William Christopher (October 20, 1932 December 31, 2016) was an American actor and comedian, best known for playing Private Lester Hummel on '' Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.'' from 1965 to 1968 and Father John Mulcahy on the television series '' M*A*S*H'' from 1972 to 1983 and its spinoff ''

AfterMASH ''AfterMASH'' is an American sitcom television series produced as the first spin-off (second overall) and a continuation of ''M*A*S*H'' that aired on CBS from September 26, 1983 to May 31, 1985. It was developed as the sequel series as it takes ...

'' from 1983 to 1985.

Early life

Christopher was born in Evanston, Illinois, in a family believed to be descendants of

Paul Revere Paul Revere (; December 21, 1734 O.S. (January 1, 1735 N.S.)May 10, 1818) was an American silversmith, engraver, early industrialist, Sons of Liberty member, and Patriot and Founding Father. He is best known for his midnight ride to a ...

. He spent his youth in several of Chicago's northern suburbs, including Winnetka, Illinois, where he attended New Trier High School. Christopher graduated from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, with a

bachelor of arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

in drama, focusing on

Greek literature Greek literature () dates back from the ancient Greek literature, beginning in 800 BC, to the modern Greek literature of today. Ancient Greek literature was written in an Ancient Greek dialect, literature ranges from the oldest surviving writte ...

. While at university, he participated in fencing, soccer, and the glee club, and was initiated as a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.

Career

Christopher moved to New York and appeared in a variety of regional productions and later a number of off-Broadway productions such as '' The Hostage'' at One Sheridan Square. His Broadway debut came in '' Beyond the Fringe'', a British revue, acting alongside

Peter Cook Peter Edward Cook (17 November 1937 – 9 January 1995) was an English actor, comedian, satirist, playwright and screenwriter. He was the leading figure of the British satire boom of the 1960s, and he was associated with the anti-establishme ...

and

Dudley Moore Dudley Stuart John Moore CBE (19 April 193527 March 2002) was an English actor, comedian, musician and composer. Moore first came to prominence in the UK as a leading figure in the British satire boom of the 1960s. He was one of the four writ ...

. Christopher left New York City for Hollywood to attempt to gain work in television where he guest-starred in several well-known series, including ''

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'', ''

Death Valley Days ''Death Valley Days'' is an American old-time radio and television anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program ...

'', ''

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'' and ''

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''. He made several appearances (each time as a different character) on '' Hogan's Heroes'', and had recurring roles on ''Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.'' and ''

That Girl ''That Girl'' is an American sitcom that ran on ABC from September 8, 1966 to March 19, 1971. It starred Marlo Thomas as the title character Ann Marie, an aspiring (but only sporadically employed) actress, who moves from her hometown of Brewste ...

''. Christopher was a student at

Harvey Lembeck Harvey Lembeck (April 15, 1923 – January 5, 1982) was an American comedic actor best remembered for his role as Cpl. Rocco Barbella on ''The Phil Silvers Show'' (a.k.a. ''Sgt. Bilko'', a.k.a. ''You'll Never Get Rich'') in the late 1950s, and a ...

’s famed L.A. improvisational workshop in the early 1970s during which time he performed improv skits (with two other performers, Carole White and Shelia Bartold, both also Lembeck students) during a January 1972 episode of ''

The Carol Burnett Show ''The Carol Burnett Show'' is an American variety/sketch comedy television show that originally ran on CBS from September 11, 1967, to March 29, 1978, for 279 episodes, and again with nine episodes in fall 1991. It starred Carol Burnett, Har ...

''. While the appearance was officially uncredited, he was introduced by Burnett as Bill Christopher. In 1972, Christopher gained the role of Father Mulcahy in the television series ''M*A*S*H'' when the actor who was first cast in the role, George Morgan, was replaced after a single appearance in the pilot episode. Immediately following ''M*A*S*H'', Christopher continued the role for the two seasons of the short-lived spin-off ''

''. In feature films, Christopher performed in ''

The Fortune Cookie ''The Fortune Cookie'' (alternative UK title: ''Meet Whiplash Willie'') is a 1966 American black comedy film directed, produced and co-written by Billy Wilder. It was the first film in which Jack Lemmon collaborated with Walter Matthau. Matthau ...

'', '' The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell'', ''

The Shakiest Gun in the West ''The Shakiest Gun in the West'' is a 1968 American comedy Western film starring Don Knotts. It was directed by Alan Rafkin and written by Jim Fritzell and Everett Greenbaum. The film is a remake of '' The Paleface'', a 1948 movie starring B ...

'', ''

With Six You Get Eggroll ''With Six You Get Eggroll'' is a 1968 American romantic comedy film directed by Howard Morris and starring Doris Day, Brian Keith, Barbara Hershey, George Carlin, and Pat Carroll. It was the first film that was produced by the CBS Television Ne ...

