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Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
M*A*S*H stars pay heartfelt tribute to Loretta Swit after TV star's death
Stars of the iconic TV show M*A*S*H including Alan Alda paid tribute to Loretta Swit after news confirmed the TV star had died at the age of 87 Following news of Loretta Swit's death, tributes have poured in from her co-stars of the iconic TV show M*A*S*H. Leading the tributes was Alan Alda, who played her love interest Hawkeye Pierce. Loretta became a fan favourite for playing Margaret 'Hot Lips' Houlihan. Taking to X to pay his heartfelt respects, Alan, who is now 89 years of age wrote: "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 added: "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. Alan continued: "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." In 1983, their 35 second on-screen kiss became one of the most legendary scenes in TV history as it was viewed by nearly 106 million people. Loretta's housekeeper reportedly found her dead at the star's New York apartment, according to US news outlet TMZ. And her publicist reportedly told the publication that she died from natural causes. However, an official cause of death is yet to be released. Next to share their grief with fans was Jamie Farr, who played Corporal Maxwell Q. Klinger. He once referred to the actress as his "adopted sister." In a statement released to USA Today, Jamie said: "I dearly loved Loretta! As close as family can get." The star added: "From the first time I met her, on what was supposed to be a one-day appearance on "M*A*S*H," we embraced each other. That became a lifetime friendship. I can't begin to express how much she will be missed." Meanwhile, Mike Farrell, who joined the cast in season four of eleven as B.J Hunnicutt, posted a black and white picture of Loretta on social media. He captioned the post simply saying: "Loretta … 1937-2025." In response to Alan Alda's post on X, fans rushed to comment. One person wrote: "It's because of you guys I became a nurse and learned that showing your human to your patients isn't a bad thing." They added: "Thanks, to both of you. My most sincere condolences." Another person said: "She held her own with you guys in a time where that was not always easy. Helped create on of the greatest shows of all time. Rest in peace."
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Loretta Swit obituary
The American actor Loretta Swit, who has died aged 87, achieved worldwide fame as Margaret 'Hot Lips' Houlihan, head nurse with a mobile army hospital during the Korean war, in the TV sitcom M*A*S*H. She appeared in all 11 series, from 1972 to 1983 – longer than the conflict that inspired it – taking over the role played by Sally Kellerman in the 1970 film. Misogyny ran throughout the big-screen version of M*A*S*H in a way that was not present in the 1968 novel by Richard Hooker on which it was the TV version, too, Major Houlihan, a strict disciplinarian, was the butt of sexist jokes from the surgeons and other men in the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital unit, particularly 'Hawkeye' Pierce (played by Alan Alda). Swit – who had the only leading female role in the show – took a stand before the fifth series began. She was then allowed to contribute to her character's development, making Houlihan more three-dimensional, warm and brave. 'I am a feminist, from the top of my head to the bottom of my toenail, and I favour playing strong women,' she told the American magazine Closer Weekly in 2022. From then on, Swit's character was referred to mainly by her real name rather than as 'Hot Lips' and a more human side emerged when Houlihan broke down in front of her nurses, confessing she was hurt by the disdain they held for her because of her stern manner. The character's long-running relationship with Major Frank Burns (Larry Linville) ended and she married Lieutenant Colonel Donald Penobscott (first played by Beeson Carroll and then Mike Henry), whom she later divorced when he cheated on her. Swit's performance won her two Emmy awards as outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series, in 1980 and 1982. She might have had global recognition for a second TV role, in a programme that was groundbreaking for its portrayal of women, if the M*A*S*H producers had not refused to let her out of her contract. Swit played the police detective Christine Cagney, alongside Tyne Daly as Mary Beth Lacey, in the feature-length 1981 pilot of Cagney & Lacey. It was the first American police drama to feature women in the two lead roles. In Cagney & Lacey, there was gritty realism and the authenticity of women balancing their work and home lives but, as Swit was unavailable, Meg Foster took over as Cagney when the series began, replaced after six episodes by Sharon Gless. Swit never had another starring vehicle. 'Actors are always identified with certain parts,' she said. 