{{Nofootnotes|date=February 2008}}
Edgar McLean Stevenson, Jr. (November 14, 1927 – February 15, 1996), better known as
McLean Stevenson, was an American actor most recognized for his role as
Lt. Colonel Henry BlakeLieutenant Colonel Henry Braymore Blake is a fictional character introduced in the 1968 novel M*A*S*H, written by H. Richard Hornberger under the pen name of Richard Hooker...
on the TV series
M*A*S*HM*A*S*H is an American television series developed by Larry Gelbart, adapted from the 1970 feature film MASH . The series is a medical drama/black comedy that was produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for CBS...
.
Early life and career
Stevenson was born in the town of
Normal, IllinoisNormal is an incorporated town in McLean County, Illinois, United States. It had a population of 45,386 as of the 2000 census. The smaller of two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area in area and population, Normal's population had risen to 50,519 by 2005.Originally...
. He was the great-grandson of William Stevenson, second cousin, once removed, of Presidential Candidate
Adlai Stevenson IIAdlai Ewing Stevenson II was an American politician, noted for his intellectual demeanor, eloquent oratory, and promotion of liberal causes in the Democratic Party. He served one term as governor of Illinois, and received the Democratic Party's nomination for president in 1952 and 1956; both times...
. He was also the brother of actress Ann Whitney. His father, Edgar, was a cardiologist. The Stevensons were a political family: Adlai Stevenson II's grandfather Adlai E. Stevenson I had been Vice President of the United States under President
Grover ClevelandStephen Grover Cleveland was both the 22nd and 24th President of the United States. Cleveland is the only President to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents...
. Adlai Stevenson II's father,
Lewis StevensonLewis Green Stevenson was the Illinois Secretary of State from 1914 to 1917 and a member of Illinois' political Stevenson family.Stevenson's father, Adlai Ewing Stevenson I, was the Vice President of the United States from 1893 to 1897...
, never held an elected office, but served as
Secretary of State of IllinoisThe Secretary of State of Illinois is one of the six elected executive state offices of the government of Illinois, and one of the 47 secretaries of states in the United States. The Illinois Secretary of State keeps the state records, laws, and archives, and is the state's vehicle registration and...
. Adlai Stevenson II's son
Adlai Stevenson IIIAdlai Ewing Stevenson III is an American politician of the Democratic Party. He represented the state of Illinois in the United States Senate from 1970 until 1981.-Education, military service, and early career:...
represented Illinois as a state legislator, U.S. senator, and was an unsuccessful candidate for governor of Illinois.
Adlai Stevenson IVAdlai Ewing Stevenson IV is a current business executive and a former television and print journalist.Stevenson was a former television reporter at WTNH, New Haven, WMBD, Peoria, and WMAQ, Chicago and media analyst for a newspaper chain....
was a TV reporter.
After serving in the Navy, he attended
Northwestern University{{Infobox university|name = Northwestern University|image_name = NU seal.png|motto = Quaecumque sunt vera |mottoeng =Whatsoever things are true |established = 1851|type = Private|calendar = Quarter...
, where he graduated with a
bachelor's degreeA bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for four years, but can range from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in theater arts and was a proud and well-liked
Phi Gamma DeltaPhi Gamma Delta is a collegiate social and secret fraternity with 108 chapters and 12 colonies across the United States and Canada. It was founded at Jefferson College, Pennsylvania in 1848 and its headquarters are located in Lexington, Kentucky, USA...
(Fiji) fraternity brother. Afterwards he worked on a
radioRadio is the transmission of signals by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
station, played a clown on a live
TVTelevision is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission...
show in
DallasDallas , with a population of 1,279,910, is the third-largest city in Texas and the 8th-largest in the United States. The city is the main economic center of the 12-county Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area that according to the March 2009 U.S. Census Bureau release, had a population of...
