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Loretta Swit

Though she was personally unable to sit through the 1970 feature version of "M*A*S*H" due to an aversion to blood, Emmy-winning actress Loretta Swit campaigned hard to land the role of Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan on the television version (CBS, 1972-1983). The role of the brittle, unwaveringly loyal and patriotic, but secretly passionate Houlihan became the most enduring role in her long career, which featured numerous guest appearances in TV movies and on game shows. After her 11 years on "M*A*S*H," Swit struggled to distance herself from the role in made for television movies like "Games Mother Never Taught You" (CBS, 1982) and "The Execution" (NBC, 1985), while landing the role of Chris Cagney on the pilot episode of "Cagney & Lacy" (CBS, 1981-88), only to be unable to play the part when "M*A*S*H" producers refused to let her out of her contract. Meanwhile, she appeared on a number of game shows like "Win, Lose or Draw" (NBC, 1987-1990), "Pyramid" (1973-2004) and "Hollywood Squares" (1966-2004), and later served as the host of "Those Incredible Animals" (Discovery Channel, 1992). While she remained largely out of view in the new millennium, Swit lived on forever in reruns of "M*A*S*H," which continually introduced her to new generations of fans.