William Christopher

William Christopher (October 20, 1932 December 31, 2016) was an American actor and comedian, best known for playing Private Lester Hummel on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. from 1965 to 1968 and Father Francis John Patrick Mulcahy on the television series M*A*S*H from 1972 to 1983 and its spinoff AfterMASH from 1983 to 1985.

Early life Christopher was born in Evanston, Illinois, in a family believed to be descendants of Paul Revere. He spent his youth in several of Chicago's northern suburbs, including Winnetka, Illinois, where he attended New Trier High School. While at university, he participated in fencing, soccer, and the glee club, and was initiated as a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.

Career Cast of M*A*S*H (1977). Back row, L–R: William Christopher, Gary Burghoff, David Ogden Stiers, and Jamie Farr. Front row, L–R: Loretta Swit, Harry Morgan, Alan Alda, Mike Farrell Christopher (right) as an Army doctor on an episode of Good Times. John Amos and Jimmie Walker are also pictured. Christopher moved to New York and appeared in a variety of regional productions and later a number of off-Broadway productions such as The Hostage at One Sheridan Square. His Broadway debut came in Beyond the Fringe, a British revue, acting alongside Peter Cook and Dudley Moore.

Christopher remained a regular cast member of M*A*S*H for the duration of the series, concluding with its eleventh season in 1983. Immediately following M*A*S*H, Christopher continued the role of Father Mulcahy for the two seasons of the short-lived 1984-1985 spin-off AfterMASH. One of Christopher's last roles was that of a priest (Father Tobias) on the daytime drama Days of Our Lives.

Charity work Christopher, whose son Ned has autism, devoted much of his spare time to the National Autistic Society, doing public-service announcements to bring attention to autism. In 1988, his wife Barbara and he wrote Mixed Blessings, a book about their experiences in raising Ned.

Personal life Christopher met his future wife Barbara on a blind date. They married in 1957 and the couple adopted two sons.

Death Christopher died at his home in Pasadena, California, on December 31, 2016. According to his son John Christopher, the 84-year-old actor died as the result of non-small-cell carcinoma (lung cancer). He had been diagnosed with cancer about 18 months earlier, according to his New York-based agent Robert Malcolm.

Partial filmography 1965: 12 O'Clock High (TV series, Episode: "Then Came the Mighty Hunter") as Patient 1965: Hank (TV series, Episode: "Candidate") as Elwood 1965: The Andy Griffith Show (TV series, 2 episodes) as Mr. Heathcote, IRS 1965–1968: Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (TV series) as recurring character Private Lester Hummel 1965: Hogan's Heroes (TV series, 4 episodes) as multiple characters in 1965, 1966 and 1968 1966: The Patty Duke Show (TV series, Episode: "Three Little Kittens") as Man 1966: The Fortune Cookie as Intern 1967: The Perils of Pauline as Doctor (uncredited) 1967: The Andy Griffith Show (TV series, 1 episode) Thomas Peterson, MD 1968: The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell as Pvt. Jake Schultz 1968: The Shakiest Gun in the West as Hotel Manager (uncredited) 1968: With Six You Get Eggroll as Zip-Cloud 1969: That Girl Season 4, Episode 14 as Chippy Dolan 1972: The Carol Burnett Show Season 5, Episode 15 (January 5, 1972), uncredited appearance, performing improv skits as a student from Harvey Lembeck's workshop with Carol White, and Shelia Bartold, introduced by Burnett as Bill Christopher 1972–1983: M*A*S*H (TV series) as Father John Mulcahy 1974: Movin' On (TV series, Episode: "Grit") as Jewelry Clerk 1975: Hearts of the West as Bank Teller 1975: Good Times (TV series, Episode: "The Enlistment") as The Doctor, Major Bullock 1983–1985: AfterMASH (TV series) as Father John Mulcahy 1985: Murder, She Wrote (TV series, Episode: "A Lady in the Lake") as Burton Hollis 1994: Heaven Sent as Priest 1998: Mad About You (TV series, Episode: "A Pain in the Neck") as Chaplain Olsen 2012: Days of Our Lives (TV series) as Father Tobias (final appearance)