Larry Linville

Overview

Born
September 29, 1939 · Ojai, California, USA
Died
April 10, 2000 · New York City, New York, USA (pneumonia due to complications from a cancer operation)
Birth name
Lawrence Lavon Linville
Height
6′ (1.83 m)

Larry Linville was born on September 29, 1939 in Ojai, California, USA. He was an actor, known for M*A*S*H (1972), Earth Girls Are Easy (1988) and Paper Dolls (1984). He was married to Deborah Guydon, Susan Hagan, Melissa Gallant, Vaughn Taylor and Kate Geer. He died on April 10, 2000 in New York City, New York, USA.

Chose not to renew his M*A*S*H (1972) contract because "I felt I had done everything possible with the character" of Frank Burns. Said later that the fifth season (his last) had been hardest for him, since Frank no longer had Loretta Swit's character Hot Lips on his side, leaving him to bear the brunt of the insults alone. He even stopped attending dailies, because he was tired of seeing his character as the butt of so many jokes.
Admitted in a "TV Guide" interview in the 1970s that he was a lifelong insomniac, sleeping only a few hours every several days.
Contrary to his much-maligned character, Frank Burns, he was actually well-liked by his M*A*S*H (1972) castmates. He and Gary Burghoff were close friends off the show. Burghoff described Linville as a "renaissance man" who knew about the intricacies of the Egyptian pyramids and who once even built and flew his own airplane. Alan Alda also remembered Linville fondly after his death.
Disclosed in an Howard Stern interview that, after his agent, business manager, accountant, US government and ex-wives all got their cut, his royalties from M*A*S*H (1972) were enough to make his car insurance payment. He also said that he liked everyone he worked with on the series.
On 2/12/98 he underwent surgery to remove part of his lung after doctors found a malignant tumor under his sternum.

(when asked whom he'd based his infamous Frank Burns character on) "Every idiot I've ever known."
[on contracting cancer]: "I was scared. It wasn't like drinking. You could give up the bottle. You can't give up the big C."
[about Frank Burns] Some people have said 'Why didn't the role progress? Why didn't he become more understanding, more humane, more compassionate, more sensitive?' I said 'What did you want him to be, Alan Alda?'
[about playing Frank Burns] On the one side he was just kind of silly and stupid and on the other side you have the danger of being very repulsive and ugly so you must balance that so that it is believable enough to serve the comedy.