Loretta Swit, the Emmy-winning actress best known for her role as Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan on the groundbreaking TV comedy “M*A*S*H,” died Friday at her home in New York City, according to Variety. She was 87.
Swit’s spokesperson, Harlan Boll, said the New York Police Department reported her time of death as 12:01 p.m. on May 30. The cause of death is suspected to be natural.
Swit starred on “M*A*S*H” for the entirety of its 11-season run, earning Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series every year from 1974 to 1983.
She won the award twice — in 1980 and 1982.
As the series shifted from a broad comedy to a more thoughtful dramedy, Swit’s character evolved from a caricature into a complex, fully realized woman.
In the early seasons, Major Houlihan was portrayed as a rigid, rule-bound antagonist closely aligned with the unpopular Frank Burns.
However, as the show matured, Swit brought emotional depth and nuance to the role.
Several key episodes marked turning points for the character. In “Mail Call Again” (Season 4), Margaret confronts the reality of her affair with Frank Burns. In “Bug Out” (Season 5), she gains professional respect as one of the few left behind to treat a patient during an emergency evacuation.
But the episode many fans and critics remember best is “The Nurses,” in which Margaret delivers a heartfelt monologue revealing her isolation and longing for friendship among her staff.
In a later Season 6 episode titled “Comrades in Arms,” Swit’s character and Alan Alda’s Hawkeye find themselves trapped during enemy shelling and unexpectedly connect romantically — a moment that Swit later said transformed their relationship for good.
Swit reflected on the role by saying, “Her marriage and her divorce changed her. Her affair with Hawkeye in ‘Comrades in Arms’ changed both characters, so that they were never really rivals again.”
Following her success on M*A*S*H, Swit starred in the Emmy-nominated 1983 TV movie The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and appeared in a string of made-for-TV films including The Execution (1985).
She made guest appearances on The Love Boat, Murder, She Wrote, and wrapped up her TV acting career with a 1998 episode of Diagnosis Murder.
On the big screen, Swit appeared in several comedies, including Freebie and the Bean (1974), Race With the Devil (1975), and S.O.B. (1981).
She starred in the 1985 comedy Beer and portrayed the President of the United States in the 1988 satire Whoops Apocalypse. Her final film credit was Beach Movie in 1998.
Swit was born Loretta Jane Szwed in Passaic, New Jersey, to Polish immigrant parents.
Despite a lack of support for her artistic ambitions, she performed onstage by age 7 and went on to study singing and acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and with Gene Frankel in New York.
Her television debut came in 1969 with appearances on Hawaii Five-O, followed by guest roles on shows such as Mission: Impossible, Mannix, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, and Ironside throughout the early 1970s.
She made her film debut in 1972’s Stand Up and Be Counted.
Swit also had a strong stage presence. She appeared on Broadway in Same Time, Next Year and The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and starred in various touring productions including Mame, The Odd Couple, and The Vagina Monologues.
Off-screen, Swit was a passionate animal rights advocate. She founded the SwitHeart Animal Alliance, which raises funds and awareness for animal welfare.
She received the Betty White Award from Actors and Others for Animals and was recognized by numerous other organizations for her activism.
She was married to actor Dennis Holahan from 1983 until their divorce in 1995.
In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to Actors & Others for Animals or the SwitHeart Animal Alliance.
©2025 Cox Media Group
