Peter Hansen (actor)

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title: "Peter Hansen (actor)" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1921-births", "2017-deaths", "20th-century-american-episcopalians", "american-male-soap-opera-actors", "daytime-emmy-award-for-outstanding-supporting-actor-in-a-drama-series-winners", "daytime-emmy-award-winners", "male-actors-from-detroit", "male-actors-from-los-angeles", "male-actors-from-oakland,-california", "military-personnel-from-los-angeles", "military-personnel-from-oakland,-california", "united-states-marine-corps-officers", "united-states-marine-corps-pilots-of-world-war-ii", "university-of-michigan-alumni"] description: "American actor (1921–2017)" topic_path: "history" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Hansen_(actor)" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American actor (1921–2017) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

Field	Value
image	Peter Hansen General Hospital 1973.jpg
name	Peter Hansen
image_size	180px
caption	Hansen in 1973.
birth_name	Peter Franklin Hansen
birth_date
birth_place	Oakland, California, U.S.
death_date
death_place	Tarzana, California, U.S.
alma_mater	University of Michigan
occupation	Actor
spouse
children	3
years_active	1950–2004
::

| image = Peter Hansen General Hospital 1973.jpg | name = Peter Hansen | image_size = 180px | caption = Hansen in 1973. | birth_name = Peter Franklin Hansen | birth_date = | birth_place = Oakland, California, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = Tarzana, California, U.S. | alma_mater = University of Michigan | occupation = Actor | spouse = | children = 3 | years_active = 1950–2004 Peter Franklin Hansen (December 5, 1921 – April 9, 2017) was an American actor, best known for his role as lawyer Lee Baldwin, on the soap opera General Hospital, appearing in the role from 1963 to 1986, briefly in 1989 and 1990, and returning to the role from 1992 to 2004. In 1989, he appeared in the movie The War of the Roses.

Early life

Hansen was born on December 5, 1921, in Oakland, California to Sydney Henry Hansen (1897-1971) and Lena Gertrude Young (1896-1983). His family moved to Detroit, Michigan where his parents divorced. His mother remarried Falconer O'Brien, and had a daughter named Charlotte O'Brien, who died in 1934 at the age of five. Hansen served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II and flew combat in the South Pacific. He flew F4U Corsairs and participated in the invasion of Peleliu in September 1944. In 1950, after he left the Marines, Hansen signed a contract with Paramount Pictures and became an actor.

Career

Hansen appeared in more than 100 films, television series and made-for-television movies. His early acting roles were at the famed Pasadena Playhouse. Hansen was a guest star on Reed Hadley's CBS crime drama, The Public Defender, and the television adaptation of Gertrude Berg's comedy The Goldbergs. In addition to his work on General Hospital, he notably co-starred in 1963 on the NBC soap opera Ben Jerrod. He also appeared on The Golden Girls in 1985 (Season 1, Episode 5) as Dr. Elliott Clayton, a casanova who makes a pass at Blanche while dating Dorothy. In 1988, he starred in an episode of Cheers ("And God Created Woodman"; Season 6, Episode 14), as Daniel T. Collier, the CEO and chairman of the board of Lillian, the company which owns Cheers. Other notable appearances include work on Broken Arrow, Richard Diamond, Private Detective, Maverick, Sea Hunt, Petticoat Junction, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., How The West Was Won, The Adventures of Jim Bowie, Magnum, P.I., L.A. Law, Night Court, and Growing Pains.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/General_Hospital_Cast_1973.jpg" caption="Martin West]], [[Rachel Ames]], Peter Hansen"] ::

Hansen had a major role in the 1950 Western film Branded with Alan Ladd, the 1951 science fiction film When Worlds Collide, and the 1952 Western film The Savage with Charlton Heston. In the 1960s, He made commercials for Chrysler products, mostly Plymouths, on shows hosted by Lawrence Welk, Steve Allen, and Garry Moore. In 1961, Hansen was a news anchor at the Los Angeles based TV station KCOP-TV.

In 1997, Hansen began playing the character on the sister show Port Charles. The early years of Port Charles saw the Baldwins as the core family, focusing on Lee's son, Scotty, and granddaughter, Karen. After their storyline took them back to "GH", Peter made occasional appearances on both shows, last appearing in 2004. Although he retired from acting afterwards, he did appear at the off-screen 50th Anniversary party in 2013 along with former on-screen wife Susan Brown.

