Stevenson, McLean

Biography

Actor Edgar McLean Stevenson (better known as McLean Stevenson) was born on November 14, 1927. He grew up in Bloomington, Illinois, and briefly attended Illinois Wesleyan University and the University of New Mexico. He served in the US Navy from 1946 to 1947.

Stevenson entered Northwestern's School of Speech (now School of Communication) in 1949, graduating in 1952 with a Bachelor of Science degree. At Northwestern, he was a member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity and the Student Governing Board, and participated in the 1951 and 1952 Waa-Mu student revues. (In the 1951 show, "That Reminds Me," as Ed Stevenson he played a navy commander and an army captain; in the 1952 show, "Taxi, Please!" he played at least four roles, none of them military.)

Stevenson held a variety of jobs before he broke into acting at age 31 (with a role in "The Music Man"), and then spent over three decades in television as a writer and actor. He was perhaps best known for his role in the CBS television series "MASH" (based on the eponymous 1970 Robert Altman film about a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital), where for the show's first three seasons (1972-1975) he played Lt. Col. Henry Blake of the 4077th MASH. He won a 1973 Golden Globe award and a 1974 Emmy nomination for this role.

He left "MASH"  for his own short-lived situation comedy, and appeared regular or cameo roles in several other shows, including "The Match Game,"  "The Tim Conway Hour," "The Doris Day Show," and "Diff'rent Strokes." He also guest-hosted evening talk shows, including many appearances on Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show."

Stevenson was one of many alumni of Northwestern's School of Speech who appeared at the gala opening of NU's Theatre and Interpretation Center in 1982.

He died in Los Angeles on February 15, 1996, at the age of 66.

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