Sally Kellerman, Hot Lips Houlihan in ‘M*A*S*H’ film, dead at 84

Sally Kellerman, who was nominated for an Academy Award for her role as Maj. Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan in the 1970 film “M*A*S*H,” died Thursday. She was 84.

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Kellerman died in Woodland Hills, California, after a battle with dementia, her son, Jack Krane, told The Hollywood Reporter.

In addition to “M*A*S*H,” Kellerman worked with director Robert Altman on “The Player”, “Welcome to L.A.” and “Brewster McCloud,” ET Canada reported.

Kellerman also had roles in “The Twilight Zone,” “Last of the Red Hot Lovers” and “Star Trek,” the website reported.

Her role as the Army major in “M*A*S*H” was played in the television series of the same name by Loretta Swit.

Kellerman once said that when fans met her in public, they either yelled, “Hey, Hot Lips!,” or recited a classic Rodney Dangerfield line from “Back to School,” in reference to her role as Dr. Diane Turner in the 1986 film: “Call me sometime when you got no class.”

Sally Claire Kellerman was born in Long Beach, California, on June 2, 1937, according to Variety. Her mother was a piano teacher and her father was an executive for Shell Oil, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“I came out of the womb singing and acting,” she once said.

Kellerman made her feature film debut in 1957′s “Reform School Girls” and next appeared on the big screen in 1962′s “Hands of a Stranger,” and in 1965′s “The Third Day” and “The Lollipop Cover,” Variety reported.

Kellerman’s first high-profile film was 1968′s “The Boston Strangler,” starring Tony Curtis and Henry Fonda, where she had a supporting role as a victim who survives the strangler’s attack but does not remember anything about him.

The actress also sang and recorded a soundtrack for “Brewster McCloud,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. She was also the subject of a 1974 song by Grand Funk Railroad, “Sally. The song was written by her love interest at the time, Mark Farner, the band’s lead singer and lead guitarist.

Kellerman signed a recording contract with Verve Records when she was 18, Variety reported. It was not until 1972 that her first album, “Roll With the Feelin‍ ‘,” was recorded. Her second album, “Sally,” was released in 2009. The actress also contributed songs to the soundtracks for “Lost Horizon,” “Rafferty and the Gold Dust Twins” and “Boris and Natasha: The Movie.”

Kellerman later played Constance Bingham on the CBS soap opera “The Young and the Restless,” and was nominated for a Daytime Emmy in 2015, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

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Photos: Sally Kellerman through the years Sally Kellerman, who was nominated for an Academy Award for her role as Maj. Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan in the 1970 film “M*A*S*H,” died Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. She was 84. Here are some memorable photos from the actress' life and career. (David Cairns/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

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