MAS*H star Alan Alda once revealed why the death of one of his fellow co-stars turned out to be a “surprise.”
Alan Alda is without a doubt best known for his star role on MAS*H. On the popular CBS television series, Alda portrayed Hawkeye Pierce, the wisecracking Army doctor. And he was certainly no stranger to the big screen in his day. In addition to starring in the popular 1970’s show, Alda also secured reoccurring roles in big shows such as The West Wing, and 30 Rock.
The 85-year-old also happens to be a six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner. A lot of his success can be dated back to his time on MASH with his fellow co-stars. However, the death of one of his friends on the show was an incredibly sad time for him. Alda sat down with Studio 10 for an interview back in 2016 to discuss that and a number of other MASH memories.
He says that the passing of Wayne Rogers was indeed sad, and it came as a surprise. Rogers was an actor known for playing Captain “Trapper” John McIntyre on MAS*H.
“It was [sad] and it came as a surprise,” Alda tells the interviewer. “He didn’t tell anyone he was sick. He had cancer.”
Alda goes on to explain the type of man that Rogers was.
“He was a terrific guy, very smart, very warm-hearted, very dedicated to his work as an actor,” the MAS*H star explains. “And he loved being a businessman. He was a successful businessman and became a financial guru.”
You can watch the entire interview below:
Alda Talks About What Makes ‘M*A*S*H’ So Special
Alan Alda always knew just how special MAS*H really was. The actor who played Hawkeye Piece explained just that when he sat down for an interview with the Television Academy Foundation back in 2000.
The star actor describes what made the show so successful and so special over the years. He said that all of that starts with the people on the show.
“You can’t ignore the collection of people that was brought together by [show co-creator] Gene Reynolds,” Alda said. “You know, the writing and the acting and the directing talent was terrific. We also had, at a certain point, we had achieved enough popularity, that the network put us on in a prominent place. That had something to do with it. You know, a prominent place in the schedule.
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