Latest news with #HarlanBoll
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Alan Alda, Mike Farrell Among Those Paying Tribute to Loretta Swit: 'A Supremely Talented Actor'
Hollywood is paying tribute to Loretta Swit after news of her death was announced Friday. According to a police report, the M*A*S*H star died of suspected natural causes at her home in New York City, her publicist, Harlan Boll, announced. More from The Hollywood Reporter Valerie Mahaffey, Actress on 'Northern Exposure,' 'Desperate Housewives' and 'Young Sheldon,' Dies at 71 Alf Clausen, Emmy-Winning Composer for 'The Simpsons,' Dies at 84 Loretta Swit, Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan on 'M*A*S*H,' Dies at 87 Swit appeared in all but 11 episodes of M*A*S*H during its 11-season run, earning two Emmys for her portrayal of Maj. Margaret 'Hot Lips' Houlihan. Notably, she was nominated for 10 Emmys, one for every season she appeared in except season one. After her tenure in the medical war drama, she went on to star in several films, including Freebie and the Bean (1974), Race With the Devil (1975), S.O.B. (1981) and BoardHeads (1998). Alan Alda, Swit's longtime M*A*S*H co-star, paid tribute to her on X. 'Loretta was a supremely talented actor. She deserved all her 10 EMMY nominations and her 2 wins. But more than acting her part, she created it,' he wrote on Friday. 'She worked hard in showing the writing staff how they could turn the character from a one joke sexist stereotype into a real person — with real feelings and ambitions. We celebrated the day the script came out, listing her character not as Hot Lips but as Margaret. Loretta made the most of her time here.' Mike Farrell, who joined the series in season four, shared a photo of the late actress on Instagram, writing, 'Loretta… 1937-2025.' In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Journey Gunderson, the executive director of the National Comedy Center, said, 'Loretta Swit's portrayal of Margaret 'Hot Lips' Houlihan was groundbreaking – bringing heart, humor, and strength to one of television comedy's most enduring roles. Her talent extended well beyond that iconic character, with acclaimed work on both stage and screen that showcased her intelligence, versatility, and passion. That legacy endures through the cultural impact of MASH, which is proudly represented in the National Comedy Center.' Best of The Hollywood Reporter 'The Studio': 30 Famous Faces Who Play (a Version of) Themselves in the Hollywood-Based Series 22 of the Most Shocking Character Deaths in Television History A 'Star Wars' Timeline: All the Movies and TV Shows in the Franchise
Irish Times
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Loretta Swit: M.A.S.H star known for playing Houlihan dies aged 87
Loretta Swit, who won two Emmy Awards playing Major Margaret Houlihan on the pioneering hit TV series M.A.S.H, has died aged 87. Publicist Harlan Boll said Swit died on Friday at her home in New York City, likely from natural causes. Swit and Alan Alda were the longest-serving cast members on M.A.S.H which was based on Robert Altman's 1970 film, which was itself based on a novel by Richard Hooker, the pseudonym of H Richard Hornberger. The CBS show aired for 11 years from 1972 to 1983, revolving around life at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, which gave the show its name. READ MORE The 2½ hour finale on February 28th, 1983, lured more than 100 million viewers, the most-watched episode of any scripted series ever. Rolling Stone magazine put M.A.S.H at No 25 of the best TV shows of all time, while Time Out put it at No 34. It won the Impact Award at the 2009 TV Land annual awards, as well as a Peabody Award in 1975 'for the depth of its humour and the manner in which comedy is used to lift the spirit and, as well, to offer a profound statement on the nature of war'. In Altman's 1970 film, Houlihan was a one-dimensional character – a sex-crazed bimbo who earned the nickname 'Hot Lips'. Cast members from M.A.S.H: William Christopher, Jamie Farr, Loretta Swit, Henry Morgan, Mike Farrell, Alan Alda and William Ogden Stiers. Photograph: Doug Pizac/AP Her intimate moments were broadcast to the entire camp after somebody planted a microphone under her bed. Sally Kellerman played Houlihan in the movie version and Swit took it over for TV, eventually deepening and creating her into a much fuller character. The sexual appetite was played down and she was not called 'Hot Lips' in the later years. The growing awareness of feminism in the 1970s spurred Houlihan's transformation from caricature to 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 told Suzy Kalter, author of The Complete Book of M.A.S.H. 'To oversimplify it, I took each traumatic change that happened in her life and kept it. I didn't go into the next episode as if it were a different character in a different play. She was a character in constant flux; she never stopped developing.' Loretta Swit at the 45th annual Daytime Emmy Awards in 2018. Photograph: Richard Shotwell/Invision via AP 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. After the TV series, Swit became a vocal animal welfare activist, selling SwitHeart perfume and her memoir through her official website, with proceeds benefiting various animal-related non-profit groups. In 1983, she married actor Dennis Holahan, whom she had met when he was a guest star on M.A.S.H. They divorced in 1995. Born in Passaic, 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 before she got her big break with M.A.S.H in 1972. – AP