Personal life and death

Hansen met his wife, Florence Elizabeth "Betty" Moe, while in high school and married her in 1943. They had three children, Kristen, Peter and Gretchen, and three grandchildren: Allison, Erik and Jamal. Betty died in 1993 and his daughter, Kris, died in 1996. He then shared 24 years as companion to Barbara Wenzel.

Hansen resided in Tarzana, California, with his family, and he enjoyed flying, owning his own Cessna for decades, spent many vacations in the Sierra Nevada high country. He led a devoted spiritual life at St. Nicholas of Myra Episcopal Church, in Encino, California. Hansen died on April 9, 2017, at his home in Tarzana, at the age of 95. He was cremated and his ashes were returned to the family.

Awards

Hansen won a Daytime Emmy Award for his portrayal of Lee Baldwin on General Hospital in 1979 in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.

Filmography

Film

::data[format=table]

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
1950	Branded	Tonio	{{Plain list
The Goldbergs	Ted Gordon
1951	The Last Outpost	Lt. Crosby	Western film directed by Lewis R. Foster	url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/4671/the-last-outpost#credits
Passage West	Michael Karns	Western film directed by Lewis R. Foster	url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/18207/passage-west#credits	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110916142533/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/18207/Passage-West/#credits
Darling, How Could You!	Dr. Steve Clark	{{Plain list		url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/72343/darling-how-could-you#credits
When Worlds Collide	Dr. Tony Drake	{{Plain list		url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/16508/when-worlds-collide#credits
1952	The Greatest Show on Earth	Spectator	Uncredited, Drama film directed and produced by Cecil B. DeMille	url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/4608/the-greatest-show-on-earth#credits
Something to Live For	Stage Cast Member	Uncredited, Drama film directed and produced by George Stevens	url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/90765/something-to-live-for#credits	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315202335/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/90765/Something-to-Live-For/#credits
The Savage	Lt. Weston Hathersall	{{Plain list		url= https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/89104/the-savage#credits
1954	Prisoner of War	Capt. Fred Osborne	Uncredited, War–drama film directed by Andrew Marton	url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/3052/prisoner-of-war#credits
Brigadoon	New York Club Patron	{{Plain list		url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/15669/brigadoon#credits
Drum Beat	Lt. Goodsall	CinemaScope western film in WarnerColor written & directed by Delmer Daves and co-produced by Daves and Alan Ladd	url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/16716/drum-beat#credits	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112014056/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/16716/Drum-Beat/#credits
1955	The Violent Men	George Menefee	{{Plain list
A Bullet for Joey	Fred	Film noir directed by Lewis Allen	url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/17467/a-bullet-for-joey#credits	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902021051/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/17467/A-Bullet-for-Joey/#credits
Top of the World	Capt. Cochrane	Adventure film directed by Lewis R. Foster and written by John D. Klorer and N. Richard Nash
The King's Thief	Isaac Newton	Uncredited
1956	Hell on Frisco Bay	Detective Connors	Film noir–crime film directed by Frank Turtle	url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/77695/hell-on-frisco-bay#credits
Diane	2nd Court Physician	Uncredited
The Proud and Profane	Lieutenant (jg) Hutchins	{{Plain list		url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/87305/the-proud-and-profane#credits
A Cry in the Night	Dr. Frazee	{{Plain list		url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/71959/a-cry-in-the-night#credits
The Ten Commandments	Young aide	{{Plain list		url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/92507/the-ten-commandments#credits
Three Violent People	Lt. Marr	Western film directed by Rudolph Maté	url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/93179/three-violent-people#credits	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724183528/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/93179/Three-Violent-People/#credits
1957	5 Steps to Danger	Karl Plesser	{{Plain list
1958	The Deep Six	Lieutenant Dooley	{{Plain list
1961	Pocketful of Miracles	Governor's Aide	Uncredited
1964	Apache Rifles	Capt. Green
1965	Harlow	Hansen - Assistant Director
1983	The Man Who Wasn't There	Police Lieutenant
1985	Junior	Electrician
1989	The War of the Roses	Mr. Marshall
2002	Dragonfly	Phillip Darrow
::

Television

::data[format=table]

