Kevin Hagen

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.

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, 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.