Sally Kellerman, Hot Lips Houlihan in ‘M*A*S*H’ film, dead at 84
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By Bob D'Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
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.
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.
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)
Photos: Sally Kellerman through the years 1964: French actor Charles Boyer and actress Sally Kellerman are made up and ready at the set before shooting a scene for the American TV series "The Rogues," September 3, 1964, in the USA. (AP Photo/Str)
Photos: Sally Kellerman through the years 1970: Robert Altman, director of the film "MASH" and actresses Sally Kellerman, center and Jo Ann Pflug, shows gold Palm Award after the film, an American anti-establishment satire, was given the top International Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival at Cannes, France, May 16, 1970. (AP Photo)
Photos: Sally Kellerman through the years 1972: Ben Johnson, center, best supporting actor, with Richard Harris and Sally Kellerman at the 1971 Academy Awards, presented March 27, 1972, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo, File)
Photos: Sally Kellerman through the years 1973: Sally Kellerman attends a reception at the Dorchester Hotel in London on March 26, 1973. (Central Press/Getty Images)
Photos: Sally Kellerman through the years 1977: Sally Kellerman, left, is greeted by Liv Ullmann in the dressing room after the premier of Miss Kellerman's singing show at the Grand Finale nightclub in New York, May 3, 1977. (AP Photo/Ray Stubblebine)
Photos: Sally Kellerman through the years 1994: Film director Robert Altman, Sally Kellerman, Jack Lemmon and Lauren Bacall, right, are shown at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City, Monday, April 18, 1994. (AP Photo/Janet Durrans)
Photos: Sally Kellerman through the years 2009: Sally Kellerman, left, and Angelica Huston arrive at The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences 2009 Governors Awards, Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Photos: Sally Kellerman through the years 2013: Jack Krane and Sally Kellerman seen at Focus Features' Dallas Buyers Club Premiere, on Thursday, Oct., 17, 2013, in Los Angeles. (Eric Charbonneau/Invision for Focus Features/AP Images)
Photos: Sally Kellerman through the years 2014: Sally Kellerman seen at Warner Bros. Picture's Los Angeles Premiere of "The Judge" held at Samuel Goldwyn Theatre, AMPAS on Wed, Oct 1, 2014, in Los Angeles. (Eric Charbonneau/Invision for Warner Bros./AP Images)
Photos: Sally Kellerman through the years 2015: Actress Sally Kellerman poses at the premiere of the film "Grandma" on the opening night of the Los Angeles Film Festival on Wednesday, June 10, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)