Biography for
McLean Stevenson More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

14 November 1927, Normal, Illinois, USA

Date of Death

15 February 1996, Los Angeles, California, USA (heart attack)

Birth Name

Edgar McLean Stevenson Jr.

Nickname

Mac

Height

6' 2½" (1.89 m)

Mini Biography

McLean Stevenson began in show business at age 31. During the 1960s, he worked in night clubs and comedy cabarets, did summer stock theater and some television before moving to Hollywood, where he worked as a comedy writer for Tom Smothers. He eventually began acting in sketches. Mr. Stevenson is best known as the fumbling commanding officer, Lt. Colonel Henry Blake, on the CBS television series "M*A*S*H" (1972). Over a period of thirty years, he also appeared on a number of television series and was a regular guest star on Johnny Carson's "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" (1962) and the game show _"Hollywood Squares, The" (1966)_.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous

Mini Biography

McLean Stevenson was born in Illinois, where his father was a cardiologist. After serving in the Navy, he attended Northwestern University, receiving a bachelor's degree in theater arts. Stevenson worked at a radio station, played a clown on a live television show in Dallas and sold insurance and medical equipment. In 1961, Adlai Stevenson Mclean's second cousin, invited him to a party, where, mingling with show business luminaries like Gower Champion and Sanford Meisner Stevenson decided to become an actor. He auditioned and won a scholarship to the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. While studying under Meisner and Lee Strasberg. He made his acting debut in a summer stock production of "The Music Man" and followed up with work in television commercials, "The Defenders" and "The Ed Sullivan Show". He also appeared with Alan Alda in the series "That Was the Week That Was", for which Stevenson was a writer. He also wrote for "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour". After a guest appearance on "That Girl, " with Marlo Thomas he was signed to a regular role on "The Doris Day Show" in 1969. In the fall of 1973, Stevenson, already a popular guest on the "Tonight" show, began a long-running second career as a guest host on the show. He appeared in his best known role as the bumbling surgeon and commanding officer, Col. Henry Blake, on the successful TV series "M*A*S*H". However, Stevenson was soon chafing at his second-banana role on "M*A*S*H" and asked to be released from his contract. In the last episode of the 1974-75 season, Blake was sent home and his plane was shot down over the Sea of Japan. After leaving "M*A*S*H", Stevenson headlined in a series of failed TV shows.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Ray Hamel

Spouse

Ginny Fosdick	(8 December 1980 - 15 February 1996) (his death) 1 child
Carrie Williamson	(8 January 1949 - 3 November 1979) (divorced) 1 child

Trivia

McLean's father was Edgar McLean Stevenson who's mother was named Lottie Bell McLean. He was born and raised in McLean County, Illinois.

Grandfather was Vice-President Adlai E. Stevenson, who served under President Grover Cleveland from 1893 to 1897.

Cousin of Democratic presidential candidate (1952 and 1956) Adlai Stevenson.

Stevenson died one day before Roger Bowen. Bowen played the role of Col. Henry Blake in the movie MASH (1970); Stevenson played the role on TV.

Interred at Forest Lawn (Hollywood Hills), Hollywood, California, USA, in the Columbarium of Valor.

To research for his role as an army surgeon on "M*A*S*H" (1972), McLean Stevenson thoroughly studied a book on the history of medicine loaned from Alan Alda. Months later, that knowledge proved extremely useful when he came upon a person who was critically wounded in a car accident. Drawing on his research, he was able to keep the person alive until help arrived.

Brother of Ann Whitney.

Was still in the hospital recovering from surgery when he suddenly went into cardiac arrest and died.

In the season finale of the first season of "M*A*S*H" (1972), the name of his character's (Henry Blake) wife is Mildred. In the second season, her name was changed to Lorraine. When he was replaced by Harry Morgan, Morgan's character, Colonel Potter, had a wife named Mildred.

Served in the Navy.

After the news of Col. Blake's death on "M*A*S*H" (1972) (He left at the end of the third season) shocked the world, the very next night on "The Carol Burnett Show" (1967), the opening shot was of Henry Blake in a smoking raft, waving his arms, hollering, "I'm OK! I'm OK!".

One legacy of Stevenson is a word coined from his first name. "McLeaning" is a term used in media, especially television, to refer to cases when a character is killed off because the actor who played him decided to leave the show, as happened to Henry Blake when McLean Stevenson left M*A*S*H.

The unexpected death of Stevenson's Henry Blake character from M*A*S*H's at the end of the third season (1975) caused such a strong fan backlash, with countless letters of hate mail being received over the character's death, that the show's writers and producers all agreed that in the future, should one of their actors wish to leave, they would never give that actor's character a tragic send off.

Originally auditioned for the role of Hawkeye Pierce on M*A*S*H (1972) before being convinced to take the role of Henry Blake.

Spoke often at youth groups and organizations, promoting the acting field.

Was press secretary for his cousin Adlai Stevenson during the latter's two presidential campaigns.

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