M*A*S*H Legend Loretta Swit Dead on 87: Star of Who played Major Margaret ‘Hot Lips’ Houlihan passes

Legendary M*A*S*H -Ster Loretta Swit died at the age of 87.

Swit was known for playing the iconic character Major Margaret ‘Hot Lips’ Houlihan in the hit series.

The actress died in her house on Friday New York Cityconfirmed her publicist Harlan Boll.

A police report states that Swin was passed on suspicious natural causes shortly after midnight on Friday, her publicist shared with The Hollywood Reporter.

The actress was praised for her role in the seriesand received two Emmys For her display.

In total she earned 10 Emmy nominations for M*a*s and she appeared in the majority of the 11 seasons of the show, grab screens for 240 of the 251 episodes of the program.

M*A*S*H was an adjustment of the film by the Robert Altman from 1970 and was completed during the Korean war. It followed a team of American doctors and nurses in a fictional army hospital.

The series final – from which Swit appeared – was viewed by 105 million viewers, making it one of the most viewing narrative TV episodes of all time.

The original Robert Altman film was a dark comedy that Donald Sutherland played as Hawkeye Pierce, Elliot Gould as Trapper John Mcintyre and Sally Kellerman as hot lips Houlihan, based on the novel Mash from 1968: a novel about three doctors of the army.

For the TV series, Alan Alda stepped into the Hawkeye Rol, where Wayne Rogers played a pedker John and Gary Burghoff (Radar O’Reilly), the only cast member from the film was to rob that role for the TV series.

The half-hour comedy series was known for its ability to combine both comedy and drama, although Swit said earlier that she believed it was the humor that the show stand out.

‘Initially when we started, everyone wondered how we could take out a comedy about the war, but we did. The secret behind the success of M*A*S*H, “she said First for women Last year.

Swit added: “Laughter and humor were our defense against standing in blood and working on bodies that were young enough to be at school.”

She admitted that nothing was inherent in war, but added: “You needed the funniest people in the world to make this credible and this cast surpassed that and more.”

Swit won two Emmy’s for playing hot lips and had nothing but praise for the praed series final.

“The last program, entitled Goodbye, was the jewel of the crown, and m*a*s was a very important piece of Americana, so it was an honor to be part of that magic,” she said.

M*A*S*H won 14 Emmy Awards, earned 109 nominations, plus the series took a Peabody Award home in 1975.

Swit was born on November 4, 1937 in Passaic, New Jersey and went to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York

Swit, born in Passaic, New Jersey, has offered her craft as a student at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, according to Thr. She performed in repertoire.

After moving to Los Angeles in 1970, she built her acting CV with roles in Gunsmoke, Hawaii Five-O, Mission: Impossible and finally M*A*S*H.

During the 11 seasons of the show, she appeared in a majority of episodes that include the broadly viewed season finale.

For her work, she twice earned the Emmy for excellent supporting actress in a comedy or variety or music series – once in 1980 and then again in 1982.

Although she is perhaps best known for her role of hot lips, she did not love the nickname of her character.

“I understand that nicknames come with great love and admiration for a character,” she said Fox News In 2023. “But it was an insult to me. She wasn’t just a piece of anatomy. She was a major in the American army and she should not be respected. ‘

“This was a woman who had a rank, who worked hard and wanted to be good in her work,” she said. “She was an inspiration. I was proud of her. I was proud to represent all service promises. I wanted to make a change. ‘

M*A*S*H was not the only iconic show in which Swit appeared. Her CV also has performances in murder, she wrote and the love boat.

The actress also had a role in a number of films, including ‘Freebie and the Bean’ in 1974, ‘Race with the Devil’ in 1975, ‘Sob’ and ‘Boardheads’ of 1981 in 1998.

Together with Tyne Daly, she played in the 1981 pilot for ‘Cagney & Lacey’, but could not continue with the role when it was collected, due to contractual obligations to ‘Mash’.

According to her IMDB, she comes out another film – a role in the upcoming opportunities for the upcoming drama.

With regard to her theatrical credits, THR reports that Swit was also an active member of the Theater Community in Chicago and in 1991 she was honored with the Sarah Siddons Award for her contributions to the theater.

She played in Shirley Valentine, a one-off game, more than 1000 times and also became part of the coach of the vagina monologue in 2003.

Swit was born on November 4, 1937 Loretta Jane Szwed in Passaic, New Jersey.

She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1989.

A passionate animal rights activist, she was a vegetarian for many years before she became vegan in 1981.

Loretta had long been in favor of the Aspa (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and often promoted dogs.

She encouraged the adoption of animals and visited rescue centers while traveling.

Another cause that was close to the heart of Loretta were actors and others for animals, set up by actor Richard Basehart to encourage celebrities to use their star power to help animals.

Swit was married to actor Dennis Holahan, from 1983 until their divorce in 1995.