Christopher ’54 Remembered for Playing Father Mulcahy on M*A*S*H

Actor William Christopher ’54, best known for his role as Father Francis Mulcahy in the popular television comedy/drama series M*A*S*H, died Dec. 31, 2016, at his home in Pasadena, Calif. Christopher’s Mulcahy was a gentle Roman Catholic chaplain assigned to a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean War on the CBS series, which aired from 1972 through 1983.

A theater major at Wesleyan, Christopher began his acting career in New York, playing in Broadway and Off-Broadway productions before moving to Los Angeles, where he worked in television and appeared in a number of popular shows.

In a New York Times article, writer Liam Stack quotes Loretta Swit—M*A*S*H nurse Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan—who called Christopher “‘TV’s quintessential padre… It was the most perfect casting ever known. He was probably responsible for more people coming back to the church.’”