Sally Kellerman, known for her Oscar-nominated role as Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan in the 1970 film MASH, died Thursday at an assisted living home in Woodland Hills, California, at the age of 84.
Kellerman’s son, Jack Krane, said Kellerman died from heart failure after battling dementia, according to the New York Times.
Known also for her roles as Diane Turner, the love interest of successful businessman Rodney Dangerfield’s Thornton Melon in the 1986 film Back to School, and with a memorable performance as Dr. Elizabeth Dehner in the third episode of the original Star Trek television series, Kellerman’s career spanned over six decades. Her resume also included guest appearances on several hit shows in the 1960s, such as The Outer Limits, That Girl, and Ben Casey. However, it was her roles as Turner and Houlihan that made her a star.
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“This is my one brag in life: The director [Alan Metter] said he felt that I helped make Rodney human, believable in a relationship,” Kellerman said in 2016 on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast. “Because I just had to love him and be sincere about it.”
Kellerman’s role as Houlihan, the chief nurse in the Army Nurse Corps, led to an Oscar nomination in 1970, though she lost the award to Helen Hayes for her character in the film Airport. Kellerman did end up winning a Golden Globe for the role, however. Loretta Swit went on to play Houlihan in the television show of the same name and received two Emmy awards for her portrayal.
“Before MASH, I was ready to take any kind of chance,” Kellerman said, according to the Hollywood Reporter. “I went out for the Lieutenant Dish part, which was bigger. But I happened to be wearing lipstick, and while I was talking a mile a minute, producer Ingo Preminger kept muttering in his German accent, ‘Hot Lips!’ … [Altman] yelled ‘Hot Lips’ too.”
Kellerman wrote a memoir in 2013 called Read My Lips: Stories of a Hollywood Life in which she talked about growing up in California and how she always knew she wanted to be acting and singing. Kellerman was also a successful singer, known for having a sultry and jazzy voice. She released two albums, Roll With the Feelings (1972) and Sally (2009).
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Kellerman is survived by son Jack Krane and daughter Claire Kellerman Krane. Her husband, Jonathan Krane, and daughter Hannah Krane died in 2016.
