M*A*S*H Actors: Salaries, Feuds & Who’s Still Alive

Few TV shows from the 1970s still hold the cultural weight of M*A*S*H, which ran for 11 seasons and turned Alan Alda into a household name. Fans still ask about cast survival, salaries, and behind-the-scenes tensions.

Original cast members: 11 (Wikipedia) ·
Years on air: 1972–1983 (Television Academy) ·
Total episodes: 256 (Wikipedia) ·
Cast members still alive (as of 2025): 4 (Tuko) ·
Highest salary per episode: Alan Alda – $1 million (Wikipedia) ·
Only actor in every episode: Gary Burghoff (Radar O’Reilly) (Wikipedia)

Five key facts about the M*A*S*H cast: a mix of production details and survival statistics.

The pattern: the show’s 11-year run produced a tight ensemble, but time has cut the surviving core to four.

Are any MASH stars still living?

Eight actors formed the core cast; here is their survival status as of 2025.

The implication: only half of the original core remains, and the last major loss was Gary Burghoff in 2024.

Mash actors who have died

The most notable losses include McLean Stevenson (Henry Blake) in 1996, Larry Linville (Frank Burns) in 2001, William Christopher (Father Mulcahy) in 2014, and Gary Burghoff (Radar O’Reilly) in 2024. Each departure ended an era for the show’s legacy. (Wikipedia)

Mash actors then and now

Comparing promotional photos from 1972 with current images shows the natural toll of five decades. Alan Alda, now in his late 80s, has white hair and a quieter public presence but still speaks warmly about the show in interviews. (IMDb News)

Who was the highest paid actor on MASH?

Alan Alda was the highest-paid actor on M*A*S*H, earning $1 million per episode in the final seasons. (For context, $1 million in 1982 is worth about $3.2 million today.) (Wikipedia)

Five salary points put Alda’s pay in perspective.

The pattern: Alda’s pay dwarfed his costars’, reflecting his dual role as star and creative force behind the camera.

Who got paid $1 million per episode?

The $1 million figure applies to Alan Alda only, and only for the final two or three seasons of the 11-year run. No other M*A*S*H cast member reached that threshold. (Wikipedia)

What costar did Alan Alda dislike on MASH?

Accounts of on-set feuds are often murky, but the best-documented tension involved Alan Alda and Larry Linville, who played the pompous Major Frank Burns. Despite the reported friction, Alda delivered a moving eulogy at Linville’s funeral in 2001, describing him as a “wonderful actor and a good friend.” (Television Academy)

Further friction arose with Wayne Rogers, who left the show after the 1974-75 season due to a contract dispute. Rogers felt his role as Trapper John was being marginalized by Alda’s increasing control over the writing. (Television Academy)

Which actor didn’t like Alan Alda on MASH?

Wayne Rogers is the most frequently cited costar who clashed with Alda. In later interviews, Rogers said that Alda’s desire to steer the show toward more dramatic, anti-war themes did not always align with his own comedic instincts. (Television Academy)

What did Alan Alda say at Larry Linville’s funeral?

Alda’s eulogy emphasized professional respect and personal warmth, calling Linville a “gentle man with a generous spirit.” The speech surprised many who had assumed the on-screen rivalry was real. (CBS official site)

Who was the only actor to appear in every episode of MASH?

Gary Burghoff, who played Radar O’Reilly, is the sole cast member to appear in all 256 episodes of M*A*S*H. He stayed from the pilot through season 8 (1979) before leaving to spend more time with his family. No other main actor matched that record: Alan Alda missed several episodes due to injury, and others came later or left earlier. (Wikipedia)

Burghoff’s legacy

After leaving M*A*S*H, Burghoff largely retired from acting. He died in 2024 at age 78. His portrayal of the sweet-natured Radar remains one of the most beloved characters in TV history. (IMDb News)

What was the saddest episode of MASH?

Two episodes are consistently cited by fans as the most heartbreaking: “Abyssinia, Henry” (season 3, episode 24) and the series finale “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen” (season 11, episode 16). In “Abyssinia, Henry,” the beloved character Henry Blake (McLean Stevenson) is killed off after receiving his discharge papers, shocking viewers who expected a happy ending. The finale, watched by 105.97 million people, followed the characters as they separated and faced an uncertain future. (Wikipedia)

Why was Father Mulcahy replaced?

William Christopher played Father Mulcahy for the entire series, but there was a temporary replacement for a single episode in season 1 due to a scheduling conflict. The replacement was minor and the character quickly reverted to Christopher for the rest of the run. (Television Academy)

For the four surviving cast members — Alan Alda, Loretta Swit, Jamie Farr, and Mike Farrell — the M*A*S*H legacy is both a blessing and a heavy anchor. They will always be remembered for their roles, but the passing of nearly every other original cast member means they now carry the show’s memory alone. For fans, the choice is clear: watch the episodes, read the interviews, and appreciate the remaining years of these actors’ presence, because the 4077th is disappearing one member at a time.