Thursday, August 04, 2005
two for thursday; double demises - R.I.P.
Mortality is for everyone; even the so-called "stars" of the silver screen. Those thespians that never were perceived as actual "star" material but that I have recognized and appreciated over the years are as missed by this luminous blogger than any of the bigger names that have departed - and have never been replaced (the Audrey Hepburns, Oliver Reeds, Leo McKerns, Sharon Tates, Jonathan Harris-es, Lee Remicks, Gregory Pecks, William Holdens, Katherine Hepburns, Anne Baxters, Jack Lemmons, Walter Matthaus and such stalwarts of this world...). Kevin Hagen was one of those actors that got immediately type-casted because of his physique into playing bad guys - totally despicable characters he would forced to impersonate movie after movie (often westerns too). And then, someone gave him a chance - on Little House on the Prairie, a TV show I grew up watching and the first exposure to Mr. Hagen's work I ever had, he was allowed to be a kind, gentle man - allowed to let his soul shine through the often-perceived as rugged exterior he had. The same is true, on that show, of Victor French; another one I grew up with and grew to admire as an uncle I would have loved to have - I have not seen Mr. French anywhere since Highway to Heaven - I hope he is still with us.
Mrs. Gretchen Franklin, a veteran actress I knew not, also passed away as Mr. Hagen did - an ocean away I believe. She was most well-known for her role on the British soap EastEnders, in which she played a cancer-stricken lady. Mr. Kevin Hagen had to battle cancer in real life - it is no wonder that he died while seventeen years younger than her.
Both are, again, as all the bigger names that I mentioned before, irreplaceable.
And both will be greatly missed by those who knew them - from afar as from up close.
Link
Mrs. Gretchen Franklin, a veteran actress I knew not, also passed away as Mr. Hagen did - an ocean away I believe. She was most well-known for her role on the British soap EastEnders, in which she played a cancer-stricken lady. Mr. Kevin Hagen had to battle cancer in real life - it is no wonder that he died while seventeen years younger than her.
Both are, again, as all the bigger names that I mentioned before, irreplaceable.
And both will be greatly missed by those who knew them - from afar as from up close.
Link
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Little House on the Prairie star dies
Kevin Hagen, the actor best known for playing the kindly Dr. Hiram Baker in the beloved U.S. series Little House on the Prairie, has died of cancer in Oregon. He was 77.
Though his first movie role was in the 1958 Disney film The Light in the Forest, it wasn't until 1965's Shenandoah that the Chicago-born Hagen found a niche in westerns, often playing villains.
His TV credits were vast, including appearances on Gunsmoke, Rawhide, Cheyenne, Bonanza, Perry Mason, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and Mission: Impossible.
Kevin Hagen, the actor best known for playing the kindly Dr. Hiram Baker in the beloved U.S. series Little House on the Prairie, has died of cancer in Oregon. He was 77.
Though his first movie role was in the 1958 Disney film The Light in the Forest, it wasn't until 1965's Shenandoah that the Chicago-born Hagen found a niche in westerns, often playing villains.
His TV credits were vast, including appearances on Gunsmoke, Rawhide, Cheyenne, Bonanza, Perry Mason, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and Mission: Impossible.
Former EastEnders actress dies
Gretchen Franklin, who for 15 years played a dog-loving old woman in the long-running British soap EastEnders, has died at the age of 94. Franklin, who had been an actress for more than five decades, died on July 11th.
The London-born actress began her career as a chorus girl in the city's West End theatre district in the 1930s. Though she had a number of film and TV roles in the 1950s and 1960s, she is best known for her portrayal of the dotty Ethel Skinner on EastEnders.
A fixture on the show from 1985 through 2000, Franklin was written out of the program in a controversial storyline, in which her cancer-afflicted character begged a friend to help her commit euthanasia.
Gretchen Franklin, who for 15 years played a dog-loving old woman in the long-running British soap EastEnders, has died at the age of 94. Franklin, who had been an actress for more than five decades, died on July 11th.
