Actress Sally Kellerman, who originated the role of Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan in Robert Altman theatrical M*A*S*H in 1970, died Thursday morning at an assisted care facility in Woodland Hills, California after a battle with dementia. She was 84.
Born June 2, 1937 in Long Beach, California, Sally Kellerman made her acting debut in a local stage production of Look Back in Anger opposite Jack Nicholson, Shirley Knight, Dean Stockwell and Robert Blake in 1956. Towards the end of the 1950s, Kellerman joined the Actors Studio West and debuted on camera in the 1957 film Reform School Girl. Next were guest appearances on television series like Playhouse 90, Bachelor Father, Lock Up, Surfside 6, Cheyenne, The Twilight Zone, My Three Sons, and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.
Dozens of other guest appearances on television followed for Kellerman including, in particular, the third Star Trek episode, “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” as Dr. Elizabeth Dehner, a human Starfleet officer aboard the USS Enterprise.
Then, in 1970, came M*A*S*H, which resulted in an Oscar nomination (among other accolades) for Kellerman for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. She reunited with director Robert Altman in his films Brewster McCloud (1970), Welcome to L.A. (1976), The Player (1992), and Prêt-à-Porter (1994), and the short-lived anthology series Gun in 1997.
Kellerman was also a recording artist and was signed by Verve Records at age 18 in 1955. But her first album (Roll with the Feelin') was not recorded until 1972. A second album, Sally, was released in 2009. Kellerman also contributed songs to the soundtracks for films Brewster McCloud, Lost Horizon (1973), Rafferty and the Gold Dust Twins (1975), and Boris and Natasha: The Movie (1992).
Kellerman could have recreated the role of Margaret Houlihan for M*A*S*H on CBS, which, of course, went to two-time Emmy Award winner Loretta Swit. But her passion was working on the big screen and recording music.
“I never wanted it,” Kellerman told the Chicago Sun-Times in 2013. “At that time, I was trying so hard to get out of television and do movies and, of course, tour singing with my band and making music. When M*A*S*H was into its 11th season, I thought, ‘What have I done?! They’re all rich!’...But no, I seriously have never regretted not doing it.”
Kellerman’s resume also included the films The Boston Strangler (1968), The April Fools (1969), Slither (1973), Lost Horizon (1973), The Big Bus (1976), Foxes (1980), Blake Edwards’ That’s Life! (1986), Rodney Dangerfield comedy Back To School (1986), All’s Fair (1989) and Boynton Beach Club (2005).
Her first regularly scheduled series role came via miniseries Centennial in the 1978-79 TV season. More recent were roles on short-lived primetime soap 2000 Malibu Road in 1992, drama Chemistry in 2011, daytime drama The Young and the Restless in 2014-15 (which resulted in an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Special Guest Performer in a Drama Series), cable comedy Maron (as comedian Marc Maron’s mother) from 2013-16, and web comedy Decker from 2016-17.
Kellerman also did voiceover work for such brands as Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing, Mercedes-Benz, and Revlon. And, April 2013, she released her memoir, Read My Lips: Stories of a Hollywood Life, describing her life in the entertainment business.
Kellerman was married to writer-director Rick Edelstein (Starsky & Hutch), divorcing after two years. She married producer Jonathan D. Krane in 1980, who predeceased her.
Survivors include her son, Jack Krane.
