Gary Burghoff

Gary Burghoff
Burghoff at a convention in 2003
Born	Gary Richard Burghoff May 24, 1943 (1943-05-24) (age 68)[1] Bristol, Connecticut, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, artist, jazz drummer
Years active	1967–present
Spouse	Janet Gayle (1971-1979) Elizabeth Bostrom (1985-present)

Gary Richard Burghoff (born May 24, 1943)^[1] is an American actor, known for playing Charlie Brown in the 1967 Off-Broadway musical You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and the character Corporal Walter Eugene "Radar" O'Reilly in the M*A*S*H movie and TV series.

Life and career

Burghoff was born in Bristol, Connecticut and got started in acting and drumming during his high school years in Delavan, Wisconsin. In 1967 he originated the role of Charlie Brown in the original Off-Broadway production of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. He later was the drummer for a band called the Relatives in 1968. Actress Lynda Carter was the band's singer. The group opened at the Sahara Hotel and Casino lounge in Las Vegas, Nevada for three months. Remaining friends, Carter helped cast him in an episode of her later hit series The New Adventures of Wonder Woman, in the 1978 episode "The Man Who Wouldn't Tell".

M*A*S*H

Although several actors from the original MASH film made guest appearances in the television series, Burghoff was the only actor cast as a regular.

He left M*A*S*H after the seventh season because of burnout and a desire to spend more time with his family, though he returned the following year to tape a special two-part farewell episode, "Goodbye Radar." Castmate Mike Farrell tried to persuade Burghoff to stay on the show, citing the lacklustre careers of former M*A*S*H regulars Larry Linville and McLean Stevenson after their departures. Burghoff was nominated for six Emmy Awards for the show in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and, of those nominations, he won an Emmy in 1977.

In the episode "Showtime," Radar is seen playing a solo on the drums. It is a misconception that the sound was dubbed in; it was Gary Burghoff's actual performance.^[2]

Match Game

Burghoff also frequently appeared on the game show Match Game in the 1970s, both as a stand-in for regular Charles Nelson Reilly and also as the "special male guest" occupying seat one. He often sat in for Reilly from late 1974 until Match Game episode 471 when Reilly returned in 1975 from Broadway. He appeared in 248 episodes of Match Game through its daytime run, syndicated run, and the nighttime version of the show. 215 episodes daytime, 18 episodes on Match Game PM (nighttime), and 15 episodes during the syndicated version.

Later career

Burghoff appeared regularly on TV, making appearances on other game shows as well like Tattletales, Hollywood Squares, and Showoffs. He also appeared in the film B.S. I Love You, as well as an episode of The Love Boat. His M*A*S*H character Radar O'Reilly was spun off into an unsold TV show called W*A*L*T*E*R. Burghoff also appeared in an episode of The New Adventures of Wonder Woman "The Man Who Wouldn't Tell" in 1978, where he was reunited with his former band member Diana Prince a.k.a. Wonder Woman (played by Lynda Carter).

Burghoff also works as a professional jazz drummer, heading the trio The We Three, and as a wildlife painter. His other activities include outdoorsmanship and rifle shooting. Burghoff is also the inventor of (and holds a patent on) the "Chum Magic", a fishing tackle invention that attracts fish toward the user's boat.^[3][4]

Burghoff is a philatelist and was the star of a United States Postal Service video for beginning stamp collectors. In 2000, Burghoff was also a spokesman for dot-com era auction aggregation site PriceRadar.com.^[5]

He came out of retirement in 2010 to star in the Christian movie release, Daniel's Lot.^[6]

Dysmelia

Burghoff's left hand is withered and misshapen with the fingers being very short—no cause is known for it, though it is presumed to be a birth defect known as a localized dysmelia. In M*A*S*H, he is often seen carrying a clipboard or other object to conceal the defect, though there are scenes where it can be seen very well, especially in the pilot episode of M*A*S*H*.

Marriages

Burghoff was married to Janet Gayle, from 1971 to 1979; they had one child before their divorce. In 1985, he married Elisabeth Bostrom; the couple have two children.^{[citation needed]}

Further reading

• "Gary Burghoff: To M*A*S*H and Back: My Life in Poems and Songs," by Gary Burghoff. BearManor Media, Albany, 2009. ISBN # 1-59393-343-6.

References

External links

• Gary Burghoff at the Internet Movie Database
• Gary Burghoff at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• M*A*S*H at TV.com