Loretta Swit, ‘Hot Lips’ Houlihan on ‘MASH,’ Dies at 87

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87-year-old actress Loretta Swit, known for portraying Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan on the groundbreaking television sitcom “MASH,” passed away last Friday at her residence in New York City.

Her representative, Harlan Boll, stated that the New York authorities determined she passed away at 12:01 PM on May 30th, due to what appears to be natural reasons.

From 1974 to 1983, Loretta Swit received an Emmy nomination for her work on “MASH” in the category of Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Comedy series every year. She won the Emmy Award in 1980 and 1982 for this role.

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Loretta Swit was nominated for an Emmy award each year from 1974 to 1983 for her work on “MASH” as a supporting actress in a comedy series, winning the Emmy in 1980 and 1982.

Over the course of its 11-year span, “MASH” transformed from a mostly comical satire into a more thoughtful series that balanced drama with humor. The character of Margaret Houlihan, as portrayed by Loretta Swit, underwent significant changes too. Initially, she was a harshly sketched antagonist, often in league with the scheming Frank Burns and serving as a target for ridicule and pranks from Hawkeye and Trapper John.

The significant turning point in her development occurred during the fourth season’s episode titled “Mail Call Again.” In this episode, Margaret gains insight into Frank’s true nature, up to a certain extent, following the revelation of their relationship when his wife discovers their secret, prompting Frank to deceive her about it.

In the fifth season’s episode titled “Bug Out,” when the majority of the team evacuated, leaving only Hawkeye, Margaret, and Radar behind to tend to an immovable patient, audiences started to appreciate their professional dedication more deeply and glimpsed a more human aspect.

The most memorable instance during Swit’s extended portrayal of Houlihan occurred a few episodes after, in an episode titled “The Nurses.” In this particular episode, the nurses, led by Major Houlihan, concealed something from her – they orchestrated allowing one nurse and her newlywed spouse to spend the night together. However, Margaret eventually discovers their secret, leading to a moving declaration where she reveals the reasons behind her frequent harshness towards them – expressing feelings of exclusion, as they’ve never once extended even a simple gesture like offering her a cup of coffee. As one “MASH” fan site puts it, “She makes clear why she’s always been so unkind to them, in a speech that is equally captivating and heart-wrenching.

A pivotal scene unfolded during season six, where Margaret and Hawkeye found themselves sheltering in a hut under heavy enemy rain and gunfire. Amidst the turmoil, they shared an intimate moment; this event, according to Swit’s perspective, marked the conclusion of the deep-seated animosity between these two characters.

Speaking about her character’s development on “MASH,” Swit once explained, “Certain aspects of my character needed to stay consistent, such as her role as an antagonist because that was the foundation of the show. In the second season, we first saw signs that she wasn’t content with Frank and yearned for more in life. Towards the third or fourth year, in an episode titled ‘The Nurses,’ Hot Lips delivered a speech to the nurses expressing her loneliness due to being in charge, which limited her ability to form friendships. Her marriage and subsequent divorce transformed her, while her affair with Hawkeye in ‘Comrades in Arms’ significantly altered both characters, making them less adversarial after that point.

In the 1975 variety special titled “Rickles,” which featured Don Rickles, a well-known comedian known for his insults, Sally Kellerman (playing Major Houlihan) and Larry Linville (as Frank Burns) made an appearance.

Following the conclusion of the performance, she shone in the well-regarded, Emmy-contending 1983 telefilm “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” where she portrayed a teacher who assigned the school’s most troublesome pupils to the annual holiday play. She then moved on to appear in numerous TV films, such as “The Execution” in 1985, and made appearances on various shows spanning from “The Love Boat” to “Murder, She Wrote.” Her last television role was a guest spot in a 1998 episode of “Diagnosis Murder.

In 1985, she shared the screen with Rip Torn in the movie “Beer,” where Swit was given top billing. Three years later, she portrayed President Barbara Adams in “Whoops Apocalypse,” a cinematic rendition of a darkly humorous British political series. Additionally, she appeared in the 1996 Chuck Norris film “Forest Warrior” and most recently starred in the 1998 comedy titled “Beach Movie.

Loretta Jane Szwed, later known as Swit, was born in Passaic, New Jersey to parents who had recently immigrated from Poland and were initially hesitant about her pursuing a career in the entertainment industry. However, this didn’t stop her, as she made her stage debut at just 7 years old. She honed her singing skills at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and refined her acting under the tutelage of Gene Frankel in Manhattan.

In 1969, the actress first appeared on television shows, starting with “Hawaii Five-O”. Over the following years, she made guest appearances on various series like “Mission: Impossible”, “Mannix”, “Gunsmoke”, “Bonanza”, “Ironside” and “Love, American Style”.

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The actress debuted on TV in 1969 with “Hawaii Five-O”, followed by guest roles on shows such as “Mission: Impossible”, “Mannix”, “Gunsmoke”, “Bonanza”, “Ironside” and “Love, American Style” throughout the following years.

In 1972, Swit first appeared on screen in the comedy “Stand Up and Be Counted,” a film about the battle of the sexes, which featured Jacqueline Bisset as one of its stars.

Despite landing a role in “MASH,” Swit didn’t confine her work to just that show. She also took on projects in film and television. For instance, she was featured prominently in Richard Rush’s 1974 action comedy “Freebie and the Bean,” where she was listed alongside Alan Arkin and James Caan as one of the main cast members. Additionally, she starred in Peter Fonda’s 1975 car chase movie titled “Race With the Devil.

In 1975, on television, she showcased her musical abilities by performing in a comedic version of the “It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane… It’s Superman!” musical.

In the late 70’s, she made an appearance in a sequence of TV films, and she played a secondary role in Blake Edwards’ 1981 comedy “S.O.B.” Additionally, in 1981 she starred in the pilot for CBS police drama “Cagney & Lacey” as Christine Lacey. Unfortunately, Fox wouldn’t allow her to break her contract from “MASH,” and she was substituted by Sharon Gless when the show was selected for a series run.

In 1967, Swit was involved in theater too, performing with the national company for “Any Wednesday,” featuring Gardner McKay, and portraying one of the Pigeon sisters during a Los Angeles run of “The Odd Couple” alongside Don Rickles and Ernest Borgnine.

In 1975, I stepped onto the grand stage of Broadway for the first time, filling in for another actress in “Same Time, Next Year,” working alongside Ted Bessell. Later in the ’80s, I was back on Broadway again as a replacement in “The Mystery of Edwin Drood.” I also had the pleasure of playing Agnes Gooch in a Las Vegas production of “Mame,” starring Susan Hayward and later Celeste Holm. In 2003, I took on the leading role in a North Carolina Theatre production. Additionally, I’ve toured with the captivating show “The Vagina Monologues.

Swit was married to actor Dennis Holahan from 1983 until their divorce in 1995.

Instead of Swit, let’s refer to her as ‘she’.

She was deeply committed to animal welfare, actively participating in various organizations that advocated for animal rights. She even established the SwitHeart Animal Alliance with the purpose of generating funds for animals. This dedication did not go unnoticed; she received the prestigious Betty White Award from Actors and Others for Animals, as well as several other accolades from animal-focused organizations.

Donations may be made to Actors & Others For Animals or the SwitHeart Animal Alliance.

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2025-05-30 22:17