4 weeks ago
1
Famed actress Loretta Swit, who was the star of CBS' television series, M*A*S*H has died at the age of 87.
Swit was nominated for the Emmy's 10 times and won twice for her appearances on the show in the character of Maj. Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan. She appeared on 240 of the 251 episodes of M*A*S*H, during the 11 seasons it aired on screen. She was one of the only actresses who had a role in both the pilot episodes as well as the finale of the series.
Swit was nominated for the Emmy's 10 times and won twice for her appearances on the show in the character of Maj. Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan. She appeared on 240 of the 251 episodes of M*A*S*H, during the 11 seasons it aired on screen. She was one of the only actresses who had a role in both the pilot episdoes as well as the finale of the series.
M*A*S*H's series finale, which was viewed by over 100 million people across the country, featured a kiss between Swit as well as Alan Alda as Hawkeye Pierce that lasted for 35 seconds. The episode has previously been called the most expensive finale in all of television.
In her role, Swit's character "was [unique] at the time and in her time, which was the ’50s, when [the Korean War] was happening," the actress said in a 2004 interview. “And she became even more unique, I think, because we allowed her to continue to grow — we watched her evolve. I don’t think that’s ever been done in quite that way.”
Swit also performed in a number of films, including Freebie and Bean, Race with the Devil, as well as BoardHeads.
She was born on November 4, 1937, in New Jersey's city of Passaic. During her studies, Swit became versed in the acting and drama while attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York.
English (US) ·