thumb | left | The cast of M * A * S * H from Season 2 1974 ( clockwise from left ) : Loretta Swit Larry Linville Wayne Rogers Gary Burghoff McLean Stevenson and Alan Alda.Starting in 1972 Swit played Major Margaret Hot Lips Houlihan in the television series M * A * S * H. She inherited the star-making role from actress Sally Kellerman who portrayed Houlihan in the feature film .