Loretta Swit, Emmy-Winning Actress and Star of M_A_S_H, is Dead

Loretta Swit, the talented actress who brought Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan to life in the hit TV series M_A_S*H, has passed away at the age of 87. According to her publicist, Harlan Boll, Swit died at her home in New York City on Friday, likely due to natural causes, although a coroner’s report is pending.

Swit’s portrayal of the tough yet vulnerable Army nurse earned her two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 1980 and 1982. The show, which aired from 1972 to 1983, followed a mobile Army surgical hospital during the Korean War and tackled tough issues like racism, sexism, and PTSD within the military. Swit appeared in nearly every episode, including the record-breaking finale, which attracted 106 million US viewers.

Born Loretta Jane Szwed in Passaic, New Jersey, in 1937 to Polish immigrants, Swit trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. Her extensive career spanned TV shows, movies, and stage productions, including Broadway plays like “Same Time, Next Year” and “Shirley Valentine,” for which she won Chicago’s top theatre prize, the Sarah Siddons Award.

Swit reflected on her approach to acting, saying, “Acting is not hiding to me, it’s revealing. We give you license to feel. That’s the most important thing in the world, because when you stop feeling, that’s when you’re dead.” She also shared her insights on playing Major Houlihan, stating, “Around the second or third year, I decided to try to play her as a real person, in an intelligent fashion, even if it meant hurting the jokes. … She was a character in constant flux; she never stopped developing”.

Fellow M_A_S_H star Jamie Farr paid tribute to Swit, calling her his “adopted sister.” He fondly remembered their first meeting on set, saying, “From the first time I met her, on what was supposed to be a one-day appearance on M_A_S_H, we embraced each other and that became a lifetime friendship.” Farr expressed his deep sadness, stating, “I can’t begin to express how much she will be missed”.