Her parents, Polish immigrants who settled in Passaic, New Jersey, were not in favor of Loretta Swit's decision to try and make a stab at a show business career. Performing on stage from age 7, however, nothing and nobody would deter her. A natural singer who trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts before finding work in repertory companies, her features were deemed a bit too plain and hard for ingénue roles so she attempted musicals and light comedy in a feisty character vein. Beginning with the 1967 national touring company of "Any Wednesday" starring Gardner McKay, she would continue on as a Pigeon sister opposite Don Rickles and Ernest Borgnine in an L.A. run of "The Odd Couple." From there she earned more laughs as the hopelessly awkward Agnes Gooch in the Las Vegas version of "Mame" starring Susan Hayward and (later) Celeste Holm. Arriving in Hollywood in 1970, she merited attention for her humorous, off-centered performances on such TV episodics as "Gunsmoke," "Mission: Impossible," "Hawaii Five-0" and "Mannix." Her star-making role, however came within two years of moving to the West Coast when she inherited Sally Kellerman's vitriolic "Hot Lips" Houlihan character on TV's M*A*S*H. She stayed with the show the entire eleven seasons and received two Emmy Awards. Her feistiness was observed off-stage as well as a leading political and social activist, none more so than for animals. Although Loretta's post-"M*A*S*H" career has not lived up to her earlier success, she has appeared in support in a handful of films including S.O.B. and Beer and kept her visibility on TV. On stage she replaced Cleo Laine on Broadway in "The Mystery of Edwin Drood," and was honored with the Sarah Siddons award for her title performance in "Shirley Valentine" in Chicago. She also fronted or co-starred in a number of dramatic and light comedic mini-movies. Loretta was host of the 1992 cable-TV wildlife series "Those Incredible Animals." More recently she has toured in productions of "The Vagina Monologues."



Wanted to leave "M*A*S*H" (1972) after the 8th season, but FOX wouldn't let her out of her contract. She has said that she wanted to star in the series "Cagney & Lacey" (1981), after she made the pilot movie, but her MASH commitment prevented her from doing so. Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1989. Wears a size 7 shoe. Her outspoken stand against the killing of fur-bearing animals for high-fashion wear has been rewarded with acknowledgments from the American Humane Society and the Animal Protection Institute of America. In addition, she teamed with Robert Redford for a PBS special centering on animal species that were threatened with extinction and is an active board member for Actors and Others for Animals, and other similar organizations. Best remembered by the public for her role as Margaret Houlihan in Mash (1972-1983).