Loretta Swit, best known for her role as Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan on MASH*, has passed away at 87 at her home in New York City. Her publicist confirmed she likely died of natural causes.
Swit and Alan Alda were the longest-serving cast members of MASH*, which ran from 1972 to 1983. Over 11 seasons, Swit helped shape the show’s deeper themes, including PTSD, sexism, and racism. She pushed to evolve her character from a one-dimensional stereotype into a strong, complex woman — and insisted on being called “Margaret,” not “Hot Lips.”
Born in Passaic, New Jersey, to Polish immigrant parents, Swit studied acting and worked in theater before moving to TV in the late 1960s. Though initially unhappy with how Houlihan was written, she tirelessly worked with writers to make the role more respectful and realistic, especially for women in the military.