Wayne Rogers (April 7, 1933 – December 31, 2015)
Wayne Rogers, whose Trapper John McIntyre on “M*A*S*H” was among the most beloved characters on one of the most popular shows of all time, an absurdist comedy set during the Korean War, died Dec. 31 in Los Angeles. He was 82. The cause was complications from pneumonia.
As army surgeon Trapper John, Rogers swapped wisecracks with partner in martinis and mischief Hawkeye Pierce, played by Alan Alda. The formed half of one of the most beloved duos in TV history, despite Rogers’s appearing in only the first three of the show’s 11 seasons on CBS.
The two skilled doctors, Hawkeye and Trapper, blew off steam between surgeries pulling pranks, romancing nurses and tormenting their tent-mate Frank Burns (Larry Linville), with a seemingly endless supply of booze and one-liners at the ready.
In one classic moment, Trapper reaches out as though he’s checking for rain and says, “Hmm, feels like it’s going to martini,” as Hawkeye promptly passes him a drink.
And in another line that typified the show’s ethos, Trapper answers a question with “How should I know? I dropped out of school to become a doctor.”
Rogers was on “M*A*S*H” from 1972 to 1975, becoming one of many original cast members to leave the wildly popular show that went on until 1983. He was initially considered for Alda’s character, but he preferred Trapper’s sunnier disposition to Hawkeye’s darkly acerbic personality.
The characters were essentially equals when the show began, but it increasingly focused on Alda, which was a factor in Rogers’ departure. (Mike Farrell became Alda’s later partner-in-comedy in the role of Capt. B.J. Hunnicut.)
Two other actors played Trapper in other incarnations. Elliot Gould was same character in the “M*A*S*H” feature film in 1970 that preceded the TV show and Pernell Roberts played the title character in the 1980s spinoff drama “Trapper John, M.D.”