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
1950	The Goldbergs	Ted Gordon
1954	Schlitz Playhouse		Episode: "At the Natchez Inn" (S 3:Ep 21)
Cavalcade of America		Episode: "Duel at the O.K. Corral" (S 2:Ep 20)
The Public Defender		Episode: "Escape" (S 1:Ep 20)
The Lone Wolf	Jackson Smith	Episode: "The Planetarium Story" (S 1:Ep 36)
Schlitz Playhouse	Claudius Fabian	Episode: "The Roman and the Renegade" (S 3:Ep 49)
The Loretta Young Show	Jim Roberts	Episode: "The Lamp" (S 2:Ep 4)
Your Favorite Story		Episode: "The Unknown" (S 3:Ep 1)
Lady in the Wings	Edward MacDowell	{{Plain list
Space Patrol	Doctor Paul Yates	Episode: "Danger: Radiation" (S 4:Ep 37)
The Lone Ranger	Marshal Jim	Episode: "Homer with a High Hat" (S 4:Ep 15)
1955	Bill Taylor	Episode: "The Law Lady" (S 4:EP 25)
Peter Sawtelle	Episode: "Sawtelle Saga's End" (S 4:Ep 29)
The Public Defender		Episode: "The Man Who Couldn't Remember" (S 2:Ep 18)
The Lone Ranger	Jack Morrison	Episode: "Sheriff's Sale (S 4:Ep 21)
Lux Video Theatre	Philip Adams	Episode: "The Two Dollar Bettor" (S 6:Ep 3)
The Lone Ranger	Smiley Phillips	Episode: "Death Goes to Press" (S 4:Ep 43)
Stage 7	Capt. Chuck Boske	Episode: "Armed" (S 1:Ep 14)
The Public Defender	Simms	Episode: "The Sapphire Mink" (S 2:Ep 32)
Science Fiction Theatre	Dr. Dan Scott	Episode: "Beyond Return" (S 1:Ep 32)
1956	Climax!	Lawyer	Episode: "Faceless Adversary" (S 2:Ep 33)
Science Fiction Theatre	Dr. Warren Stark	Episode: "Signals from the Heart" (S 2:Ep 1)
Dr. Henry Maxton	Episode: "The Unguided Missile" (S 2:Ep 8)
Telephone Time	William Smith	Episode: "Grandpa Changes the World" (S 1:Ep 16)
Science Fiction Theatre	Prof. Norman Hughes	Episode: "The Throwback" (S 2:Ep 19)
Broken Arrow	Capt. Dennis Farrell	Episode: "Medicine Men" (S 1:Ep 6)
Science Fiction Theatre	Dr. Edgar Barnes	Episode: "Doctor Robot" (S 2:Ep 30)
Broken Arrow	Capt. Dennis Farrell	Episode: "Rebellion" (S 1:Ep 22)
1957	Dr. Christian	Rufus Corning	Episode: "Revenge" (S 1:Ep 16)
Science Fiction Theatre	Dr. Jim Wallaby	Episode: "The Strange Lodger" (S 2:Ep 39)
Zane Grey Theater	Holton	Episode: "Village of Fear" (S 1:Ep 210
The Gray Ghost	Manning	Episode: "Renegade Rangers" (S 1:Ep 28)
Navy Log		Episode: "The Lady and the Atom" (S 2:Ep 23)
Dr. Christian	Walters	Episode: "The Alien" (S 1: Ep 25)
Navy Log	Barry	Episode: "The Marines Have Landed" (S 2:Ep 35)
Broken Arrow	Capt. Dennis Farrell	Episode: "White Man's Magic" (S 2:Epp 1)
1958	Flight	Kovacs	Episode: "Flight Surgeon" (S 1:Ep 4)
The Restless Gun	Quint	Episode "A Pressing Engagement"
1965	General Hospital	Lee Baldwin	{{Plain list
1958	Perry Mason "The Case of the Half-Wakened Wife" S1 Ep26	Howard Black	{{Plain list
1997-2000	Port Charles	Lee Baldwin	Recurring role
::

