Loretta Swit, who played Margaret Hot Lips Houlihan on M*A*S*H, dead at 87

Loretta Swit, who was best known for playing Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan on the classic sitcom “M*A*S*H,” has passed away.She was 87.The beloved actress’ publicist, Harlan Boll, confirmed the news to the Hollywood Reporter.Swit died of suspected natural causes shortly after midnight on Friday, May 30, at her home in New York City, according to Boll.Besides starring in “M*A*S*H” from its pilot episode in September 1972 to its finale in February 1983, Swit also appeared alongside Tyne Daly, 79, on the pilot episode of the police drama “Cagney & Lacey” in 1981.However, due to contractual obligations that she had to the Korean War sitcom, Swit was forced to depart “Cagney & Lacey” when it was picked up by CBS one year later.Born on Nov.

4, 1937, in Passaic, New Jersey, Swit studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York before moving to Los Angeles in 1970.She landed small gigs on classic TV shows like “Mission: Impossible,” “Gunsmoke,” “Hawaii Five-O” and “Cade’s County.”Swit thanked her appearance on “Cade’s County” in 1971 for providing her the opportunity to star in “M*A*S*H” one year later.“I had done a guest-starring role on Glenn Ford’s CBS series, ‘Cade’s County,’ which was short-lived, but it was a wonderful role,” the actress said during an interview in 2004.“The network people, as well as Fox, knew about me, and when the part came up, they thought of me.” Swit also praised her “M*A*S*H” character as “unique,” even if “nobody appreciated her” within the show.“She was unique at the time and in her time, which was the ’50s, when the Korean War was happening,” Swit explained.

“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.“She was the head nurse, and her ambition was to be the best damn nurse in Korea, and I tried to help ...