M*A*S*H: The Comedy That Changed Television: Here's what happened to the cast of the iconic series
Ahead of the FOX documentary 'M*A*S*H: The Comedy That Changed Television' let's take a look at what happened to the original cast.
Documentary name: M*A*S*H: The Comedy That Changed Television
Platform: FOX
Country of origin: USA
Date of Release: January 1, 2024
Genre: Entertainment
Alan Alda (Benjamin Franklin 'Hawkeye' Pierce)
Alan Alda, 87, went from strength to strength after playing the iconic Hawkeye (he starred in 256 episodes) and is considered to be one of America's greatest actors. He later starred in hit TV shows like 'The West Wing' and 'Ray Donovan' and a slew of movies including 'The Aviator' and 'Bridge of Spies'. Alda married Arlene Weiss in 1957. They have three children. In 2018 Alda revealed that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's.
Loretta Swit (Margaret 'Hot Lips' Houlihan)
Swit, 86, starred in a number of TV movies after her 239 epiodes of 'M*A*S*H'. Her latest role was as Maggie Dennings in 'Diagnosis: Murder' in 1998. Swit was cast as Christine Cagney in the pilot episode for the future hit show 'Cagney & Lacey'. But due to contractual issues she was unable to play the part in the series. The part of Christine Cagney would eventually be played by Meg Foster for the first six episodes and then by Sharon Gless -- who would make the role her own for the next six years. Swit married former actor and attorney Dennis Holahan in 1983, but they divorced in 1995.
Jamie Farr (Maxwell Q. Klinger)
Farr, 89, who starred in 217 episodes of 'M*A*S*H' would go on to reprise his role as Klinger in the ill-fated spinoff 'AfterMASH' which TV Guide ranked as the seventh-worst TV series ever. His last TV role was as Dudley in 'The Cool Kids' in 2018. Farr married Joy Ann Richards in 1963. They have two children. Farr has struggled with severe rheumatoid arthritis since the early 1990s.
William Christopher (Father John Patrick Francis Mulcahy)
The part was originally played by George Morgan in the pilot, but he was replaced by Christopher in the actual series, where he starred in 213 episodes. Christopher would join Farr in the infamously bad 'AfterMASH' TV series but had no major roles after that, though he was very active on the theater circuit. His last appearance was on 'Days of Our Lives' in 2012. Christopher married his wife Barbara in 1957 and they have two adopted sons. Christopher died in Pasadena, California, on December 31, 2016 from lung cancer. He was 84.
Wayne Rogers (Trapper John McIntyre)
Rogers featured in the first three seasons of 'M*A*S*H' (72 episodes). He would go on to star in the acclaimed series 'House Calls' from 1979 to 1982 opposite Lynn Redgrave. His final role was in the 2003 movie 'Nobody Knows Anything!'. Rogers married Mitzi McWhorter in 1958 and the couple had two children. They divorced in 1983. Roger then married Amy Hirsh in 1988. Rogers died on December 31, 2015, from complications of pneumonia in LA. He was 82.
McLean Stevenson (Henry Blake)
McLean starred in 'M*A*S*H' for the first three seasons (70 episodes) and was one of the show's best-loved characters alongside Hawkeye and Radar. After 'M*A*S*H' he found more fame with the sitcom 'Hello Larry' which spanned two seasons from 1979-80. He also played Max Kellerman in the 'Dirty Dancing' TV series. He married Polly Ann Gordon in 1957, they were divorced in 1960. He then married Louise Herbert in 1969, but divorced in 1971. His third and final wife was Ginny Fosdick whom he married in 1980. On February 15, 1996, Stevenson suffered a heart attack and died as he was recovering from bladder cancer surgery. He was 68.
Larry Linville (Frank Burns)
Linville played the hilarious Frank Burns for the first five seasons of 'M*A*S*H' (118 episodes). After 'M*A*S*H' he starred in shows like 'Grandpa Goes to Washington', 'Paper Dolls' and 'Murder, She Wrote'. Larry Linville seemed to enjoy being married and did so repeatedly. His first wife was Kate Geer with whom he had a daughter (and only child), Kelly Linville. After divorcing Geer, he married and divorced Vana Tribbey, Melissa Gallant, and Susan Hagan. His last wife was Deborah Guydon. Linville died of pneumonia on April 10, 2000, after cancer surgery. He was 60.
Gary Burghoff (Walter Eugene 'Radar' O'Reilly)
An absolute fan favorite, Gary Burghoff, 80, appeared in eight seasons of 'M*A*S*H' (156 episodes). After 'M*AS*H' he appeared on 140 episodes of the gameshow 'Match Game', In 1984 he appeared in the pilot of 'W*A*L*T*E*R' a planned 'M*A*S*H' spinoff based on the character of 'Radar'. It was never picked up for series, but the pilot is out there somewhere. Burghoff married Janet Gayle in 1971 and had one daughter, the couple divorced in 1979. He then married Elisabeth Bostrom in 1985 and had two sons before they were divorced in 2005. Gurghoff is a professional jazz drummer and an inventor (with six US patents).
Mike Farrell (B.J. Hunnicutt)
Farrell, 84, played Hunnicutt on 'M*A*S*H' for 183 episodes from season 4 to 11. He is also famous for playing Dr James Hansen on the hit show 'Providence'. He also starred as David Rogers alongside Jason Momoa in the TV series 'The Red Road'. Farrell married Judy Hayden (who played Nurse Able in 'M*A*S*H') in 1963 and the couple had two children. They divorced in 1983.
Harry Morgan (Sherman T. Potter)
Morgan played Potter on 'M*A*S*H' for eight seasons (182 episodes). Morgan was one of the unlucky few 'M*A*S*H' castmembers who reprised their role on 'AfterMASH'. Morgan who was already a bonmafide star before 'M*A*S*H' would go on to later feature in movies like 'Dragnet' that also starred Tom Hanks and Dan Akroyd, and 'The Incident' opposite Walter Mathau. Morgan married Eileen Detchon in 1940 and had four sons. They remained married until her death 45 years later in 1985. In 1986 he married Barbara Bushman Quine. Morgan died in his sleep in 2011. He was 96.
David Ogden Stiers (Charles Emerson Winchester III)
Stiers played Winchester over six seasons and 133 episodes. He later played DA Michael Reston in the 'Perry Mason' series of TV movies. He also later starred in such hit TV shows as 'North & South' opposite Patrick Swayze, 'Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place' and 'The Dead Zone'. In 2009 Stiers revealed he was gay. Stiers died on March 3, 2018, from complications related to bladder cancer. He was 75.
