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Character actor Ross Hagen, born Leland Lando Lilly on May 21, 1938, in Williams, Arizona, was the son of Lando Irvin Lilly and Mary Alice Johnson. Known for his rugged good looks, distinctive deep gravelly voice, and commanding masculine screen presence, Hagen often portrayed charming, likable tough guys on both sides of the law in a diverse range of films and television shows.
Hagen launched his acting career in the mid-1960s with guest appearances on various TV programs before moving into exploitation films, starring in biker movies such as The Hellcats (1968), The Mini-Skirt Mob (1968), and Five the Hard Way (1969). Some of his notable film roles include smooth insurance agent Mike Harber in Wonder Women (1973), bumbling ex-coal miner turned wannabe mobster Charlie Jacobs in Bad Charleston Charlie (1973), ruthless hitman Ray Mitchell in Avenging Angel (1985), deceitful con artist Cory Thorton in Armed Response (1986), owner Midnight of an all-girl baseball team in Blood Games (1990), tough Army Captain Jason Briggs in Dinosaur Island (1989), skeptical sheriff in Sideshow (1988), and private investigator Elwood Dick in Murder on the Yellow Brick Road (2005).
His television guest spots include appearances on The Virginian (1962), The Big Valley (1965), The Fugitive (1963), The Invaders (1967), Daktari (1966), Bonanza (1959), Gunsmoke (1955), Mannix (1967), Kung Fu (1972), Mission: Impossible (1966), Cannon (1971), The Wild Wild West (1965), and The Fall Guy (1981). He worked on nearly 20 films with director Fred Olen Ray. Hagen's wife, Claire Polan, appeared alongside him in several films, and the couple briefly operated an acting school together.
Beyond acting, Hagen directed seven films, including the entertaining action oddity The Glove (1979) and the well-received medical thriller B.O.R.N. (1989). He also co-produced and co-wrote several features.
Ross Hagen passed away from cancer on May 7, 2011, at the age of 72.
