Biography for
Larry Linville More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

29 September 1939, Ojai, California, USA

Date of Death

10 April 2000, New York City, New York, USA (pneumonia due to complications from a cancer operation)

Birth Name

Larry Lavon Linville

Height

6' 1" (1.85 m)

Spouse

Deborah Guydon	(1993 - 10 April 2000) (his death)
Susan Hagan	(15 October 1986 - 1992) (divorced)
Melissa Gallant	(24 April 1982 - 1985) (divorced)
Vana Tribbey	(25 December 1977 - 20 April 1982) (divorced)
Kate Geer	(25 April 1962 - 1975) (divorced) 1 child

Trivia

Was raised in Sacramento, California

Studied aeronautical engineering at the University of Colorado

Studied at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts

His only child, Kelly Linville (born 1970), is a photo technician in L.A.

Los Angeles Times 4/11/00 reports Linville, who died at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center is survived by his wife, Deborah Linville.

Underwent surgery to remove part of his lung after doctors found a malignant tumor under his sternum. [12 February 1998]

His ex-wife, Kate, was the daughter of Will Geer.

After college, he applied for a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, England; he was one of three Americans out of 300 applicants to win.

Selected to appear opposite Ingrid Bergman on Broadway because, he said, he was one of the few actors tall enough to play opposite her.

Linville and actor David Ogden Stiers, who'd played Major Winchester, were both VIP guests at the ceremonial closing of the last active M*A*S*H unit in Korea, in the 1990s. Ironically, Stiers had replaced Linville on the show, and neither they nor their characters had ever met - but Winchester's last comment in the last regular episode had been about Major Burns.

Contrary to his much-maligned character Frank Burns, Linville was actually well-liked by his "M*A*S*H" cast-mates. He and Gary Burghoff were close friends off the show; Burghoff described Linville as a "renaissance man" who knew about the intricacies of the Egyptian pyramids and who once even built and flew his own airplane. Alan Alda also remembered Linville fondly, after his death.

Stated in a 1990s People magazine "Where are they now?" feature about TV doctors that he had no regrets about leaving '"M*A*S*H" (1972)' six years before it ended.

Chose not to renew his "M*A*S*H" (1972) contract because "I felt I had done everything possible with the character" of Frank Burns. Said later that the fifth season (his last) had been hardest for him, since Frank no longer had Loretta Swit's character Hot Lips on his side, leaving him to bear the brunt of the insults alone. Even stopped attending dailies, because Linville was tired of seeing his character as the butt of so many jokes.

The nickname "ferret face" that was used to describe his Frank Burns character M*A*S*H was coined up by his own brother.

Frequently played stuffed-shirt characters; an interesting exception was when he appeared as a wise, all-powerful genie on "Fantasy Island" (1978).

Personal Quotes

(when asked whom he'd based his infamous Frank Burns character on) "Every idiot I've ever known."

[On contracting cancer]: "I was scared. It wasn't like drinking. You could give up the bottle. You can't give up the big C."

[about Frank Burns] Some people have said 'Why didn't the role progress? Why didn't he become more understanding, more humane, more compassionate, more sensitive?' I said 'What did you want him to be Alan Alda?'

[about playing Frank Burns] On the one side he was just kind of silly and stupid and on the other side you have the danger of being very repulsive and ugly so you must balance that so that it is believable enough to serve the comedy.

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