Emmy Award-winning actress Loretta Swit, renowned for her role as Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan in the classic TV show MASH*, passed away at the age of 87.
Harlan Boll, her publicist, verified that she died on Friday at her residence in New York City, presumably from natural causes.
Alongside Alan Alda, Swit was one of the most long-standing actors in “M*A*S*H,” the influential CBS show adapted from Robert Altman’s 1970 movie. The film was inspired by the book penned under the pseudonym Richard Hooker by H. Richard Hornberger.
The series ran from 1972 to 1983, focusing on the lives of personnel stationed at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean conflict. The concluding three-part episode, which took place on February 28, 1983, had an audience exceeding 100 million people—a record for a single-episode telecast that still stands today.
Swit received two Emmy Awards for her portrayal of Houlihan, a multifaceted character who started off as an authoritative and rigid chief nurse but gradually transformed into a more nuanced personality. This development mirrored both Swit’s own impact and the increasing awareness of feminism during the 1970s.
“In the second or third year, I opted to portray her as a genuine individual with intelligence, even if it meant sacrificing some of the humor,” Swit explained to Suzy Kalter, who authored The Complete Book of MASH.*
To put it simply, I retained every difficult transformation that occurred in her life without moving on as though it were a new character in a separate story. She remained a continuously evolving figure; her development never ceased.
In the initial 1970 movie, Houlihan—who was portrayed by Sally Kellerman—came across as an inflexible stereotype, frequently ridiculed by her male counterparts. However, Swit’s interpretation slowly distanced itself from this trope, reshaping Houlihan into a more realistic and esteemed figure.
“One of the aspects I enjoyed, thanks to Loretta’s encouragement, was whenever I got an opportunity to pen something for her character, we would move past the ‘Hot Lips’ persona and delve deeper into understanding who Margaret truly was. This made her seem like a much more genuine individual,” Alan Alda shared with The Hollywood Reporter in 2018.
MASH* initially struggled, concluding its debut season ranked 46th among 75 programs. However, following a move to Saturday evenings paired with All in the Family, viewership surged dramatically. The series ultimately claimed the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series in 1974, with Alan Alda also receiving recognition as Best Actor.
Throughout its run, the series underwent several cast changes. In the initial season, viewers were introduced to Wayne Rogers, McLean Stevenson, Larry Linville, and Gary Burghoff. Subsequently, the show welcomed new actors such as Harry Morgan, Mike Farrell, and David Ogden Stiers into its ensemble. Additionally, Jamie Farr and William Christopher assumed more prominent parts within the narrative.
“Loretta Swit’s depiction of Margaret ‘Hot Lips’ Houlihan was revolutionary—imbuing the character with warmth, wit, and fortitude, making her one of the most memorable figures in the annals of television comedy,” stated Journey Gunderson, who serves as the Executive Director at the National Comedy Center.
Her abilities went far past that famous role, demonstrating remarkable skills in theatrical performances and film that highlighted her intellect, adaptability, and zeal.
Swit was present in almost every episode of M*A*S*H except for 11, remaining with the series for nearly four times as long as the duration of the Korean War. The development of her character tackled themes such as PTSD, sexism, and racism, many of which were refined through Swit’s involvement off-screen.
In the last episode, she penned the address delivered by Houlihan to her fellow nurses: “It has been both an honor and a privilege to work alongside you. I am extremely proud to have known each of you.”
I was completely absorbed in working on this,” Swit shared with Yahoo Entertainment. “Even now, I receive letters from women around the globe who chose nursing as their profession due to Margaret Houlihan. It’s incredible to think that my work has had such an impact on people’s lives.
At the end of the series, Houlihan thinks about taking up positions in either Tokyo or Belgium but ultimately chooses to go back to the United States to work at a hospital. However, Swit was not in agreement with this conclusion.
“She felt that wasn’t right for her Margaret,” she explained. “In her opinion, the next step should have been Vietnam. Although she disagreed, that was what they intended for her to do.”
She played a role in crafting plot developments as well. Upon her character’s return from Tokyo engaged to an army officer, this resulted in a notable response from Frank Burns.
I said to them, ‘Can you picture the enjoyment Larry will experience when I return to town and inform him that I am engaged? He’ll tear down the doors of the mess tent!’ That’s precisely what they made him do. Thus, we were all in agreement.
Towards the conclusion of the show, Swit considered leaving. She portrayed Chris Cagney in the 1981 television film “Cagney & Lacey” and was subsequently offered the part for the series.
Nevertheless, the producers desired for her to continue with MASH* until the end of its last two seasons. Swit later mentioned that she might have remained even without their insistence.
You can’t help but improve as an actor when working with such scripts,” she said to The Florida Times-Union in 2010. “When you’re part of something so sophisticated, we found ourselves quite pampered.
Swit also kept a firm bond with theater. She headlined on Broadway in “Same Time, Next Year” (1975) and “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” (1986), and took part in “Amorous Crossing” (2010) as well as “Mame” (2003).
(ABC News)
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