Loretta Swit died suddenly this weekend at the age of eighty seven. For those of us of a certain age she is best known for her role as Margaret ‘Hot Lips’ Houlihan, one of only four of the actors who starred in every season from 1972 to 1983.

It’s hard to overstate the success of M*A*S*H, it’s final episode was record breaking; from 1983 until 2010 it was the most-watched television broadcast in the United States and to this day remains the most watched final episode of any television series ever made as well as the most watched episode of a scripted series with a staggering 125 million viewers.

Its actors and writers broke the mould, from comedy to serious drama it showed war from the least romantic place possible, the mobile surgical hospital. Set in Korea during the war of the 50s it aired during the final years of the Vietnam War when the American public’s appetite for the conflict had seriously waned and MASH did not shy away from showing the grim reality of war.

Loretta Swit played a central role in the series, the arch rival of Hawkeye Pierce played by Alan Alda, she was the stereotypical career army officer, Hawkeye the total opposite and both comedic and social point jousting between the pair was one of the show’s main themes.

For every season of the show Swit was nominated for an Emmy award and won twice in 1980 and 1982. She did of course have success in other roles but MASH was a staple of my teenage years, she played a strong female character, a woman of substance and conviction who took no nonsense from her male colleagues. The interplay between her and Hawkeye and her two major love interests were a joy to watch. MASH was a one-off and Loretta Swit was a huge part of its success.

Loretta Swit 1937-2025

See also So Long, Major