'To some, Marlon Brando will always be the Godfather. That's just how it is.' Perhaps her best film role was as the first female American president – succeeding a former circus clown, a parody of Ronald Reagan – in Whoops Apocalypse (1986), the writers Andrew Marshall and David Renwick's variation on their British sitcom. Loretta was born in Passaic, New Jersey, to parents of Polish descent, Nellie (nee Kassack) and Lester Szwed, an upholsterer, who anglicised the family name to Swit. She attended Pope Pius XII high school, Passaic, where she appeared in school plays, and Gibbs College, Montclair, New Jersey, then had various secretarial jobs. Moving to New York, she trained in acting with Gene Frankel at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, graduating in 1959. Her break in New York theatre came off-Broadway, at the Circle in the Square in 1961 when she joined the cast of the long-running Actors' Playhouse production of The Balcony, by Jean Genet. She spent the rest of the decade exclusively on stage until travelling to Hollywood in 1969. Then, she began to get small roles on television, including three in Hawaii Five-O (between 1969 and 1972) and two in Gunsmoke (both in 1970). Later, she starred on Broadway as Doris in Bernard Slade's 'annual adultery' play Same Time, Next Year (Brooks Atkinson theatre, 1975-76), taking over the role originated by Ellen Burstyn. The New York Times observed that she gave a 'stylish impersonation' of Burstyn, who had won a Tony award for her performance. Swit was on Broadway again in Rupert Holmes's musical version of Charles Dickens's unfinished novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Imperial theatre, 1985-86), replacing Cleo Laine in the dual roles of the Princess Puffer and Miss Angela Prysock. One stage part that seemed made for Swit was the title character in the British playwright Willy Russell's one-woman show Shirley Valentine, which she took first in Chicago (Wellington and Wisdom Bridge theatres, 1990), then on an American tour (1995) and Canadian stages (1997 and 2010). The role of the bored Liverpool housewife escaping her humdrum life and uncaring husband had been played in the West End of London and the film version by Pauline Collins, who also took it to Broadway. Swit said of the character: 'A lot of her experiences are universal – her ambition and desire, her lust for life and feelings of frustration at not fulfilling certain aspects of her own potential. I had kinship with her the moment I read the script.' Eve Ensler's comic and at times seriously political play The Vagina Monologues had Swit as one of the three women taking multiple roles, first at the Westside theatre in New York (1999), then in the West End (Arts theatre, 2001-02) and on an American tour (2002-03). The actor was a passionate animal activist and supported many charities, as well as setting up her own, SwitHeart Animal Alliance. Her book SwitHeart: The Watercolour Artistry & Animal Activism of Loretta Swit was published in 2017. Swit's 1983 marriage to the actor and lawyer Dennis Holahan ended in divorce 12 years later. Loretta Jane Swit, actor, born 4 November 1937; died 30 May 2025
Dubai Eye
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Dubai Eye
'M*A*S*H' actress Loretta Swit dies at 87
Loretta Swit, the Emmy Award-winning actress who played no-nonsense U.S. Army combat nurse Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan in the hit TV series "M*A*S*H" for more than a decade, died on Friday at the age of 87. Swit, a mainstay of one of the most successful and acclaimed series in US television history, died at her home in New York City from what was suspected to be natural causes, her publicist, Harlan Boll, said. Swit earned two best supporting actress Emmys and 10 nominations for her role as Hot Lips, the lusty, tough but vulnerable, patriotic Army career nurse in the series that ran from 1972-1983. As the only regular female character in the ground-breaking show set in the fictional 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean War of the 1950s, Hot Lips endured the insults, pranks and practical jokes of the fun-loving male surgeons. The show's cast also included Alan Alda, Wayne Rogers, McLean Stevenson, Larry Linville, Mike Farrell, Harry Morgan, Gary Burghoff, David Ogden Stiers and Jamie Farr. Swit defined her role by playing a strong, determined, independent woman, who had input into the development and storyline of her character, including her split from her married lover Major Frank Burns, hilariously played by Linville, and her own wedding and divorce. She appeared in nearly all of the more than 250 episodes and the series finale, which was the most watched episode of any TV series in history when the show ended in 1983. The TV series was based on the real-life experiences of an Army surgeon, who penned the 1968 book MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors, and on director Robert Altman's 1970 black comedy film of the same name. "While we were shooting, even from the very beginning, we were aware of how very special it was," Swit said about the series in a 2017 interview with Fox News. "The symbiosis, the camaraderie, the love and respect we had for each other."
