Emmy Award-winning ‘M*A*S*H’ actress dies at 87
Loretta Swit, who won two Emmy Awards for portraying Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan on "M*A*S*H," has died. She was 87.
Swit died just after midnight Friday, May 30 at her home in New York City, her publicist Harlan Boll told MassLive, referring to a police report. It is suspected Swit died of natural causes, a coroner is expected to deliver final results.
Swit appeared in 240 out of 251 episodes of the hit series from 1972 to 1983. She was nominated for an Emmy 10 times and four Golden Globes, her IMDb page indicates.
Born in Passaic, New Jersey on Nov. 4, 1937, Swit moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue acting in 1970.
It was there that she landed TV gigs on such series as "Mission: Impossible," "Mannix," "Gunsmoke" and "Hawaii Five-O" before landing her role on "M*A*S*H."
Outside of television, Swit appeared multiple movies, including "Freebie and the Bean" (1974), "Race With the Devil" (1975) and "BoardHeads" (1998). The actress also played Polly Reed in the 1981 satirical film "S.O.B."
In addition to her two Emmy Awards, Swit's accolades include a Satellite Award, The Jean Golden Halo Award and the Pacific Broadcasters Award.
Swit was also a published author and animal rights activist.
She was named Woman of the Year by both the Animal Protection Institute and the International Fund For Animal Welfare (IFAW). Swit also received The Advocate for Farm Animals Award, Compassion in Action Award, Westminster Animal Welfare & Leadership Award, International Red Cross Humanitarian Award, Global Wildlife Conservation Champion Award and The Betty White Award.
Her book, 'SwitHeart: The Watercolour Artistry & Animal Activism of Loretta Swit', was published in January 2017.
She had two children with actor Dennis Holahan, whom she met on the set of M*A*S*H" and wed in 1983. The couple divorced in 1995.
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