Star Of Pioneering 'M.A.S.H.' Series Dead At 87

Loretta Swit, the Emmy-winning actor who played the tough-talking, kind-hearted head nurse of a wartime surgical unit on “M.A.S.H.,” has at 87, a representative confirmed.

Swit died Friday at her home in New York City, likely of natural causes, her publicist said.

Swit was a major presence in the show's 11-season run, appearing in all but 11 episodes of the iconic TV series, which ran from 1972-83. She was nominated for Emmy Awards for best supporting actress for her role as Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan ten times, winning in 1980 and 1982.

The New Jersey native began her career as a singer and stage actor, before landing roles on TV shows including "Gunsmoke," "Hawaii Five-O," and "Mission: Impossible."

Her major break came after she was cast in “M.A.S.H.” as Houlihan, a character who was portrayed in the original movie by Sally Kellerman. Houlihan — along with Maj. Frank Burns, with whom Houlihan maintained an affair during the show's early seasons — was often a main target of ribbing and practical jokes by Alan Alda's "Hawkeye" Pierce, Wayne Rogers' Trapper John McIntyre and Mike Farrell's B.J. Hunnicut.

Her character — along with most others in the ensemble — evolved over the course of the series as they began to show the emotional impacts of war. Despite their seemingly endless rivalry throughout the run of the show, the series' finale featured a more-than-30-second kiss between Swit's Houlihan and Alda's Hawkeye.

The CBS show's two-and-a-half-hour finale on Feb. 28, 1983 lured over 100 million viewers, the most-watched episode of any scripted series ever.

Rolling Stone magazine put “M.A.S.H.” at No. 25 of the best TV shows of all time, while Time Out put it at No. 34. It won the Impact Award at the 2009 TV Land annual awards. It 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.”

The daughter of Polish immigrants, Swit early on enrolled in the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, then paid her dues for years in touring productions before her “M.A.S.H.” days.

In 1969, she arrived in Hollywood and was soon seen in series such as “Gunsmoke,” “Hawaii Five-O,” “Mission Impossible” and “Bonanza.” Then in 1972, she got her big break when she was asked to audition for the role of “Hot Lips.”

She would regularly return to theater, starring on Broadway in 1975 in “Same Time, Next Year” and “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” in 1986. She was in “Amorous Crossing,” a romantic comedy, at Alhambra Theatre & Dining in 2010 and in North Carolina Theatre’s production of “Mame” in 2003.

Although mostly retired from the entertainment business, Swit was an outspoken supporter of animal-advocacy causes, including serving as a spokeswoman for the U.S. Humane Society. She founded the SwitHeart Animal Alliance aimed at preventing animal cruelty and promoting animal-advocacy groups.

Donations can be made to Actors & Others for Animals or the SwitHeart Animal Alliance.

The Associated Press and City News Service contributed to this report.