Reports say that Loretta Switt, the most famous Emmy-winning actress for playing the Hoolihan of the head nurse major margaret “Hot Lips” in the classic television series “M*a*s*h”, has been killed. She was 87 years old.
According to a police report, Swit died shortly after midnight on Friday, May 30th on suspicion of natural causes, her spokesperson Harlan Boll told USA Today.
Humanity was infused by a highly capable head nurse throughout the 11 seasons of CBS’s Korean War Dramedy held at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital. Major General Hoolihan’s character comes from Richard Hooker’s 1969 novel “M*a*s*H: A Novel About Three Army Doctors,” and appeared in Robert Altman’s 1970 hit film adaptation.
The humorless Hourihan, played by Sally Kellerman on the big screen, earned the nickname “Hot Lips” after a lustful conversation he overheard with his married lover, Frank Burns (Robert Duval). Kellerman received an Oscar nomination but rejected the follow-up television role.
Previously unknown SWIT won two best-supporting actress Emmy Awards (1980, 1982) for the “M*a*S*H” series that dominated CBS from 1972 to 1983. Swit and Alan Alda starred as wise surgeon Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce, and were the only two actors to appear in both the September 1972 pilot and the famous 25-hour finale of the series.
The daughter of a Polish immigrant raised her childhood dream of becoming an actor, Swit, a high school cheerleader born on November 4, 1937 in Pasaic, New Jersey. After completing his degree at the American Academy in New York City, Swit started on stage, appearing in local touring and off-Broadway productions.
A trip to Hollywood featured three episodes on the 1970 TV series Gun’s Moke, with roles in Mannix, Hawaii Five-0, and Mission: Impossible. In an interview with The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Swit said there were no comedy clips to submit to the “M*a*s*h” audition. “I was jumping off a cliff or being shot,” she said. “I wasn’t doing comedy in movies. I’ve only ever done comedy on stage.”
After acquiring a major role for Houlihan, Swit has assured show creators Gene Reynolds and Larry Gelbart that the show will be included in the network lineup.
“I said, ‘Blowjob, I ran out of gas, I did a lot of pilots,'” Swit recalled. “And they said, “This will be ‘one’.” And that was the case. ”
Swit has brought evolutionary changes to the characters, including phased out the infamous nickname “Hot Lips.”
“She was more than anatomical,” Swit told Yahoo Entertainment in 2023. “I kept telling the writers, ‘She’s no better.’ ”
Hourihan left her married Paramar, Major General Burns (performed in the Larry Linville TV series), endured a brief marriage to Lt. Col. Donald Penobscott, showing sympathy for her colleagues.
Houlihan was unique at the time and at her time. This was when the 1950s were actually happening,” Swit said. “We allowed her to continue growing, so she became even more unique. We saw her evolve. I don’t think it was done that way at all.”
Swit started Cagney with “Cagney & Lacey” but can leave “M*a*s*h”
After starring as NYPD DET. Chris Cagney tried to leave behind the new CBS series, “M*a*s*h,” along with Mary Beth Lacey, the TV movie pilot for the 1981 TV film “Cagney & Lacey.” “I loved that character and wanted to be on my own show, not part of the incredible ensemble the show was a star,” Swit told Yahoo Entertainment. However, the “M*a*s*h” producer was Swit Go (Meg Foster took over the Cagney part on TV before Sharon Gless).
Even Swit’s personal life was influenced by “M*a*s*h”, including his marriage to Dennis Holahan in December 1983. The real couple divorced in 1995.
“M*a*s*h” was historically closed in February 1983, and it aired an emotional finale in over 45% of US households. The episode of “Goodbye, Break, Amen” remains the most watched episode of the series ever written. Houlihan frequently gave a long kiss to rival Pierce in the finale directed by Alda.
The actress forked into film, starring Hollywood gossip columnist Polly Reid in Blake Edwards’ 1981 dark comedy Sob, and played President Barbara Adams, who was besieged in the 1987 comedy Hoop Apocalypse.
Swit has appeared in television films such as The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (1983) and 14 Going On 30 (1988), and has guest starred celebrity at game shows such as Match Game, Win Lose or Draw, Pyramid, and Hollywood Squares, and has also starred in “The Love Boat” (starring in five different episodes with The November 1984).
A passionate animal rights activist, Swit has founded the Swithetheart Animal Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to ending animal suffering. In 2017, she published “Swithetheart: The Watercolor Artistry & Animal Comvicism of Loretta Swit.”
The actress refused to appear in the short-lived post-CBS sequel series “Aftermash.” However, the former television nurse stayed close to her co-stars.
“We might be joining the hips too,” Swit told Fox News in 2017. When do I see them?
