Jamie Farr Reflected on the Challenges of Being Typecast as Klinger from M*A*S*H

Jason BrowSat, March 7, 2026 at 3:00 PM UTC

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A role that makes you a pop culture icon can be both a blessing and a curse. For Jamie Farr, portraying Corporal Maxwell Klinger on M*A*S*Hfrom 1972 to the show’s end in 1983 made him a household name.

Actually, it made Klinger a household name, often to Farr’s frustration. “I correct people when they say, ‘Hey, how's Radar doing?’ I say, ‘his name is Gary Burghoff,’” Farr said during a 1995 segment with radio talk show host Peter Anthony Holder on CJAD 800 AM, per MeTV.

“I protect them, but it's just dreadful,” he added. “That's the double-edged sword. It makes you famous. You get some money from it. You go on and do the best you can, but it really is dreadful that people don't know your name.”

Farr first appeared as Klinger on Oct. 8, 1972, in the fourth episode of M*A*S*H’s first season. It was the first time audiences met the 4077th’s corporal, who hoped to get a Section 8 psychiatric discharge from the Army by wearing women’s clothing.

Alan Alda and Jamie Farr during the filming of the television show M*A*S*H, United States, August 1976.Photo by Michael Ochs Archives on Getty Images (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives on Getty Images)

At the time, Farr had previously worked on The Red Skeleton Show and had bit parts in series like The Dick Van Dyke Show and My Three Sons, as well as films like Blackboard Jungle and The Greatest Story Ever Told. But none of these roles were as successful as Klinger—nor were they as personal.

One issue with fans' inability to separate Farr from Klinger is that much of the actor’s life was incorporated into the character. Klinger was the first main character on M*A*S*H who wasn’t part of Richard Hooker’s 1968 novel or Robert Altman’s 1970 movie adaptation.

Related: 'M*'A*S*H's Beloved Theme Song Was Written By A 15-Year-Old: 'It’s Got To Be the Stupidest Song Ever Written'

Like Farr, Klinger was an Arab-American of Lebanese descent from Toledo, Ohio. And when he wasn’t wearing dresses, Klinger often sported the jersey and cap for the Toledo Mud Hens. He’d also make reference to his home, like swearing how “Tony Packo’s got the greatest Hungarian hot dogs.” While this allowed Farr to embody the role, soon all fans could see was Klinger.

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“When they watch a television show, you become that character, and that's all it is,” he said during the 1995 radio show. “When the show is over, we still have to pay our rent, we have to buy food. We have to do all the same things that you do, so it makes it a little more difficult.”

At the time of the interview, M*A*S*H had been off the air for over a decade, following its historic finale. Farr, who had landed roles on other shows (Barnaby Jones, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, The Love Boat) during his time on M*A*S*H, tried to find his professional footing.

He appeared on the spin-offAfterMASH and on episodes of Murder, She Wrote and Diagnosis: Murder. He also appeared in The Cannonball Run and its two sequels. In 1992, he made his Broadway debut, replacing Nathan Lane in a revival of Guys and Dolls, per the Toledo Blade.

“That's why I do Broadway,” Farr said in 1995. “That's exactly why I do Broadway, because I refuse to succumb to the stereotypical things that Hollywood does to a performer by saying, 'We don't dare hire [Bob Denver] because they're going to think of him only as Gilligan.'"

“Let me show you a little trick they do in television,” he added. "Remember how Mary Tyler Moore did The Mary Tyler Moore Show, but her name in the show was not ‘Mary Tyler Moore.’ It was ‘Mary Richards.’ So that’s what they do—because they don’t want people out there not to know who they are. Even some of the movies that John Wayne did, did you notice his name was always ‘John’?”

“So that's the trick,” added Farr. “If you get a show named after you, and then play another character, that's fine. But if you do a show that's an ensemble show like Gilligan’s Island or M*A*S*H, then you’re in trouble.”

Farr’s last credited on-screen role was in 2019’s The Cool Kids. He also appeared in 2018’s Angels On Tap.

Related: '70s TV Actress Hated Her Co-Star So Much She'd 'Pray For Cancellation'

This story was originally published by Parade on Mar 7, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”