William Christopher (born October 20, 1932) is an
American actor who is best known for playing
Father Mulcahy on the television series M*A*S*H and Private Lester Hummel on
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
Family life and early acting career
College and early acting work
After attending New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois, he went to the Methodist Wesleyan
University in Middletown, Connecticut in 1954. He majored in drama and was active in fencing, soccer, singing with the
glee club, performing in various dramatic performances and became a brother of the
Sigma Chi Fraternity. He met his future wife, Barbara O'Conner, on a blind date. They were
married in 1957 and have two sons, John and Ned. Christopher is also said to be a direct descendant
of the American patriot
Paul Revere.
Off-Broadway appearances
After appearing in a variety of regional productions, Christopher landed roles in a number of off-Broadway productions, most notably The Hostage at
One Sheridan Square. His Broadway debut came in Beyond the
Fringe, a British revue.
The move to television
Christopher left the New York stage for
Hollywood to attempt to gain work in television, where he guest starred in several well-known series, including: The Andy Griffith Show (he portrayed a new, young doctor
scheduling Opie Taylor for a tonsilectomy),
Death Valley Days, The Patty Duke
Show , The Men from Shiloh and Good Times (he portrayed the military doctor examining J. J. Evans).
Christopher had recurring roles on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., That Girl and
Hogan's Heroes. He also made a guest appearance on The Love Boat. In 1972, Christopher landed the role of Father Mulcahy in the television series M*A*S*H, when the actor who originated the role was being
replaced after two appearances.
Immediately following "M*A*S*H", the actor continued the role for one additional year in the short-lived spin-off,
AfterMASH.
Christopher's work in motion pictures
In feature films, Christopher performed in The Fortune
Cookie, The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell,
The Shakiest Gun in the West, With Six You Get Eggroll and Hearts of the West. He
won parts in such telefilms as The Movie Maker, The Perils of Pauline and For the Love of It (film).
The Doris Day film With Six You Get Eggroll is notable for fans of
M*A*S*H as Jamie Farr appears along with Christopher five years before the show, both playing
hippies.
Charity work
Christopher devotes much of his spare time to the National Autistic Society
because his son Ned is autistic. He has done public
service announcements to bring attention to this medical condition. In 1985 he and his wife wrote Mixed Blessings, a book about their experiences
raising Ned.
Recent acting work
Since M*A*S*H, Christopher has appeared on various series, including
Murder, She Wrote (where, in a character switch from Mulcahy, he played a
murderer). In 1998, Christopher guest-starred in an episode of Mad About You. Christopher has also remained active in the theater, including a tour of the
U.S. in the mid-1990s with Jamie Farr doing
Neil Simon's The Odd Couple on stage. He also
appeared with Jamie Farr in an episode of Diagnosis: Murder.
External link
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