Wayne Rogers, Trapper John on 'M*A*S*H*,' dies at 82
Fox News
December 31, 2015
LOS ANGELES –
Wayne Rogers, whose Trapper John McIntyre alongside Alan Alda's Hawkeye
Pierce brought mischief, martinis and meatball surgery to the masses in the
1970s every week on "M.A.S.H.," has died.
The actor was surrounded by family when he died Thursday
in Los Angeles of complications from pneumonia at age 82, his publicist and
longtime friend Rona Menashe told The Associated Press.
Rogers' army surgeon Trapper John was one of the most
beloved characters -- and half of one of the most beloved duos -- in TV
history, despite the actor's appearing in only the first three of the show's 11
seasons on CBS.
The two skilled doctors, Hawkeye and Trapper, blew off
steam between surgeries pulling pranks, romancing nurses and tormenting their
tent-mate Frank Burns, with a seemingly endless supply of booze and one-liners
at the ready.
In one classic moment, Trapper reaches out as though he's
checking for rain and says, "Hmm, feels like it's going to martini,"
as Hawkeye promptly passes him a drink.
And in another line that typified the show's ethos,
Trapper answers a question with "How should I know? I dropped out of
school to become a doctor."
McIntyre was on "M.A.S.H." from 1972 to 1975,
becoming one of many original cast members to leave the wildly popular show
that went on until 1983. He was initially considered for Alda's character, but
he preferred Trapper's sunnier disposition to Hawkeye's darkly acerbic
personality.
The characters were essentially equals when the show
began, but it increasingly focused on Alda, which was a factor in Rogers'
departure.
Two other actors played Trapper in other incarnations.
Elliot Gould was same character in the "M.A.S.H." feature film that
preceded the TV show, and Pernell Roberts played the title character in the
1980s spinoff drama "Trapper John, M.D."
An Alabama native and Princeton University graduate,
Rogers had parts on many short-lived shows early in his career, specializing in
westerns like "Law of the Plainsman" and "Stagecoach West."
He had a bit part in the 1967 film "Cool Hand Luke" with Paul Newman.
In the years after "M.A.S.H." he returned to TV
regularly, including a recurring role in the early 1990s on "Murder, She
Wrote."
He moved beyond acting to see serious success later in
life as a money manager and investor. In 1988 and 1990, he appeared as an
expert witness before the House Judiciary Committee to speak in favor of
maintaining the Glass-Steagall banking laws of the 1930s. In recent years he
was a regular panelist on the Fox News stock investment show "Cashin'
In."
Rogers is survived by his wife Amy, two children, Bill
and Laura, and four grandchildren.
ROGERS, Wayne (William
Wayne McMillan Rogers III)
Born: 4/7/1933,
Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.A.
Died: 12/31/2015,
Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
Wayne Rogers
westerns – actor:
Zane Grey Theater (TV) – 1959 (Frank Sanders)
Gunsmoke (TV) – 1959, 1962, 1965 (Tom, Brack, Stretch
Morgan)
Law of the Plainsman (TV) – 1959, 1960 (Fran Anderson,
Deputy Billy Gordon)
Johnny Ringo (TV) – 1960 (Charlie Hanford)
Stagecoach West (TV) – 1960-1961 (Luke Perry
Wanted: Dead or Alive (TV) – 1960 (Ash Langford)
The Great Adventure (TV) – 1963 (Tombs)
Have Gun – Will Travel (TV) – 1963 (Daniel Powers)
The Glory Guys – 1965 (Lt. Mike Moran)
Death Valley Days (TV) – 1965 (Lt. Richard H. Pratt)
Shane (TV) – 1966 (Jim Greevey)
The Big Valley (TV) – 1968 (Don Jarvis)
Lancer (TV) – 1968 (Ted Lewis)
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