‘M*A*S*H’ actor Loretta Swit dies aged 87

Loretta Swit, the actor best known for playing ‘Hot Lips’ Houlihan in M*A*S*H, has died at the age of 87.

The news was confirmed by Swit’s representative Harlan Boll, who told the BBC that she passed away on Friday (May 30) at her home in New York City. It is believed she died from natural causes.

Swit was cast as Major Margaret ‘Hot Lips’ Houlihan in the huge US wartime comedy series M*A*S*H in 1972, winning two Emmys for the role in 1980 and 1982.

A spin-off of the Robert Altman film of the same name in 1970, the show ran for 11 seasons and followed a US mobile army surgical hospital during the Korean War. Its final season finale was the most-watched episode in television history in 1983, attracting 106 million viewers, and the show is consistently named as one of the greatest ever television series.

Swit’s Houlihan appeared in nearly every episode of the show, the tough head nurse of the medical unit that became more sympathetic and vulnerable as the show progressed.

Loretta was a supremely talented actor. She deserved all her 10 EMMY nominations and her 2 wins. But more than acting her part, she created it. She worked hard In showing the writing staff how they could turn the character from a one joke sexist stereotype into a real person –…

— Alan Alda (@alanalda) May 30, 2025

Her M*A*S*H co-star Alan Alda, who played Hawkeye Pierce, paid tribute to Swit on X, writing: “Loretta was a supremely talented actor. She deserved all her 10 Emmy nominations and her 2 wins. But more than acting her part, she created it. She worked hard in showing the writing staff how they could turn the character from a one joke sexist stereotype into a real person – with real feelings and ambitions. We celebrated the day the script came out listing her character not as Hot Lips, but as Margaret. Loretta made the most of her time here.”

Born Loretta Swzed in New Jersey in 1937, she trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City and cut her teeth on Broadway in productions such as Same Time, Next Year and Any Wednesday.

Her other prominent TV roles included appearances in Gunsmoke, Hawaii Five-O, Murder, She Wrote and Mission: Impossible. In later life, she became a high-profile advocate for animal rights.

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

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