News.com.au
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Emmy award-winning M*A*S*H star Loretta Swit dead at 87
Beloved Emmy award-winning actress and star of M*A*S*H, Loretta Swit, has died at the age of 87. Swit played Major Margaret 'Hot Lips' Houlihan on the long-running sitcom in over 240 episodes, reports The Sun. Swit was found dead inside her apartment in New York City at around 10am on Friday morning by her maid, according to the actress' publicist, Harlan Boll. Her cause of death is yet to be confirmed, but Boll says cops believe she died from natural causes. Swit was a 10-time Emmy nominee who ended up winning the prestigious TV award twice. Both wins came during her 11-year stint on M*A*S*H where she featured in 241 episodes. Born in New Jersey to Polish parents, Swit first performed on stage at the age of seven. Her breakthrough year in the acting world came in 1970 when she landed three roles in popular shows Gunsmoke, Mission: Impossible and Mannix. Swit also appeared in four episodes of Hawaii Five-O in numerous roles. During the early '70s, Swit also started to act in films such as Race with the Devil and Deadhead Miles. In 1972, Swit shot to fame as she started her career on M*A*S*H. She featured in almost every episode of the show which went on to win 64 awards during its time on air. Just before the new millennium, Swit took a break from acting. But in 2019 – after a 21-year absence – she returned to the movie screen to star in the religious film Play the Flute. She was also a trained singer at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Swit was once married to actor and M*A*S*H co-star Dennis Holahan but the pair divorced after 12 years together. After retiring from the screen for a second time, Swit went on to become a key animal activist, author, painter and ran her own line of jewellery. Just last month, fellow M*A*S*H star Patrick Adiarte also died after a 70-year career.
The Sun
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Loretta Swit dead at 87: Emmy award-winning M*A*S*H star who played Major Margaret Houlihan dies from natural causes
BELOVED Emmy award-winning actress and star of M*A*S*H, Loretta Swit, has died at the age of 87. Swit played Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan on the long-running sitcom in over 250 episodes. 2 2 Swit was found dead inside her apartment in New York City at around 10am on Friday morning by her maid, according to the actress' publicist, Harlan Boll. Her cause of death is yet to be confirmed, but Boll says cops believe she died from natural causes. Swit was a 10-time Emmy nominee who ended up winning the prestigious TV award twice. Both wins came during her 11-year stint on M*A*S*H where she featured in 251 episodes. Born in New Jersey to Polish parents, Swit first performed on stage at the age of seven. She was also a trained singer at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. .
New York Times
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Loretta Swit a.k.a. Hot Lips of TV's ‘M*A*S*H,' Dies at 87
Loretta Swit, the Emmy-winning actress who made the high-strung and relentlessly militaristic Maj. Margaret Houlihan human, dignified and — against all odds — sympathetic on the acclaimed television series 'M*A*S*H,' died on Friday at her home in Manhattan She was 87. Her death was announced by her publicist, Harlan Boll. In the Oscar-winning 1970 film 'M*A*S*H' directed by Robert Altman, Major Houlihan (whose blatantly sexist nickname was Hot Lips) was played by Sally Kellerman. When the movie became a CBS series, Ms. Swit stepped into the role and made it her own. She was nominated 10 years in a row for the Emmy Award for best supporting actress in a comedy series, and she won twice, in 1980 and 1982. The TV series aired from 1972 through 1983 and, like its movie inspiration, was set at a mobile Army hospital during the Korean War. Major Houlihan spent the first five seasons distracted by her open secret of an affair with the sniveling, very married Maj. Frank Burns (Larry Linville). Around the time Major Burns returned to the United States, she married a handsome officer whom she had met in Tokyo. But he proved unfaithful, and she was soon divorced and newly dedicated to her career as the unit's head nurse. 'It was the greatest time in my career,' Ms. Swit told the British newspaper The Guardian in 2001. Her ambition throughout the series was to be 'the best damned nurse in Korea, and that motivated everything I did, even when it came to sex.' Major Houlihan did seem to be on a flirtatious first-name basis with every general who visited the camp. A complete obituary will follow soon.