ARN News Center
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- ARN News Center
'M*A*S*H' actress Loretta Swit dies at 87
Loretta Swit, the Emmy Award-winning actress who played no-nonsense U.S. Army combat nurse Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan in the hit TV series "M*A*S*H" for more than a decade, died on Friday at the age of 87. Swit, a mainstay of one of the most successful and acclaimed series in US television history, died at her home in New York City from what was suspected to be natural causes, her publicist, Harlan Boll, said. Swit earned two best supporting actress Emmys and 10 nominations for her role as Hot Lips, the lusty, tough but vulnerable, patriotic Army career nurse in the series that ran from 1972-1983. As the only regular female character in the ground-breaking show set in the fictional 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean War of the 1950s, Hot Lips endured the insults, pranks and practical jokes of the fun-loving male surgeons. The show's cast also included Alan Alda, Wayne Rogers, McLean Stevenson, Larry Linville, Mike Farrell, Harry Morgan, Gary Burghoff, David Ogden Stiers and Jamie Farr. Swit defined her role by playing a strong, determined, independent woman, who had input into the development and storyline of her character, including her split from her married lover Major Frank Burns, hilariously played by Linville, and her own wedding and divorce. She appeared in nearly all of the more than 250 episodes and the series finale, which was the most watched episode of any TV series in history when the show ended in 1983. The TV series was based on the real-life experiences of an Army surgeon, who penned the 1968 book MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors, and on director Robert Altman's 1970 black comedy film of the same name.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Alan Alda Pays Tribute To 11-Year ‘M*A*S*H' Co-Star Loretta Swit: 'Supremely Talented Actor'
Alan Alda, who starred on CBS' long-running comedy series M*A*S*H alongside Loretta Swit, spoke out Friday after the news of Swit's death at age 87. Swit, who played Major Margaret 'Hot Lips' Houlihan on all 11 seasons of M*A*S*H from 1972-1983, died at her home in New York City at age 87. More from Deadline Loretta Swit Dies: 'M*A*S*H' Emmy Winner Who Played 'Hot Lips' Houlihan Was 87 2025 Deaths Photo Gallery: Hollywood & Media Obituaries Patrick Adiarte Dies: 'M*A*S*H' Actor Was 82 Alda played Capt. Benjamin Franklin 'Hawkeye' Pierce also for the full run of the 14-time Emmy-winning show, which was based on Robert Altman's 1970 feature film that starred Elliott Gould as Hawkeye and Sally Kellerman as Hot Lips, the head nurse at the U.S. Mobile Army Surgical Hospital near the front lines of the Korean War. 'Loretta was a supremely talented actor,' he posted on X. 'She deserved all her 10 Emmy nominations and her 2 wins. But more than acting her part, she created it. 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.' Swit and Alda appeared in all 251 episodes of M*A*S*H including the 2½-hour series finale that aired in February 1983. It remains the most-watched episode of series TV in history, with more than 105 million viewers and mind-boggling 60.2 rating/77 share. 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. She worked hard In showing the writing staff how they could turn the character from a one joke sexist stereotype into a real person –… — Alan Alda (@alanalda) May 30, 2025 Best of Deadline Sean 'Diddy' Combs Sex-Trafficking Trial Updates: Cassie Ventura's Testimony, $10M Hotel Settlement, Drugs, Violence, & The Feds 'Poker Face' Season 2 Guest Stars: From Katie Holmes To Simon Hellberg 2025 Deaths Photo Gallery: Hollywood & Media Obituaries