, became an assistant director at
Northwestern{{Infobox university|name = Northwestern University|image_name = NU seal.png|motto = Quaecumque sunt vera |mottoeng =Whatsoever things are true |established = 1851|type = Private|calendar = Quarter...
, and sold medical supplies and insurance. Afterwards he worked as a
press secretaryA press secretary or press officer is a senior advisor who provides advice on how to deal with the news media and, using news management techniques, helps their employer to maintain a positive public image and avoid negative media coverage....
for his cousin in the
presidentialThe President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition...
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
businessA business is a legally recognized organization designed to provide goods and/or services to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, most being privately owned and formed to earn profit that will increase the wealth of its owners and grow the business itself...
luminaries. He followed his cousin's advice to look for a show business career. He auditioned and won a
scholarshipA scholarship is an award of access to an institution, or a financial aid award for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
to the
American Musical and Dramatic AcademyThe American Musical and Dramatic Academy , is a college conservatory for the performing arts located in New York City and Los Angeles, California....
. His teachers included the well-respected
Lee StrasbergLee Strasberg was an American actor, director and acting teacher. He cofounded, with director Harold Clurman, the Group Theatre in 1931, which was hailed as "America's first true theatrical collective". In 1951, he became director of the non-profit Actors Studio, in New York City, considered "the...
, Sandy Meisner,
David CraigDavid Craig may refer to:*David Craig , Northern Irish footballer who played for Newcastle United*David Craig *David Craig, Baron Craig of Radley, retired British Chief of the Defence Staff and Marshal of the RAF...
, Lehman Engel, and Sue Seaton.
Stevenson made his professional career debut in
The Music ManThe Music Man is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson. The show is based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments and uniforms to naive townsfolk before skipping...
in 1962 and appeared regularly in
Warsaw, IndianaWarsaw is a city in Indiana and the county seat of, Kosciusko County, Indiana, United States. The population was estimated at 13,082 in 2006...
, in summer stock productions. After this he appeared in
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
on stage and television commercials. He also performed on
BroadwayBroadway Theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, is the theatre associated with the 40 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located in the Theatre District, New York in Manhattan, New York City...
. However, he began to establish himself as a comedy writer, writing for the seminal
That Was The Week That WasThat Was The Week That Was, also known as TW3, is a satirical television comedy programme on BBC Television in 1962 and 1963, devised, produced and directed by Ned Sherrin and presented by David Frost....
, in which
Alan AldaAlan Alda is an American actor, director and screenwriter. He is perhaps best known for his role as Hawkeye Pierce in the TV series M*A*S*H...
appeared, and
The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. He performed occasionally on both shows.
During this period, he also appeared in television commercials for products like
Winston-Places:In England:* Winston, County Durham* Winston, SuffolkIn the United States:* Winston, Florida* Winston, Georgia* Winston, Missouri* Winston, Montana* Winston, New Mexico* Winston, Oregon* Winston County, Alabama...
cigarettes, in which he was shown sprinting around a parking lot of Winston delivery trucks and painting over the product slogan, replacing the "like" in "like a cigarette should" with the grammatically correct "as."
M*A*S*H
{{Essay-like|section|date=December 2007}}
After guest-starring on
That GirlThat Girl is an American television situation comedy that ran on ABC from 1966 to 1971. It starred Marlo Thomas as the title character, Ann Marie, an aspiring actress, who had moved from her hometown of Brewster, New York to make it big in New York City...
with
Marlo ThomasMargaret Julia “Marlo” Thomas is an American actress, who first achieved fame on the TV series That Girl in the 1960s.-Early life:...
, he was cast in
The Doris Day ShowThe Doris Day Show is a 128-episode American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS network from September 1968 until September 1973. In addition to showcasing Doris Day, the show is remembered for its many abrupt format changes over the course of its five-year run...
in 1969, playing magazine editor boss Michael Nicholson until 1971. Originally, he auditioned for the role of
Hawkeye PierceCaptain Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce is a fictional character and lead protagonist in the M*A*S*H novels, film, and television series...
in
M*A*S*HM*A*S*H is an American television series developed by Larry Gelbart, adapted from the 1970 feature film MASH . The series is a medical drama/black comedy that was produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for CBS...
