Deathwatch: Larry Linville, M*A*S*H Actor, 60

["Deathwatch Central" <cdw@slick.org>]

http://www.cnn.com/2000/SHOWBIZ/Movies/04/11/obit.linville.ap/index.html

Actor Larry Linville, who played Frank Burns on M*A*S*H, dies

April 11, 2000
Web posted at: 1:32 AM EDT (0532 GMT)


NEW YORK (AP) -- Larry Linville, best known for his portrayal of the
power-hungry and neurotic Maj. Frank Burns on the CBS television show
"M*A*S*H," died Monday at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. He was 60.

Linville suffered from cancer and had a lung removed in 1998 after a
malignant tumor was discovered. Longtime manager Barry M. Greenberg of Los
Angeles said Linville was hospitalized Sunday and died of complications of
pneumonia.

Linville was a native of Ojai, California, and had been living in New York.

"He was wonderfully refreshing and irreverent but always a very talented and
professional guy," Greenberg said. "He took this cancer thing better than
anybody I've ever seen."

Linville was part of a breakout cast that made "M*A*S*H" one of the
longest-running shows on television. He starred with Alan Alda, Gary
Burghoff and Wayne Rogers as part of an ensemble that launched the show in
1972, on the heels of the hit movie of the same name.

The show, at times with comedy, at times with stark political commentary,
detailed life at the 4077th Mobil Army Surgical Hospital, where Linville was
a whiny, military stickler smitten with the head nurse.

Much of the show's early action revolved around the antics of tent-mates
Burns, Hawkeye Pierce (played by Alda) and Trapper John McIntyre (Rogers).
But the show also took on serious topics of war and bloodshed, often
seemingly more relevant to the Vietnam War than the conflict in Korea.

Linville left "M*A*S*H" after the fifth season. He went on to guest star on
numerous television series and had roles in "Grandpa Goes to Washington,"
"Checking In" and "Paper Dolls."

Linville is survived by his wife, Deborah Linville.

Copyright 2000 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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