Loretta Swit of `M*A*S*H’ Fame Dies at 87
LOS ANGELES (KESQ) - Loretta Swit, who won a pair of Emmy Awards for her portrayal of tough-talking yet big-hearted Major Margaret ``Hot Lips'' Houlihan on the long-running ``M*A*S*H'' television series, died today in New York at age 87.
Her publicist, B. Harlan Boll, said the actress died just after midnight Friday at her home in New York of what appeared to be natural causes.
Swit appeared on all but 11 episodes of the iconic television series and was nominated for Emmy Awards for best supporting actress in 10 of the show's 11 seasons, winning in 1980 and 1982. She was nominated for four Golden Globe Awards but never won.
Born in New Jersey, Swit began her entertainment career as a singer and appearing in stage productions, beginning with ``Same Time, Next Year'' with Ted Bessell and later sharing the stage with Ernest Borgnine and Don Rickles in a production of ``The Odd Couple.'' She appeared in more than 1,200 performances of ``Shirley Valentine,'' earning the Sarah Siddons Award in Chicago for the role.
She eventually landed roles on shows including ``Gunsmoke,'' ``Hawaii Five-O,'' and ``Mission: Impossible.''
But her major break came with her casting in ``M*A*S*H,'' taking on the role of Margaret Houlihan, a character who was portrayed in the original movie by Sally Kellerman. Houlihan -- along with Maj. Frank Burns, with whom Houlihan maintained an affair during the show's early seasons -- was often a main target of ribbing and practical jokes by Alan Alda's ``Hawkeye'' Pierce, Wayne Rogers' Trapper John McIntyre and Mike Farrell's B.J. Hunnicut.
Her character -- along with most others in the ensemble -- evolved over the course of the series as they began to show the emotional impacts of war. Despite their seemingly endless rivalry throughout the run of the show, the series' finale featured a more-than-30-second kiss between Swit's Houlihan and Alda's Hawkeye.
About midway through the series' run, Houlihan filmed the original pilot for the show ``Cagney and Lacey,'' in the role of Chris Cagney. She wanted to take on the role full time, but her contractual obligations to ``M*A*S*H'' prevented her from doing so.
Once the show ended, Swit appeared in films such ``S.O.B,'' ``Beer,'' ``Forest Warrior'' and ``Beach Movie,'' and in television films such as ``Miracle at Moreaux,'' ``Dreams of Gold: The Mel Fisher Story'' and ``Hell Hath No Fury.''
Although mostly retired from the entertainment business, Swit was an outspoken supporter of animal-advocacy causes, including serving as a spokeswoman for the U.S. Humane Society. She founded the SwitHeart Animal Alliance aimed at preventing animal cruelty and promoting animal-advocacy groups.
Funeral services were pending. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Actors & Others for Animals at https://www.actorsandothers.com or the SwitHeart Animal Alliance at https://www.switheart.org.
