Loretta Swit, who played the flappable regular army Maj. Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan, in the hit series M*A*S*H, has passed away at her home in Manhattan today. She was 87. Her death was announced by her publicist, Harlan Boll.  It is thought that she died of natural causes, but word from the coroner’s office is still pending.

Her character evolved from Sally Kellerman’s portrayal of Houlihan in Robert Altman’s Oscar-winning 1970 film M*A*S*H. While Kellerman’s Houlihan was sex-crazed and uptight, Swit grew the character into a well-respected army nurse who became more of an ally to Drs. Hawkeye Pierce and B.J. Hunnicut, rather than their comic foil. For her efforts on M*A*S*H, she won two Emmy Awards and was nominated 10 times.

Swit’s Early Life and Career Break

Loretta Jane Szwed was born on Nov. 4, 1937, in Passaic, New Jersey. She grew up with a love of the theatre, and she dreamed of being an actor. After studying at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, Ms. Swit started her career doing repertory theatre. This led to a starring role in the 1967 national tour of Any Wednesday with Gardner McKay. 

Swit moved to Los Angeles in 1970 and landed TV gigs on such series as Mission: Impossible, Mannix, Gunsmoke, Hawaii Five-O, and Cade’s County. It was this latter part that caught the attention of CBS executives and Fox, which was producing M*A*S*H. Up to that point in her career, she had played no comedic parts. After assurances from the show’s creators, Gene Reynolds and Larry Gelbart, that the show would be included in the network lineup, Swit signed on to play Maj. Houlihan.

M*A*S*H Becomes a Hit

M*A*S*H became a hit show and is remembered as one of the most endearing television productions of all time. It ran for 11 seasons, and Ms. Swit was featured in 240 of the 251 episodes that were produced. In fact. She and Alan Alda, who played the irrepressible Dr. Hawkeye Pierce, were the only two actors who had a part in both the pilot episode and the series finale of M*A*S*H.

Swit always pushed for Houlihan to grow in maturity, depth, and complexity. Her character really began to grow when she broke free of her affair with the mousy Maj. Frank Burns (Larry Linville) and married and divorced Lt. Col. Donald Penobscott. She played Houlihan as a strong head nurse who could still show her vulnerabilities. She was a hard-nosed perfectionist who also longed to be closer to the other nurses.

Other Opportunities and Animal Activism

Due to her popularity on M*A*S*H, other career opportunities came Swit’s way.  She was cast in movies such as Freebie and the Bean (1974), Race With the Devil (1975), and Blake Edwards’ satire of Hollywood, S.O.B. (1981). Swit was also cast as Cagney, alongside Tyne Daly, for the 1981 pilot for Cagney & Lacey. However, because of contractual obligations to M*A*S*H, she could not continue when the series was picked up by CBS a year later. This part was initially played by Meg Foster during the first season and then by Sharon Gless thereafter.

Swit was a vocal supporter of animal welfare, serving on the boards of Actors and Others for Animals and The Wildlife Waystation, and she was a spokesperson for the Humane Society. Swit hosted the cable documentary series Those Incredible Animals in 1992. Before that, she had teamed up with M*A*S*H co-star Mike Farrell (B.J. Hunnicut) to host the 1986 PBS special Saving the Wildlife. This documentary highlighted efforts by Jane Goodall, Brigitte Bardot, and Prince Phillip to protect endangered species. 

Swit Marriage and Memorials

Swit was married to actor Dennis Holahan from 1983 until their divorce in 1995. They met on the set of M*A*S*H.

Donations in the memory of Ms. Swit can be sent to Actors and Others for Animals or the Switheart Animal Alliance, which was a nonprofit she established in 2016 to protect, rescue, train, and care for animals and preserve their habitat. She also created a fragrance and a necklace, the sales of which were used to support her work.

Regarding her time on M*A*S*H, Swit said.

It was the greatest time in my career,” Ms. Swit told The Guardian in 2001. Her ambition throughout the series was to be “the best-damned nurse in Korea, and that motivated everything I did, even when it came to sex.”