Gary Richard Burghoff (born May 24, 1943) is an American actor, best known for playing the character Corporal Walter Eugene "Radar" O'Reilly in the M*A*S*H series and Charlie Brown in the 1967 off-Broadway musical You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown.

Life and career

Burghoff was born in Bristol, Connecticut and got his start in both acting and drumming during his high school years in Delavan, Wisconsin.

M*A*S*H

Although several actors from the original MASH film made guest appearances in the television series, Burghoff was the only actor cast as a regular.

He left M*A*S*H after season 7 because of burnout and a desire to spend more time with his family, though he returned in season 8 to film a special 2-part farewell episode, Goodbye Radar. Castmate Mike Farrell tried to convince Burghoff to stay on the show, citing the lackluster careers of former M*A*S*H regulars Larry Linville and McLean Stevenson after their departures. Burghoff was nominated for 6 Emmy Awards for the show in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and of those 6 nominations, he only won one Emmy in 1977.

Episode 24 Season 1 of the M*A*S*H television series titled "Showtime" features Radar playing a solo on the drums. It is a misconception that the sound was dubbed in; it is Gary Burghoff's actual performance.

Match Game

Burghoff also frequently appeared on the game show Match Game in the 1970s, both as a stand-in for regular Charles Nelson Reilly and also as the "special male guest" occupying seat one. He sat in for Reilly from 1974 until Match Game episode 471 when Reilly returned in 1975 from Broadway. He appeared in 248 episodes of Match Game through its daytime run, syndicated run, and the nighttime version of the show. 215 episodes daytime, 18 episodes on Match Game PM (nighttime), and 15 episodes during the syndicated version.

Later career

Burghoff appeared regularly on TV, making appearances on other game shows as well like Tattletales and Showoffs. He also appeared in the film B.S. I Love You, as well as an episode of The Love Boat. His M*A*S*H character Radar O'Reilly was spun off into an unsold TV show called W*A*L*T*E*R.

For years he appeared in commercials for the Gulf Petroleum Company (now British Petroleum) as the "Gulf Guy".

In addition to acting, Burghoff also works as a professional jazz drummer, heading the trio The We Three, and as a wildlife painter. His other activities include outdoorsmanship and rifle shooting. Burghoff is also the inventor of, and holds a patent on, the "Chum Magic", a fishing tackle invention that attracts fish to your boat.

Burghoff is a philatelist and was the star of a United States Postal Service video for beginning stamp collectors. In 2000, Burghoff was also a spokesperson for dot-com era auction aggregation site PriceRadar.com.

Burghoff's left hand is withered and misshapen with the fingers being very short—no cause is known about it, though it is presumed to be a birth defect known as a localized dysmelia. In M*A*S*H, he is often seen carrying a clipboard or other object to conceal the defect. The first time this was brought to light was in the mid 1980s in a public broadcasting special about various impairments and how people with them cope in the world.

Burghoff was married to Janet Gayle, from 1971 to 1979; they had one child before the marriage ended in divorce. In 1985, he married Elisabeth Bostrom; they have two children together. Burghoff currently resides in Paradise, California. Through 2009, he appears as a "doctor" in TV ads for a local construction company.

Further reading

• "Gary Burghoff: To M*A*S*H and Back: My Life in Poems and Songs," by Gary Burghoff. BearManor Media, Albany, 2009. ISBN # 1-59393-343-6.

References

1. M*A*S*H: Showtime - TV.com
2. , Enhanced fish attractor device, August 17, 1993, Gary Burghoff, inventor.
3. PriceRadar.com Home Page

External links