Loretta Swit, who played Margaret ‘Hot Lips' Houlihan on ‘M*A*S*H,' dead at 87
Loretta Swit, who was best known for playing Major Margaret 'Hot Lips' Houlihan on the classic sitcom 'M*A*S*H,' has passed away. She was 87.
The beloved actress' publicist, Harlan Boll, confirmed the news to The Hollywood Reporter.
Swit died of suspected natural causes shortly after midnight on Friday, May 30, at her home in New York City, according to Boll.
Advertisement
5 Loretta Swit has passed away at the age of 87.
Getty Images
Besides starring in 'M*A*S*H' from its pilot episode in September 1972 to its finale in February 1983, Swit also appeared alongside Tyne Daly, 79, on the pilot episode of the police drama 'Cagney & Lacey' in 1981.
However, due to contractual obligations that she had to the Korean War sitcom, Swit was forced to depart 'Cagney & Lacey' when it was picked up by CBS one year later.
Advertisement
Born on Nov. 4, 1937, in Passaic, New Jersey, Swit studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York before moving to Los Angeles in 1970.
5 Swit as Major Margaret 'Hot Lips' Houlihan on the classic army sitcom 'M*A*S*H.'
©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection
She landed small gigs on classic TV shows like 'Mission: Impossible,' 'Gunsmoke,' 'Hawaii Five-O' and 'Cade's County.'
Swit thanked her appearance on 'Cade's County' in 1971 for providing her the opportunity to star in 'M*A*S*H' one year later.
Advertisement
'I had done a guest-starring role on Glenn Ford's CBS series, 'Cade's County,' which was short-lived, but it was a wonderful role,' the actress said during an interview in 2004. 'The network people, as well as Fox, knew about me, and when the part came up, they thought of me.'
5 Swit one two Emmys for her performance as Major Margaret 'Hot Lips' Houlihan.
Paul Zimmerman
Swit also praised her 'M*A*S*H' character as 'unique,' even if 'nobody appreciated her' within the show.
'She was unique at the time and in her time, which was the '50s, when the Korean War was happening,' Swit explained. 'And she became even more unique, I think, because we allowed her to continue to grow – we watched her evolve. I don't think that's ever been done in quite that way.'
Advertisement
'She was the head nurse, and her ambition was to be the best damn nurse in Korea, and I tried to help her achieve that,' she continued. 'That woman was so lonely, and she was trying to do such a good job. And nobody appreciated her.'
5 She appeared in 240 of the show's 251 episodes.
©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection
'M*A*S*H,' which also starred Alan Alda (Benjamin Franklin 'Hawkeye' Pierce), Jamie Farr (Maxwell Q. Klinger), Wayne Rogers (Trapper John McIntyre) and Harry Morgan (Sherman T. Potter), followed key personnel in the United States Army's Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean War from 1950 to 1953.
The series ran for an impressive 11 seasons from 1972 to 1983 on CBS, and Swit was awarded two Emmys for her performance as Major Margaret 'Hot Lips' Houlihan.
She also appeared in 240 of the show's 251 episodes, which was the most of any character besides Alda's 'Hawkeye' Pierce, who appeared in every episode.
5 'That's one hell of a legacy,' Swit said of the impact 'M*A*S*H' had on American audiences.
Getty Images
The series was based on the movie of the same name, which came out in 1970.
Sally Kellerman, who played the original Major Margaret 'Hot Lips' Houlihan in the 1970 movie, passed away in 2022 at the age of 84.
Advertisement
Once, when asked about the impact that 'M*A*S*H' had on American audiences, Swit mentioned a telegram she had received from a fan.
