McLean Stevenson

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McLean Stevenson (November 14, 1927 – February 15, 1996) (full name Edgar McLean Stevenson, Jr.), born in Normal, Illinois, was an American actor most recognized for his role as Lt. Colonel Henry Blake on the TV series M*A*S*H.

[edit] Early life and career

Stevenson was the great-grandson of William Stevenson, second cousin, once removed, of Presidential Candidate Adlai Stevenson II. He was also the brother of actress Ann Whitney. His father Edgar was a cardiologist.

After serving in the Navy, he attended Northwestern University, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in theater arts and was a proud and well-liked Phi Gamma Delta (Fiji) fraternity brother. Afterwards he worked on a radio station, played a clown on a live TV show in Dallas, became an assistant director at Northwestern, and sold medical supplies and insurance. Afterwards he worked as a press secretary for his cousin in the presidential elections of 1952 and 1956. He formed the "Young Democrats for Stevenson".

In 1961, his cousin invited him to some parties, where he met some business luminaries. He followed his cousin's advice to look for a show business career. He auditioned and won a scholarship to the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. His teachers included the well-respected Lee Strasberg, Sandy Meisner, David Craig, Lehman Engel, and Sue Seaton.

Stevenson made his professional career debut in The Music Man in 1962 and appeared regularly in Warsaw, Indiana, in summer stock productions. After this he appeared in New York on stage and television^[1] commercials. He also performed on Broadway. However, he began to establish himself as a comedy writer, writing for the seminal That Was The Week That Was, in which Alan Alda appeared, and The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. He performed occasionally on both shows.

[edit] M*A*S*H

After guest-starring on That Girl with Marlo Thomas, he was cast in The Doris Day Show in 1969, playing magazine editor boss Michael Nicholson until 1971. Originally, he auditioned for the role of Hawkeye Pierce in M*A*S*H, but was convinced to play Henry Blake instead. This role shot him to stardom. He eventually wrote the episode "The Trial of Henry Blake," and provided the story for another, "The Army-Navy Game." He received one Emmy nomination for his writing.

Henry Blake was one of the most popular characters on M*A*S*H, a carefree clod who preferred fishing and golfing to keeping close tabs on the unit under his command. Furthermore, the show quickly became one of the most popular situation comedies running, and would eventually become recognized as one of the top sitcoms in television history. Stevenson, however, began chafing (as did Wayne Rogers) at the fact he was playing second fiddle to the wisecracking Hawkeye (played by Alan Alda), and asked to be let out of his contract during the show's third season. The writers reluctantly accomplished this transition in the final episode of the 1974-75 season, in which Col. Blake was discharged, only to board a plane that was shot down over the Sea of Japan, killing everyone on board (a part that was added after the scripts were distributed as to engender genuine emotion from the actors as they were genuinely unaware of that part of the storyline).

[edit] Later career

After his departure from M*A*S*H, Stevenson's acting career began to sink. Stevenson starred in a series of sitcoms that he hoped would bring him the comic leading-man status to which he aspired. None of these efforts met with much success. They included The McLean Stevenson Show; In the Beginning; Hello, Larry; and Condo. All four sitcoms were dismissed by audiences and critics alike as sorry wastes of Stevenson's abilities, and all but one lasted no more than a single season (Hello, Larry lasted a season and a half).

Stevenson also guest-starred in shows such as Square One TV, The Love Boat, Diff'rent Strokes, Match Game (where he served as a regular panelist), Hollywood Squares, and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. His screen credits include the Disney movie The Cat from Outer Space as a friend of Dr. Frank Wilson (played by Ken Berry). In 1981, in jest, Match Game host Gene Rayburn described Stevenson as someone "responsible for the demise of several television shows" just before handing Stevenson Match Game hosting duties for a day. The show was cancelled at the end of that season.

Stevenson was recovering from surgery in a Los Angeles hospital on February 15, 1996 when he unexpectedly went into cardiac arrest and died. It was three months after his 68th birthday. In a strange twist of fate, Stevenson was the first cast member from M*A*S*H to leave the series, as well as the first to pass away. M*A*S*H writer Larry Gelbart later said that Stevenson had left too soon twice in one lifetime. Coincidentally, Roger Bowen, who had played Henry Blake in the MASH, also died of cardiac arrest the day after Stevenson’s passing.

Stevenson is interred in Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles. He left behind his wife Ginny, daughter Lindsey and son Jeff MacGregor (from a previous marriage).

Shortly before his passing, Stevenson admitted that he regretted leaving M*A*S*H when he did.

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] External links

• McLean Stevenson at the Internet Movie Database
• McLean Stevenson's Photo & Gravesite
• 'MASH' star McLean Stevenson dies at CNN.comcs:McLean Stevenson

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