land"

The Time Tunnel              Sgt. Maddox      Episode: "The Death Merchant"

1968–1970           Land of the Giants           Inspector Dobbs Kobick                9 episodes

1968       Big Valley             Unknown            Episode: "The Long Ride"

Mission: Impossible        David Webster Episode: "The Condemned"

1969       The Learning Tree            Tim "Doc" Cravens          

1969       Mission: Impossible        Kurt Lom              Episode: "Illusion"

1973       Gentle Savage   Ken Shaeffer    

1974–1984           Little House on the Prairie            Hiram "Doc" Baker           113 episodes & 3 TV movies

1976       M*A*S*H           Colonel Coner   Episode: "Some 38th Parallels”

1978       Quincy, M.E.      Dr. Dale Albers Episode: "A Night to Raise the Dead"

M*A*S*H           Major Goss         Episode: "Peace on Us"

1980       The Hunter         Poker Player #2               

1986       Power   Cop       

1990       The Ambulance                Cop At Stables   Final film role

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Hagen