Gary Burghoff Biography

Gary Burghoff is best known for his portrayal of Walter “Radar” O’Reilly in the television series M*A*S*H from 1972-79.

Burghoff, a veteran of Broadway, had earlier played the same role in the feature film M*A*S*H. (1970). Radar was a nebbishy clerk from Ottumwa, Iowa who got his nickname from his ability to anticipate when helicopters with wounded were on their way to the mobile Army hospital that gave the series its name. Burghoff won an Emmy as best supporting actor in a comedy series in 1977 for the role.

Nebbishy roles were a bit of a specialty for Burghoff: He played lovable loser Charlie Brown in the original 1967 off-Broadway cast of You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown.

M*A*S*H was one of television’s most popular shows of the era, and Burghoff was typecast to some extent. After he quit the show, Burghoff made infrequent television appearances and was a regular on Gene Rayburn‘s game show The Match Game (1979-81). He also acted and directed extensively in regional theater. His last film or TV appearance to date was the religious drama Daniel’s Lot in 2010.