, 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 an Emmy nomination for his writing.
Stevenson found his greatest success on
M*A*S*HM*A*S*H is an American television series developed by Larry Gelbart, adapted from the 1970 feature film MASH . The series is a medical drama/black comedy that was produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for CBS...
. The series quickly became one of the most popular
situation comediesA situation comedy, usually referred to as a sitcom, is a genre of comedy programs which originated in radio. Today, sitcoms are found almost exclusively on television as one of its dominant narrative forms...
running, and would eventually become recognized as one of the top sitcoms in television history. Despite the show's success, Stevenson began chafing (as did
Wayne RogersWilliam Wayne McMillan Rogers III is an American film and television actor, best known for playing the role of 'Trapper John' McIntyre in the U.S. television series, M*A*S*H. He succeeded Elliott Gould, who had played the character in the Robert Altman movie MASH, and was himself succeeded by...
) at playing second fiddle to the wisecracking Hawkeye (played by Alan Alda), and asked to be released from his contract during the show's third season. The show's writers reluctantly penned him an exit in the final episode of the 1974-75 season, in which Lt. Colonel Blake was discharged, only to board a plane that was shot down over the
Sea of JapanThe Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, bordered by Japan, South Korea, North Korea and Russia. It is referred to in North Korea as the Korea East Sea and in South Korea as the East Sea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure...
, killing everyone on board (a development added after scripts were distributed so the show's actors would display genuine emotion as if they had been truly unaware of that part of the storyline). Stevenson would later admit that leaving
M*A*S*H was a mistake, and he was also upset by the fact that his character's death prevented him from returning to the show.
In an interview,
Loretta SwitLoretta Swit is an American stage and television actress known for her character roles. The naturally blonde Swit is best-known for her two-time Emmy-winning portrayal of Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan on M*A*S*H.-Early life:...
shed some light on the subject of why McLean left the series at the height of its success. She said Stevenson wanted to be number one and felt pushed down as one of an ensemble of eight. Swit said that before Stevenson left the series he told her, "I know I will not be in anything as good as this show, but I have to leave and be number one."
Match Game
Stevenson appeared as a guest panelist for several weeks on
Match GameMatch Game is an American television game show featuring contestants attempting to match celebrities' answers to fill-in-the-blank questions...
s CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...
daytime version in 1973, and again in 1978 on the daytime and nighttime syndicated version. In 1981, Stevenson became a regular panelist on the Match Game's syndicated version. Host Gene RayburnGene Rayburn was an American radio and television personality. Born Eugene Rubessa in Christopher, Illinois, he was an only child of Croatian immigrants and graduated from Lindblom Technical High School and later from Knox College...
described Stevenson as someone "responsible for the demise of several television shows" just before handing Stevenson Match Game
hosting duties for a day. Stevenson remained a panelist until the show was cancelled in 1982.
Later career
{{Essay-like|section|date=December 2007}}
After his departure from M*A*S*H
, Stevenson's acting career began to decline. He starred in a series of sitcoms, none of which lasted more than approximately one season. They included The McLean Stevenson Show
(1976), In the Beginning
(1978), Hello, LarryHello, Larry is an American sitcom which aired on NBC from January 26, 1979 to April 30, 1980.-First season:Larry Alder , is a radio talk show host who left Los Angeles after being divorced and moved to Portland, Oregon with his two teenage daughters Diane and...
(1979-80) and Condo
(1983). All four sitcoms were dismissed by audiences and lambasted by critics.
Stevenson guest-starred as Stan Zbornaks' brother Ted on the hit show The Golden GirlsThe Golden Girls is an American sitcom that originally aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992. Starring Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty, the show centers on four older women sharing a Miami, Florida home...
in 1987. Stevenson also guest-starred in shows such as Square One TV
, The Love BoatThe Love Boat is an American television series set on a cruise ship, which aired on the ABC Television Network from September 24, 1977 until May 24, 1986. The show starred Gavin MacLeod as the ship's captain, who encourages his customers to find romance...
