General Hospital

Former GH Star Peter Hansen Dead at 95

Published by

Michael Maloney

8 years ago

Peter Hansen, best known to soap fans as Lee Baldwin, Scotty’s father, on General Hospital (GH) has passed away. He was 95.

A native of Oakland, California, Hansen served in the U.S. Marine Corps in World War II before working as a full-time actor. His film credits include Branded, When Worlds Collide, and The Savage.

Hansen was the first actor to win the Daytime Emmy in the then-newly created category of Outstanding Supporting Actor in 1979 for Lee’s alcoholism storyline on GH.

Lee Baldwin was Port Charles’ “go-to” attorney. The legal eagle represented several citizens after they were brought up on charges.

Lee defended Jessie Brewer when she was accused of murdering two of her late husbands — Dr. John Prentice and Dr. Phil Brewer. Lee also represented Dr. Lesley Webber (Denise Alexander) when she was accused of killing David Hamilton.

Lee unsuccessfully ran against Luke Spencer for mayor of Port Charles, but he accepted Luke’s offer to become his deputy mayor, and later took on the top role after Luke resigned.

Lee had his hands full in the early 80s after his adopted son, Scotty (Kin Shriner), returned to Port Charles. Scott, who was angry over losing his wife Laura to Luke, started acting out and Lee attempted (many times) to get his son back on the right path.

Hansen and TV wife, Susan Brown (ex-Gail), were invited to bring their GH characters to Port Charles in 1997. They helped kick off the series by appearing in the show’s premiere and recurred throughout the run of the half-hour soap. Hansen and Brown made their final appearance on GH at Lila’s funeral in the summer of 2004.

Claire Mullan is part of the GH fan club team and has worked on the GH “past cast” events. In 2013, Hansen attended a gathering of former GH cast members.

“I was so impressed that at Peter’s age he arrived at that event in a convertible, and he drove himself!” Mullan tells Soap Hub. “He was kind and warm and so appreciative that the fans remembered him and have such fond memories of him.

“Kin [Shriner] has kept in touch with both Peter and Susan Brown. We did the inviting, but Kin was the one who was really able to tell them how important and special they are and how the fans wanted them to be there. Peter had a great time that day. We wanted Peter and Susan and Rachel [Aames, ex-Audrey] to be introduced first and put them up front so they could feel special. So many actors have come and gone, but Peter — and Susan and Rachel — are so so iconic.”

The actor’s other TV credits include Coach, Growing Pains, Night Court, Matlock, The Golden Girls, and Cheers. He played Major Drake in multiple episodes of the mid-70s series How the West Was Won.

Hansen was preceded in death by wife Florence “Betty,” who died in 1993. They had been wed for 50 years. The actor is survived by his longtime companion, Barbara Wenzel, a son, the Rev. Canon Peter Falconer Hansen; a daughter, Gretchen Hansen Chartier; three grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.