A recent M*A*S*H reunion brought back so many memories of the comedy series, and it gave us a chance to see our favorite stars then. Loretta Swit reunited with co-satr Jamie Farr at the recent Daytime Emmys in Pasadena. Swit became a sex symbol on the show, and seeing her now in her 80s, showed just how beautifully and gracefully she’s aged. It’s been years since we last saw M*A*S*H, but the memories are still there. If you’ve ever wondered about one of the show’s main characters, Major Hot Lips, here are five things you probably didn’t know all this time about the actress that played her, Loretta Swit.
All but 11
There were a total of 256 M*A*S*H episodes, and Loretta Swit played Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan in all of the episodes except only 11. She played a blonde nurse in the show, and throughout its seasons, she was one out of only four cast members to stay for the entire 11 seasons. Fans loved her character tremendously and she was very central to the show’s success back then.
Young performer
Swit started performing at a very young age of 7 years old. She was a natural singer even then, and she trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She found her way to success even though her parents, who were Polish immigrants, did not believe in their daughter trying to make it in the show business industry. It just wasn’t practical and too difficult to break into. But Swit proved her parents wrong and found her own way to success.
Path to comedy
As talented as Swit was, her features were considered to be too plain back then. It became really difficult for Swit to find leading roles, and it became too hard for her to find ingénue roles in repertory companies, so she began to look for roles in musicals and light comedy. She developed a snappy, comic edge that gave her a transformation and also a job with a touring company of “Any Wednseday” in 1967. The rest was history.
Animal activist
Swit is a famous face at animal activist fundraisers. She’s an avid spokesperson for the Humane Society of the United States. Being a strict vegetarian, Swit believes and fights for the rights of animals. She has been honored many times for her passion to help and her dedication to see that animals get the right kind of treatment they deserve.
Crafty woman
Her talents go beyond the screen. Swit is the author of a book called, A Needlepoint Scrapbook, obviously a book on needlepoint. She has her own jewelry line, and she also exhibits some of her watercolor paintings. This is the reason why Swit has not been seen on film or television lately, but she’s definitely around exploring her other passions and media. The last time we saw Swit on TV was actually about 26 years ago as the host of the 1992 TV series, “Those Incredible Animals.”
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