, Diff'rent StrokesDiff'rent Strokes is an American television sitcom that aired on the NBC television network from November 3, 1978 to May 4, 1985, and on ABC from September 27, 1985 to March 7, 1986.-History:...
, Match GameMatch Game is an American television game show featuring contestants attempting to match celebrities' answers to fill-in-the-blank questions...
(where he served as a regular panelist), Hollywood SquaresThe Hollywood Squares is an American television comedy and game show in which two contestants play tic-tac-toe to win money and prizes. The "board" for the game is a 3 × 3 vertical stack of open-faced cubes, each occupied by an entertainer seated at a desk and facing the contestants...
and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny CarsonThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a late-night talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under the Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992....
. His screen credits include the DisneyWalt Disney Pictures refers to several different entities associated with The Walt Disney Company:Walt Disney Pictures, the film banner, was established as a designation in 1983, prior to which Disney films since 1954 were released under the name of the parent company, then named Walt Disney...
movie The Cat from Outer SpaceThe Cat from Outer Space is a 1978 Buena Vista Distribution film, starring Ken Berry and Sandy Duncan.-Synopsis:An unidentified flying object makes an emergency landing on Earth and is taken into custody by the United States government...
as a friend of Dr. Frank Wilson (played by Ken BerryKenneth Ronald "Ken" Berry is an American comedic actor, singer and dancer. Like Buddy Ebsen and Dan Dailey, Berry began on stage as a dancer and later starred in 1960s television sitcoms.-Biography:...
) along with his M*A*S*H
replacement Harry MorganHarry Morgan is an American television actor. Morgan is perhaps best-known as Colonel Sherman T. Potter on M*A*S*H , Pete Porter on both Pete and Gladys and December Bride , Detective Bill Gannon on Dragnet , and Amos Coogan on Hec Ramsey ,-Early life and career:Morgan was born Harry...
. He also was a co-host of the syndicated daytime talk show America
America was an afternoon talk show that aired in syndication from September 16, 1985 until January 3, 1986. The show's hosts were Stuart Damon, Sarah Purcell and McLean Stevenson, with Charlie O'Donnell announcing...
, which lasted 16 weeks between September 16, 1985 and January 3, 1986.
He was referenced in the "Good Idea, Bad Idea" segment of an "Animaniacs" episode.
Death
Stevenson was recovering from surgery in a Los Angeles hospital on February 15, 1996, when he went into cardiac arrestA cardiac arrest, also known as cardiopulmonary arrest or circulatory arrest, is the abrupt cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively during systole....
and died. M*A*S*H
writer Larry GelbartLarry Simon Gelbart was an American television writer, playwright, screenwriter and author.-Early life:...
later said that Stevenson had left too soon twice in one lifetime. Roger BowenRoger Bowen was an American comedic actor and novelist, known for his portrayal of Lt. Col Henry Braymore Blake in the 1970 film MASH. He often portrayed roles as a stuffy defender of the upper class and had regular roles on a number of television series...
, who had played Henry Blake in the movie M*A*S*H, also died of
cardiac arrestA cardiac arrest, also known as cardiopulmonary arrest or circulatory arrest, is the abrupt cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively during systole....
the day after Stevenson’s death.
Stevenson is interred in
Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills CemeteryForest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery is part of the Forest Lawn chain of Southern California cemeteries. It is at 6300 Forest Lawn Drive in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California, on the lower north slope at the far east end of the Santa Monica...
in Los Angeles. He was survived by his wife Ginny, daughter Lindsey and son Jeff MacGregor (from a previous marriage).
External links
{{GoldenGlobeSupportingActorTV 1970-1989}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stevenson, McLean}}