‘MASH’ Star David Ogden Stiers Dies at 75

David Ogden Stiers, who joined the cast of classic CBS comedy “MASH” in season six as Major Charles Emerson Winchester III, lost his battle with bladder cancer today. He was 75.

“I am very sad to report that David died this morning peacefully at his home in Newport, Oregon after a courageous battle with bladder cancer,” his agent, Mitchell K. Stubbs, tweeted. “His talent was only surpassed by his heart.”

Stiers scored two Emmy nominations for his role on “MASH” after joining the show in 1977 when Larry Linville, who played Frank Burns, left the series. He remained with “MASH” until it ended in 1983. 

Born Oct. 31, 1942 in Peoria, Illinois, Stiers first appeared in the Broadway production “The Magic Show” in 1974. Early television credits include guest spots of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “Kojak” and “Rhoda.”  Stiers also appeared in the pilot of “Charlie’s Angels” as the team’s chief back-up.

After “MASH” concluded, Stiers appeared on miniseries “North and South,” and guest starred in series like “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” “Murder, She Wrote,” “Tounched by an Angel,” “Wings” and Frasier,” along with a recurring role in season one of sitcom “Two Guys and a Girl.” Beginning in 1985, Stiers made his first of eight appearances in “Perry Mason” made-for-TV movies as District Attorney Michael Reston. In 2002, Stiers started a recurring role as the Reverend Purdy on USA drama “The Dead Zone. And, in 2006, he was cast as the recurring character Oberoth in “Stargate Atlantis.”

Stiers earned a third Emmy nomination in 1984 for his portrayal of William Milligan Stone, founder of the U.S. Olympic Committee, in the miniseries “The First Olympics: Athens in 1896.” And he provided voice work for dozens of film and television projects (including “Beauty and the Beast,” “Pocahantas” and “Spirited Away”).