Loretta Swit, the Emmy-winning actress who became a household name for her portrayal of Major Margaret ‘Hot Lips’ Houlihan on the groundbreaking CBS series MASH*, has died at the age of 87.
Swit passed away peacefully at her home in New York just after midnight on Friday, May 30 of suspected natural causes, according to a police report cited by her longtime publicist, Harlan Boll.
For 11 seasons, Swit was a defining presence on MASH*, appearing in 240 of the show’s 251 episodes between 1972 and 1983.
She was one of only two cast members – alongside Alan Alda, who played Hawkeye Pierce – to appear in both the pilot and the much-watched series finale, Goodbye, Farewell and Amen, which drew more than 100 million viewers in 1983.
Swit earned 10 Emmy nominations for her role on the show and won the award twice, in 1980 and 1982, for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy or Variety or Music Series.
Her portrayal of the tough-yet-compassionate Army nurse Major Houlihan evolved steadily throughout the series, helping redefine how women were represented on television.
‘She was [unique] at the time and in her time, which was the ’50s, when [the Korean War] was happening,’ Swit reflected in a 2004 interview for the TV Academy Foundation’s The Interviews: An Oral History of Television. ‘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.’
Born Loretta Jane Szwed on November 4, 1937, in Passaic, New Jersey, Swit studied drama at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York before transitioning to television and film.
Her early screen roles included appearances in such films as Freebie and the Bean (1974), Race with the Devil (1975), and Blake Edwards’ dark comedy S.O.B. (1981). She also had a role in the surf-themed indie BoardHeads in 1998.
In 1981, Swit starred in the original pilot for Cagney & Lacey, portraying Christine Cagney alongside Tyne Daly as Mary Beth Lacey. Due to contractual commitments to MASH*, she was unable to continue in the role when the series was picked up.
Offscreen, Swit was a passionate advocate for animal rights. A vegetarian for many years, she adopted a vegan lifestyle in 1981 and devoted much of her life to animal welfare causes.
Swit was married to actor Dennis Holahan from 1983 until their divorce in 1995. In 1989, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a testament to her enduring impact on television and popular culture.
She is survived by close friends, family, and countless fans who will remember her as one of television’s greats.
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