Sally Kellerman, the original 'Hot Lips' Houlihan from 'M*A*S*H' movie, dies at 84

Sally Kellerman, the original Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan in the 1970 Robert Altman film "M*A*S*H*," died Thursday from heart failure, her manager and publicist Alan Eichler confirmed to USA TODAY. She was 84.

The actress died in her sleep in her Woodland Hills, California home, her manager said.

Kellerman earned an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress for her stand-out Houlihan role in the army comedy, which also starred Donald Sutherland and Elliot Gould. In the "M*A*S*H*" film she played a by-the-book nurse who carries on a torrid affair with the equally uptight Major Frank Burns (Robert Duvall) demanding that he kiss her "hot lips" in a moment secretly broadcast over the camp's public address speakers, earning her the nickname.

Loretta Swit took the role over in the popular TV version of "M*A*S*H*," which ran from 1972 to 1983.Swit paid tribute to Kellerman, tweeting a broken heart emoji and adding the hashtags "#OG #HotLipsHoulihan."

Sally Kellerman arrives at the premiere of "The Danish Girl" at Regency Village Theatre on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015, in Los Angeles.

The "Hot Lips" role had a lasting impact on Kellerman's career. But the actress told The Desert Sun, part of the USA TODAY Network, in 2013 that she feared she would be looked at as "a one-trick pony."

That was far from the case, for a career that spanned over 60 years, including attaining cult status for her memorable starring role in an early episode of "Star Trek" in 1966, titled "Where No Man Has Gone Before." Kellerman portrayed Dr. Elizabeth Dehner, a human Starfleet officer on the USS Enterprise.

The actress starred as a college professor who was returning student Rodney Dangerfield's love interest in the 1986 comedy "Back to School" and in a slew of Altman films including 1970's "Brewster McCloud," 1992's "The Player," 1994's "Prêt-à-Porter" and "Ready to Wear."

Sally Kellerman arrives at the 2015 Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards at The Universal Hilton on Friday, April 24, 2015, in Universal City, Calif.

The California native had an initial interest in jazz singing and submitted a demo to Verve Records head Norman Grantz which landed her a contract at 18

https://providenceonline.com/stories/free-when-you-can-watch-spider-man-no-way-home-2021-movie-and-at-home,88721

https://providenceonline.com/stories/when-you-can-watch-spider-man-no-way-home-online-and-at-home,88723

https://providenceonline.com/stories/free-when-you-can-watch-spider-man-no-way-home-online-and-at-home,88722

https://providenceonline.com/stories/watchspider-man-no-way-home-online-for-free-stream,88720

https://providenceonline.com/stories/watchspider-man-no-way-home-movie-for-free-stream,88719

https://providenceonline.com/stories/how-to-watchfree-spider-man-no-way-home-2021-googledrive-movies,88718

https://providenceonline.com/stories/how-to-watchfree-spider-man-no-way-home-online-2021-googledrive-movies,88716

https://providenceonline.com/stories/free-spider-man-no-way-home-online-2021-movie-streaming,88717

https://providenceonline.com/stories/free-spider-man-no-way-home-online,88715

https://providenceonline.com/stories/free-how-to-watch-spider-man-no-way-home-movie-2021,88714

https://providenceonline.com/stories/free-how-to-watch-spider-man-no-way-home-online-2021,88713

https://providenceonline.com/stories/where-to-watchmovie-spider-man-no-way-home-online-free-streaming,88726

https://sorhodeisland.com/stories/where-to-watchmovie-spider-man-no-way-home-online-free-streaming,88727

https://thebaymagazine.com/stories/where-to-watchmovie-spider-man-no-way-home-online-free-streaming,88728

https://heyrhody.com/stories/where-to-watchmovie-spider-man-no-way-home-online-free-streaming,88729

https://providenceonline.com/stories/where-towatch-spider-man-no-way-home-online-free-streaming,88730

https://sorhodeisland.com/stories/where-towatch-spider-man-no-way-home-online-free-streaming,88731

https://thebaymagazine.com/stories/where-towatch-spider-man-no-way-home-online-free-streaming,88732

https://heyrhody.com/stories/where-towatch-spider-man-no-way-home-online-free-streaming,88733

https://providenceonline.com/stories/how-towatch-spider-man-no-way-home-online-free-streaming,88734

https://sorhodeisland.com/stories/how-towatch-spider-man-no-way-home-online-free-streaming,88735

https://thebaymagazine.com/stories/how-towatch-spider-man-no-way-home-online-free-streaming,88736

http://heyrhody.com/stories/how-towatch-spider-man-no-way-home-online-free-streaming,88738