M*A*S*H actor Loretta Swit has died, aged 87

Australia Broadcast Center

2 days ago

Loretta Swit, the American actor best known for her role as "Hot Lips" Houlihan on M*A*S*H, has died, aged 87.
The two-time Emmy-Award-winning actor died at her New York City home on Friday likely from natural causes, her publicist said.
Swit played Major Margaret Houlihan, the demanding head nurse of a behind-the-lines surgical unit during the Korean War on the pioneering hit TV series.
Alan Alda and Swit were the longest-serving cast members on the CBS show, which was based on Robert Altman's 1970 film.
Born in New Jersey, the daughter of Polish immigrants, Swit enrolled in the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, then paid her dues for years in touring productions.
In 1969, she arrived in Hollywood and was soon seen in series such as Gunsmoke, Hawaii Five-O, Mission Impossible, and Bonanza.
Then in 1972, she got her big break when she was asked to audition for the role of "Hot Lips".
The series aired for 11 years from 1972 to 1983, revolving around life at a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, which gave the show its name.
The two-and-a-half-hour finale in 1983 lured more than 100 million viewers, the most-watched episode of any scripted series ever.
The growing awareness of feminism in the 1970s spurred Houlihan's transformation from caricature to a real person, but a lot of the change was due to Swit's influence on the scriptwriters.
"Around the second or third year, I decided to try to play her as a real person, in an intelligent fashion, even if it meant hurting the jokes," Swit once said.
National Comedy Center executive director Journey Gunderson said Swit's talent extended well beyond that iconic character, with acclaimed work on both stage and screen that showcased her intelligence, versatility and passion.
"Loretta Swit's portrayal of Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan was groundbreaking — bringing heart, humour, and strength to one of television comedy's most enduring roles.
Swit appeared in all but 11 episodes of the series, nearly four times longer than the Korean War itself, exploring issues like PTSD, sexism and racism.
"One of the things I liked, with Loretta's prodding, was every time I had a chance to write for her character, we'd get away from the Hot Lips angle and find out more about who Margaret was," Alda told The Hollywood Reporter in 2018.
"She became more of a real person."
AP