References

Notes

1. Credited as Peter Hanson.
2. Uncredited role.
3. Credited as Peter Nason.

Citations

Sources

References

1. Barnes, Mike. (April 11, 2017). "Peter Hansen, Longtime Actor on 'General Hospital,' Dies at 95". [[Eldridge Industries]].
2. Calvario, Liz. (April 11, 2017). "Peter Hansen Dies: 'General Hospital' Actor Was 95". Penske Media Corporation.
3. (April 11, 2017). "'General Hospital' Actor Peter Hansen Dies at 95". [[Time Warner]].
4. (12 April 2017). "Peter Hansen, 'General Hospital' Actor, Dies at 95". [[The New York Times]].
5. Nyren, Erin. (April 11, 2017). "'General Hospital' Actor Peter Hansen Dies at 95". [[Variety (magazine).
6. EW Staff. (April 11, 2017). "Peter Hansen, General Hospital Actor, Dies at 95". [[People (magazine).
7. "Peter Hansen Obituary". Great Hill Partners LLC.
8. Nyren, Erin. (April 11, 2017). "'General Hospital' Actor Peter Hansen Dies at 95". [[Variety (magazine).
9. "Branded". [[Turner Broadcasting System]] ([[Time Warner]]).
10. Evans, Evan. (1933). "Montana Rides". Amereon Ltd.
11. "The Last Outpost". [[Turner Broadcasting System]] ([[Time Warner]]).
12. "Passage West". [[Turner Broadcasting System]] ([[Time Warner]]).
13. "Darling, How Could You!". [[Turner Broadcasting System]] ([[Time Warner]]).
14. (December 2017). "Darling, How Could You!". [[All Media Network]].
15. "Darling, How Could You!". [[Fandango Media]].
16. "When Worlds Collide". [[Turner Broadcasting System]] ([[Time Warner]]).
17. (1932). "When Worlds Collide". [[J. B. Lippincott & Co..
18. "The Greatest Show on Earth". [[Turner Broadcasting System]] ([[Time Warner]]).
19. "Something to Live For". [[Turner Broadcasting System]] ([[Time Warner]]).
20. "The Savage". [[Turner Broadcasting System]] ([[Time Warner]]).
21. Foreman, L. L.. (1949). "The Renegade". [[Pocket Books]].
22. "Prisoner of War". [[Turner Broadcasting System]] ([[Time Warner]]).
23. "Brigadoon". [[Turner Broadcasting System]] ([[Time Warner]]).
24. fd Douglas, Fred. (2013). "Volume One: Paradise...!: from East to West". BookBaby.
25. "Drum Beat". [[Turner Broadcasting System]] ([[Time Warner]]).
26. "The Violent Men". [[Turner Broadcasting System]] ([[Time Warner]]).
27. Hamilton, Donald. (1976). "Smoky Valley".
28. "A Bullet for Joey". [[Turner Broadcasting System]] ([[Time Warner]]).
29. "Top of the World". [[Turner Broadcasting System]] ([[Time Warner]]).
30. "Hell on Frisco Bay". [[Turner Broadcasting System]] ([[Time Warner]]).
31. "The Proud and Profane". [[Turner Broadcasting System]] ([[Time Warner]]).
32. Crowther, Bosley. (2012). "Screen: 'Proud and Profane' Bows; Story of a Romance in Wartime at Astor Miss Kerr and William Holden Are Co-Stars". [[The New York Times]].
33. Crockett, Lucy Herndon. "The Magnificent Bastards". [[Farrar, Straus and Giroux]].
34. Crockett, Lucy Herndon. (1949). "Popcorn on the Ginza,: An informal portrait of postwar Japan". W. Sloane Associates.
35. "A Cry in the Night". [[Turner Broadcasting System]] ([[Time Warner]]).
36. Masterson, Whit. (1955). "All Through the Night". [[Dodd, Mead and Company]].
37. "The Ten Commandments". [[Turner Broadcasting System]] ([[Time Warner]]).
38. Wilson, Dorothy Clarke. (1949). "Prince of Egypt". Westminster Press.
39. Ingraham, J.H.. (2013). "The Pillar of Fire". Palala Press.
40. Southon, A.E.. (1939). "On Eagles' Wings". Lowe and Brydone.
41. . ["Three Violent People"](https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/93179/three-violent-people#credits). *[[Turner Broadcasting System]] ([[Time Warner]])*.
42. . ["5 Steps to Danger"](https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/17117/5-steps-to-danger#credits). *[[Turner Broadcasting System]] ([[Time Warner]])*.
43. Hamilton, Donald. (1948). "The Steel Mirror". [[Rinehart & Company]].
44. Pryor, Thomas M.. (January 28, 1957). "6 FILMS PLANNED BY AM-PAR CORP.: $3,000,000 Will Be Invested in Medium-Budget Movies During Next Half Year Of Local Origin". [[The New York Times]].
45. "The Deep Six". [[Turner Broadcasting System]] ([[Time Warner]]).
46. Dibner, Martin. (1953). "The Deep Six". [[Doubleday (publisher).

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