Loretta Swit a.k.a. ‘Hot Lips’ of `M*A*S*H’ fame dies at 87
Loretta Swit who won a pair of Emmy Awards for her portrayal of tough-talking yet big-hearted Major Margaret Hot Lips Houlihan on the long-running M A S H television series died Friday in New York at age Her publicist B Harlan Boll revealed the actress died just after midnight Friday at her home in New York of what appeared to be natural causes Swit appeared on all but episodes of the iconic television series and was nominated for Emmy Awards for best supporting actress in of the show s seasons winning in and She was nominated for four Golden Globe Awards but never won Born in New Jersey Swit began her entertainment career as a singer and appearing in stage productions bulk notably sharing the stage with Ernest Borgnine and Don Rickles in a production of The Odd Couple She eventually landed roles on shows including Gunsmoke Hawaii Five-O and Mission Impossible But her major break came with her casting in M A S H taking on the role of Margaret 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 largest part others in the ensemble evolved over the program 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- -second kiss between Swit s Houlihan and Alda s Hawkeye Once the show ended Swit appeared in films such S O B Beer Forest Warrior and Beach Movie and in television films such as Miracle at Moreaux Dreams of Gold The Mel Fisher Story and Hell Hath No Fury 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 City News Facility