The London-born actress began her career as a chorus girl in the city's West End theatre district in the 1930s. Though she had a number of film and TV roles in the 1950s and 1960s, she is best known for her portrayal of the dotty Ethel Skinner on EastEnders.
A fixture on the show from 1985 through 2000, Franklin was written out of the program in a controversial storyline, in which her cancer-afflicted character begged a friend to help her commit euthanasia.
I used to watch Little House on the Prairie all the time when I was a kid. I couldn't place Kevin Hagen's face. The only actors I knew their names on Little House on the Prairie were Michael Landon, and Melissa Gilbert. So I googled the name Kevin Hagen and found his official web site.
I saw his picture there, and totally recognise his face now! :)
I looked in his Filmography and noticed that I have seen a lot of things he has done. He sure had played a LOT of roles during his life as an actor.
Something I be most of you don't know that I found on his site is that he used to sing concerts and at dinner parties some of his favorite songs. A lot of those songs you will find on his cassette album, JUST AN ORDINARY MAN. He also made a CD called A KID ON THE HOOD OF A '29 CHEVY.
Here is the link to Kevin Hagen's official web site.
Kevin Hagen
I have to admit that even after googling Gretchen Franklin, I didn't know her. I never had seen any of the things she had played in. I did learn about her in my search.
Here is a link to her obituary, but it also has some facts about her life.
Gretchen Franklin's Obituary
These were two people who touched many lives by the characters they played, in the many roles of their lives. They will be missed by many, especially by their familes. They both lived full lives, and did well in their acting careers.
Luciano,
Thank You for telling us that these actors died recently. This is sad news, but also a part of life. Hopefuly they are both in Heaven now. I don't know if they were Christians or not, so can only hope that they were.
Have a Great Day (\ô/)
((HUGS))
Countess
I saw his picture there, and totally recognise his face now! :)
I looked in his Filmography and noticed that I have seen a lot of things he has done. He sure had played a LOT of roles during his life as an actor.
Something I be most of you don't know that I found on his site is that he used to sing concerts and at dinner parties some of his favorite songs. A lot of those songs you will find on his cassette album, JUST AN ORDINARY MAN. He also made a CD called A KID ON THE HOOD OF A '29 CHEVY.
Here is the link to Kevin Hagen's official web site.
Kevin Hagen
I have to admit that even after googling Gretchen Franklin, I didn't know her. I never had seen any of the things she had played in. I did learn about her in my search.
Here is a link to her obituary, but it also has some facts about her life.
Gretchen Franklin's Obituary
These were two people who touched many lives by the characters they played, in the many roles of their lives. They will be missed by many, especially by their familes. They both lived full lives, and did well in their acting careers.
Luciano,
Thank You for telling us that these actors died recently. This is sad news, but also a part of life. Hopefuly they are both in Heaven now. I don't know if they were Christians or not, so can only hope that they were.
Have a Great Day (\ô/)
((HUGS))
Countess
In the long list of departed greats in my intro to this piece, I omitted a few big names though...
I remembered Anne Baxter... but forgot to add the recently departed Anne Bancroft.
Indeed, we have lost all the GOOD ANNES now - Anne Bancroft... Anne Baxter... Anne of a Thousand Days... Anne of Green Gables?
Now, all we have left are the likes of Anne Archer... Anne Heche... and worse still... Anne Rice! *lol*
See what I mean when I state that the departed ones are irreplaceable?
:(
I remembered Anne Baxter... but forgot to add the recently departed Anne Bancroft.
Indeed, we have lost all the GOOD ANNES now - Anne Bancroft... Anne Baxter... Anne of a Thousand Days... Anne of Green Gables?
Now, all we have left are the likes of Anne Archer... Anne Heche... and worse still... Anne Rice! *lol*
See what I mean when I state that the departed ones are irreplaceable?
:(
And, of course, Michael Landon himself is long gone - he was unique in that he was as angelic from the inside as he appeared to be on the outside (and that even when he was playing a teen wolf...!).
Name me a Michael today who is exactly like him...
No one is.
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Name me a Michael today who is exactly like him...
No one is.
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