Actor McLean Stevenson, who was a cousin of political figure Adali Stevenson, found his perfect role in the great comedy series "M.A.S.H." as the bumbling commanding officer of a Korean War field hospital. He was perfectly cast for the role but eventually wanted to star in his own show. He played Col. Henry Blake from 1972 until 1975.
Thereafter, he starred in three ill-fated, lackluster sitcoms, the first of which was "The McLean Stevenson Show." He did guest spots on other shows, such as "Love Boat" and Different Strokes" but never again came remotely close to the kind of success he had enjoyed on "M.A.S.H."
Stevenson had begun his show-biz career in live theater and in TV commercials. He also was a comedy writer, working for "That Was the Week That Was" and "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Show." As he continued to become better known, he played on "That Girl" and on "The Doris Day Show" before being cast as Col. Blake, the one role that brought him celebrity.
As Henry Blake, Stevenson did a terrific job of portraying the goofy, dreamy-eyed, girl-crazy, golf club swinging C.O. When he was written out of the show at his own insistence, he was replaced by the venerable actor Harry Morgan.
Stevenson died after surgery in 1996 at age 66.
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