New York [US], May 31 : Actor Loretta Swit, best known for playing Maj. Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan on the hit TV show MASH, has died at the age of 87, reported The Hollywood Reporter.
Her publicist, Harlan Boll, shared the news, saying Swit passed away just after midnight on Friday at her home in New York City. The cause is believed to be natural, according to a police report.
Swit was a key part of MASH* from the beginning to the end, appearing in 240 out of 251 episodes. For her role, she was nominated for an Emmy 10 times and won twice. Only Alan Alda, who played Hawkeye Pierce, shared the honor of appearing in both the pilot and the final episode of the series.
The finale of MASH* aired on February 28, 1983, and remains one of the most-watched television episodes in history, with nearly 106 million viewers. A kiss between Swit and Alda during that episode is often called the most expensive in TV history, due to how much ad space cost during the broadcast, as per The Hollywood Reporter.
Loretta Swit also worked in films like Freebie and the Bean (1974), Race With the Devil (1975), and S.O.B. (1981). She was also known for her work on stage, including performances in The Odd Couple, Any Wednesday, and Same Time, Next Year on Broadway.
Swit played a lead role in the original Cagney & Lacey pilot in 1981. However, because of her MASH* contract, she could not continue in the role when the series was picked up by CBS, as per the publication.
Born Loretta Jane Szwed on November 4, 1937, in Passaic, New Jersey, she studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. She moved to Los Angeles in 1970, where she began landing television roles.
In her later years, she focused on animal rights and returned to the screen in 2019 in a faith-based film Play the Flute. She was married to actor Dennis Holahan, whom she met on MASH*, from 1983 to 1995.
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