William Christopher
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| William Christopher | |
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| Born | October 20, 1932 Evanston, Illinois, United States |
| Occupation | actor, charity spokesperson |
| Years active | 1965–present |
William Christopher (born October 20, 1932) is an American actor who is best known for playing Father Mulcahy on the television series M*A*S*H and Private Lester Hummel on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
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[edit] Family life and early acting career
[edit] College and early acting work
After attending New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois, he went to the Methodist Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, in 1954. He majored in drama and was active in fencing, soccer, singing with the glee club, performing in various dramatic performances and became a brother of the Sigma Chi fraternity. He met his future wife, Barbara O'Conner, on a blind date. They were married in 1957 and have two sons, John and Ned. Christopher is also said to be a direct descendant of the American patriot, Paul Revere.
[edit] Off-Broadway appearances
After appearing in a variety of regional productions, Christopher landed roles in a number of off-Broadway productions, most notably The Hostage at One Sheridan Square. His Broadway debut came in Beyond the Fringe, a British revue.
[edit] The move to television
Christopher left the New York stage for Hollywood to attempt to gain work in television, where he guest starred in several well-known series, including: The Andy Griffith Show (he portrayed a new, young doctor scheduling Opie Taylor for a tonsilectomy) and also as an IRS agent who came to collect taxes due from Aunt Bea, who had won some prizes on a TV show, Death Valley Days, The Patty Duke Show , The Men from Shiloh and Good Times (he portrayed the military doctor examining J. J. Evans). Christopher had recurring roles on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., That Girl and Hogan's Heroes. He also made a guest appearance on The Love Boat. In 1972, Christopher landed the role of Father Mulcahy in the television series M* A* S* H, when the actor who originated the role, George Morgan, was being replaced after one appearance.
Immediately following M*A*S*H, the actor continued the role for the two seasons of the short-lived spin-off, AfterMASH.
[edit] Christopher's work in motion pictures
In feature films, Christopher performed in The Fortune Cookie, The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell, The Shakiest Gun in the West, With Six You Get Eggroll, and Hearts of the West. He won parts in such telefilms as The Movie Maker, The Perils of Pauline, and For the Love of It (film). The Doris Day film With Six You Get Eggroll is notable for fans of M*A*S*H as Jamie Farr appears along with Christopher five years before the show, both playing hippies. The film also features Herb Voland, who played General Clayton in seven episodes of the first two seasons of M*A*S*H.
[edit] Charity work
Christopher devotes much of his spare time to the National Autistic Society because his son, Ned, is autistic. He has done public service announcements to bring attention to this medical condition. In 1985, he and his wife wrote Mixed Blessings, a book about their experiences raising Ned.
[edit] Recent acting work
Since M*A*S*H, Christopher has appeared on various series, including Murder, She Wrote (where, in a character switch from Mulcahy, he played a murderer). In 1998, Christopher guest-starred in an episode of Mad About You. Christopher has also remained active in the theater, including a tour of the U.S. in the mid-1990s with Jamie Farr doing Neil Simon's The Odd Couple on stage. He also appeared with Jamie Farr in an episode of Diagnosis: Murder.