'', and '' Hearts of the West''. He had parts in telefilms including ''The Movie Maker'', '' The Perils of Pauline'', and ''For the Love of It''. The comedy film ''With Six You Get Eggroll'' is notable for fans of ''M*A*S*H'' because

Jamie Farr Jamie Farr (born Jameel Joseph Farah; July 1, 1934) is an American comedian and actor. He is best known for playing the cross-dressing Corporal turned Sergeant Maxwell Q. Klinger in the CBS television sitcom ''M*A*S*H''. He was inducted to ...

and Christopher appear in it together, both playing hippies, five years before they co-starred in the series. After gaining attention for ''M*A*S*H'', Christopher appeared in various other television series, including '' Good Times'' (as the military doctor examining

J.J. Evans ''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was television's first Africa ...

) and '' Murder, She Wrote'', and made multiple guest appearances on ''

The Love Boat ''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy/drama television series that aired on ABC from 1977 to 1986; in addition, four three-hour specials aired in 1986, 1987, and 1990. The series was set on the luxury passenger cruise ship MS ''Pa ...

''. In 1998, he guest-starred as a priest in an episode of ''

Mad About You ''Mad About You'' is an American television sitcom starring Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as a married couple in New York City. It initially aired on NBC from September 23, 1992, to May 24, 1999, winning numerous awards including four Golden Glob ...

''. He also remained active in the theater, including a tour of the United States in the mid-1990s with Farr, performing

Neil Simon Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He has received mo ...

's '' The Odd Couple'' on stage. In 2008–2009, he toured with ''Church Basement Ladies''. One of Christopher's last roles was that of a priest (Father Tobias) on the daytime drama '' Days of Our Lives''.

Charity work

Christopher, whose son Ned has autism, devoted much of his spare time to the

National Autistic Society The National Autistic Society is the leading charity for autistic people and their families in the UK. Since 1962, the National Autistic Society has been providing support, guidance and advice, as well as campaigning for improved rights, serv ...

, doing public-service announcements to bring attention to autism. In 1985, his wife Barbara and he wrote ''Mixed Blessings'', a book about their experiences in raising Ned.

Personal life

Christopher met his future wife Barbara on a blind date. They married in 1957 and the couple adopted two sons, John and Ned. The two appeared together in the ''M*A*S*H'' season 4 episode "Dear Mildred", where they sang the song "All Dressed Up and No Place to Go" in a duet.

Death

Christopher died at his home in Pasadena, California, on December 31, 2016. According to his son John Christopher, the 84-year-old actor died as the result of nonsmall-cell carcinoma (lung cancer). He had been diagnosed with cancer about 18 months earlier, according to his New York-based agent Robert Malcolm. His death came exactly one year after that of ''M*A*S*H'' co-star

Wayne Rogers William Wayne McMillan Rogers III (April 7, 1933 – December 31, 2015) was an American actor, known for playing the role of Captain "Trapper" John McIntyre in the CBS television series ''M*A*S*H'' and as Dr. Charley Michaels on '' House Calls ...

Partial filmography

*1965: '' 12 O'Clock High'' (TV series, Episode: "Then Came the Mighty Hunter") as Patient *1965: ''

Hank Hank is a male given name. It may have been inspired by the Dutch name Henk,The Origins of 10 Nicknam ...

'' (TV series, Episode: "Candidate") as Elwood *1965: ''

'' (TV series, 2 episodes) as Mr. Heathcote, IRS *1965–1968: '' Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.'' (TV series) as recurring character Private Lester Hummel *1965: '' Hogan's Heroes'' (TV series, 4 episodes) as multiple characters in 1965, 1966 and 1968 *1966: ''

'' (TV series, Episode: "Three Little Kittens") as Man *1966: ''

'' as Intern *1967: '' The Perils of Pauline'' as Doctor (uncredited) *1967: ''

'' (TV series, 1 episode) Thomas Peterson, MD *1968: '' The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell'' as Pvt. Jake Schultz *1968: ''

'' as Hotel Manager (uncredited) *1968: ''

'' as Zip-Cloud *1969: ''

'' Season 4, Episode 14 as Chippy Dolan *1972: ''

'' Season 5, Episode 15 (January 5, 1972), uncredited appearance, performing improv skits as a student from

’s workshop with Carol White, and Shelia Bartold, introduced by Burnett as Bill Christopher *1972–1983: '' M*A*S*H'' (TV series) as Father John Mulcahy *1975: '' Hearts of the West'' as Bank Teller *1975: '' Good Times'' (TV series, Episode: "The Enlistment") as The Doctor, Major Bullock *1983–1985: ''

'' (TV series) as Father John Mulcahy *1985: '' Murder, She Wrote'' (TV series, Episode: "A Lady in the Lake") as Burton Hollis *1994: ''Heaven Sent'' as Priest *1998: ''

'' (TV series, Episode: "A Pain in the Neck") as Chaplain Olsen *2012: '' Days of Our Lives'' (TV series) as Father Tobias (final appearance)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Christopher, William 1932 births 2016 deaths American male television actors American male film actors American male stage actors Deaths from lung cancer in California Male actors from Evanston, Illinois Male actors from Pasadena, California Writers from Evanston, Illinois Autism activists Wesleyan University alumni New Trier High School alumni