'It said, 'Dear M*A*S*H folk: You made me laugh. You made me cry. You made me feel. Thank you.' I've never forgotten that,' Swit recalled years before her passing. 'That's one hell of a legacy.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hypebeast
2 hours ago
- Hypebeast
A$AP Rocky 以 Ray-Ban 創意總監身份首推「Wayfarer Puffer」形象企劃
繼今年 2 月Ray-Ban宣佈A$AP Rocky出任品牌史上首位創意總監後，這位向來酷愛墨鏡的饒舌巨星，近日終於將其親自操刀的首個 Ray-Ban 形象企劃正式帶回成長地 Harlem。 此前，A$AP Rocky 曾以「Black Out Collection」為其打響頭炮，隨後他將焦點放在 Ray-Ban 標誌性 Wayfarer 框型上，並先後於 Met Gala 及 Cannes 紅毯上，佩戴全球獨一無二的「Wayfarer Puffer」特別版——該版本鑲嵌 18K 金標誌、天然鑽石與各色寶石。如今，Ray-Ban 與 Flacko 正式揭曉 Wayfarer Puffer 新系列及其於 Harlem 取景的形象大片。作品揉合 Flacko 的文化背景、社區情感與個人品味，多位當地藝術家與街坊在 Flacko 成長的街頭戴上「充氣」鏡框，完美詮釋「Rooted in Harlem. Designed for the world.」的標語 。 雖然市售版 Wayfarer Puffer 並未鑲嵌 18K 金或天然鑽石，但同樣提供紅、藍、粉、黃、綠、黑及白等亮澤色調，每副售價為 $202 美元。立即滑動上方圖庫，率先欣賞 Rocky 親自操刀的 Ray-Ban 首個形象企劃。 >YOASOBI 攜手 PlayStation、F.C. Real Bristol 推出「PLAYERS」聯名球衣 >Salehe Bembury 攜手 Mitchell & Ness 推出 New York Knicks 全新聯名系列 >WACKO MARIA 與塗鴉藝術家 NECK FACE 推出全新聯乘系列
Hypebeast
2 hours ago
- Hypebeast
Graniph 攜手 Death Note 推出全新聯乘系列
本文看點 日本設計品牌 Graniph 攜手大場鶇筆下超人氣漫畫系列《死亡筆記本Death Note》，正式推出全新聯名服飾與配件系列，讓 L、夜神月、彌海砂及死神路克等經典角色重現於潮流單品之上。 系列品項豐富，包含長短袖 T-Shirt、夏威夷襯衫、Polo 衫及長褲等多款服飾，設計上巧妙融入漫畫分鏡、經典場景以及人氣角色圖案，將《死亡筆記本》忠實呈現，此外亦帶來襪子、漁夫帽、托特袋及拉鍊錢包等多款配件。 《死亡筆記本》x Graniph 全新聯名系列將於 7 月 1 日起透過 Graniph 官網發售，有興趣的讀者不妨多加留意。 >YOASOBI 攜手 PlayStation、F.C. Real Bristol 推出「PLAYERS」聯名球衣 >A$AP Rocky 以 Ray-Ban 創意總監身份首推「Wayfarer Puffer」形象企劃
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Johnny Depp doesn't regret Amber Heard trial: 'It had gone far enough'
To some, Johnny Depp's headline-making defamation trial with ex-wife Amber Heard was a stain on his gleaming Hollywood career. But despite the legal drama, Depp wouldn't change a thing. The Oscar-nominated actor reflected on the 2022 court battle in an interview with The Sunday Times published June 21. "Look, none of this was going (to) be easy, but I didn't care," he told the British outlet. "I thought, 'I'll fight until the bitter (expletive) end.' And if I end up pumping gas? That's all right. I've done that before." Depp sued Heard in 2019, claiming she defamed him in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed in which she said she was a victim of domestic abuse without specifically naming him. Heard was granted a temporary restraining order against the actor in May 2016, just days after filing for divorce, alleging Depp physically abused her various times during their 15-month marriage. As for their trial, a Virginia jury in 2022 awarded Depp more than $10 million in damages following six weeks of widely watched testimony, during which both parties and witnesses testified about alleged abuse throughout the couple's tumultuous relationship. "Look, it had gone far enough," Depp, 62, continued. "If I don't try to represent the truth it will be like I've actually committed the acts I am accused of. And my kids will have to live with it. Their kids. Kids that I've met in hospitals. So the night before the trial in Virginia I didn't feel nervous. If you don't have to memorize lines, if you're just speaking the truth? Roll the dice." 'A soap opera': Johnny Depp shades Amber Heard defamation trial Heard won $2 million in damages from her countersuit over Depp's lawyer calling her claims a hoax. In December 2022, the former couple agreed to a settlement in the defamation case, with Heard paying Depp $1 million that he pledged to charity. The "Pirates of the Caribbean" alum also reflected on the professional fallout from the trial, including testimony from his former agent Tracey Jacobs. According to The Hollywood Reporter and Variety, Jacobs testified that Depp's industry status was being increasingly undermined by his "unprofessional" on-set behavior, which allegedly included frequent tardiness. "There are people, and I'm thinking of three, who did me dirty. Those people were at my kids' parties. Throwing them in the air," Depp said. "And, look, I understand people who could not stand up (for me) because the most frightening thing to them was making the right choice. I was pre-MeToo. I was like a crash test dummy for MeToo. It was before Harvey Weinstein." 10 bingeable memoirs to check out: Celebrities tell all about aging, marriage and Beyoncé The legal troubles of disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, who was indicted in May 2018 on charges of five sex crimes, are widely regarded as the tipping point for the #MeToo movement's impact on Hollywood. Weinstein was convicted on June 11 of a first-degree criminal sexual act in the retrial of his 2020 conviction on sexual assault and rape charges. Following the conclusion of his trial with Heard, Depp resumed his entertainment career with a starring role in 2023's "Jeanne du Barry," and directed the 2024 period drama "Modi: Three Days on the Wing of Madness." "Honestly? I didn't go anywhere," said Depp of his showbiz reemergence. "If I actually had the chance to split, I would never come back." Contributing: KiMi Robinson, Andrea Mandell and Maria Puente, USA TODAY
