Latest news with #MajorHoulihan
The Independent
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Emmy-winning actress who transformed M.A.S.H role dies aged 87
Loretta Swit, best known for her role as Major Margaret Houlihan on the TV series M.A.S.H., has died at the age of 87. Swit died at her home in Manhattan on Friday, with her publicist stating that the cause of death was likely natural causes. Her portrayal of head Army nurse Houlihan earned her 10 consecutive Emmy nominations for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, winning twice in 1980 and 1982. Swit's influence on scriptwriters helped transform Houlihan from a one-dimensional character into a more complex and realistic person, reflecting the growing awareness of feminism in the 1970s. M.A.S.H star Alan Alda praised Swit as a 'supremely talented actor' and how she transformed the character previously known as 'Hot Lips' to being known as 'Margaret'.
New York Times
3 days ago
- 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.
