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NEW YORK, N.Y. () — Loretta Swit, the renowned actress who won two Emmy Awards for her portrayal of Major Margret ‘Hot Lips’ Houlihan on “M.A.S.H.” has passed away at the age of 87.
Swit starred in all but 11 episodes of the iconic series, which lasted almost four times the duration of the Korean War. She advocated for more accurate portrayals of women on screen.
“What I appreciated, encouraged by Loretta, was that whenever I could write for her character, we’d move beyond the Hot Lips stereotype and explore more about Margaret’s true character, making her more authentic,” Alda remarked to The Hollywood Reporter in 2018.
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FILE – Actress Loretta Swit arrives at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ 3rd Annual Television Academy Honors in Beverly Hills, Calif., Wednesday, May 5, 2010. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File) -
FILE – Actress Loretta Swit poses in Los Angeles, Calif., on Nov. 21, 1983. (AP Photo/Wally Fong, File) -
FILE – Jamie Farr, left, and Loretta Swit present a tribute to “Mr. Rogers” at the 45th annual Daytime Emmy Awards on April 29, 2018, in Pasadena, Calif. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File -
FILE – Cast members from “M*A*S*H,” foreground from left, William Christopher, Jamie Farr, Loretta Swit and Henry Morgan, back row from left, Mike Farrell, Alan Alda and William Ogden Stiers, pose with their People’s Choice Award for best comedy series in Santa Monica, Calif., on March 19, 1982. (AP Photo/Doug Pizac, File)
The CBS show aired for 11 years from 1972 to 1983, revolving around life at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, which gave the show its name. The two-and-a-half-hour finale on Feb. 28, 1983, was watched by over 100 million viewers, at the time the most-watched episode of any scripted series ever.
“M.A.S.H.” won a Peabody Award in 1975 “for the depth of its humor and the manner in which comedy is used to lift the spirit and, as well, to offer a profound statement on the nature of war.”
