Leaving the battlefields of the military‑medical comedy M\A\S\H*, Gary Burghoff, who played the sweet yet sneaky Radar, stepped away from his career to repair his family, which was slowly breaking down.
Recently, the 82‑year‑old Emmy‑winning actor became a grandfather when his son, Miles “Sonar” Burghoff, welcomed a baby girl. In late March 2023, Miles posted a photo of himself holding his newborn daughter with the caption, “I caught the best 8‑pounder of my life today! Everyone meet Rylee Elisabeth Burghoff!”
Inheriting his father’s love of fishing, Miles is now a professional angler. “He’s the one who really started me out,” the younger Burghoff said at a fishing tournament. His father replied, “I’m just here to offer moral support. This is a testament to parents doing what they love with their kids.”
Though Miles didn’t follow his father’s career path, he does carry a name reminiscent of the famous Radar. “I was dubbed the name Sonar because my father had the role of Radar on the TV series M\A\S\H*,” Miles explained.
Miles and his brother Jordan are the sons of Burghoff and his second wife, Elizabeth Bolstrom, whom he married in 1985 and divorced in 2005. Bolstrom died in November 2019. Burghoff also has a daughter, Gena Gayle Burghoff, born in 1985, with his first wife, Janet Gayle, whom he divorced in 1979.
When Burghoff left M\A\S\H*, he didn’t leave with much.
“I didn’t leave M\A\S\H* a wealthy man,” Burghoff told People. “I could have renegotiated my contract, but money wasn’t the most important thing in my life… You either want to be rich and famous, or you want to be a daddy. You can’t do both.”
Turning down several sitcom offers in the 1980s, including a role on Newhart, Burghoff instead chose regional theater. “I wanted to pick the number of weeks I’d work and spend the rest of the time with my family,” he said. The theater roles, which eventually faded, never matched the impact of his breakout on M\A\S\H*.
Over seven seasons from 1972 to 1983, Burghoff starred as Cpl. Walter “Radar” O’Reilly, a naïve farm boy serving as the company clerk (and sometimes bugler) with the U.S. Army’s Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean War (1950–1953).
Burghoff is the only actor to portray his character in both the 1970 film and the TV series, which also featured Donald Sutherland, Robert Duvall, and Sally Kellerman in her Oscar‑nominated role as Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan, later played by Loretta Swit in the series.
After appearing in every episode for the first three seasons, Burghoff’s demanding schedule reportedly strained his family life, reducing his appearances to 13 episodes per season, down from 24.
Season seven marked Radar’s departure in a two‑part farewell, “Good‑Bye Radar,” which explained his discharge from the Army. In an interview with The Television Academy Foundation, M\A\S\H* director Charles S. Dubin said Burghoff was struggling with marital issues at the time. Referring to the emotional goodbye scenes, Dubin recalled that Burghoff “couldn’t go on. He broke into tears and I had to stop everything for 15 minutes and walk him around the backlot of Fox.” He added that the script’s references to Radar’s future with the woman he loved “related to his own domestic problems,” which he believed played a major role.
M\A\S\H* continued for three more seasons with its original stars—Alan Alda as Capt. Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce, Loretta Swit as “Hot Lips” Houlihan, and Jamie Farr as Sgt. Maxwell Q. Klinger—holding down the barracks.
Burghoff reprised Radar in two episodes of the spinoff AfterMASH and in W\A\L\T\E\R*, a third spinoff exploring Radar’s life after the war, which was not picked up. Producers even offered him a $4 million contract to return, which he declined. By 1991, “the money ran out,” and Burghoff was nearly bankrupt. “I was down to my last $500,” he told People.
That’s when the multi‑talented Burghoff—an off‑Broadway actor, jazz musician, stamp collector, and inventor of Chum Magic, a fish‑attracting device—decided to reinvent himself.
Burghoff began painting North American wildlife, creating oil canvases displayed in galleries and selling for $25,000 each.
Today, if you’re lucky, you might find one at auction. Four years ago, Burghoff supported a GoFundMe campaign for people affected by the California fires. In the video posted by his son Jordan, he appears older, but fans praised both his appearance and his kindness.
One wrote, “OMG I remember him when I was just a child watching M\A\S\H. He still has the same voice and looks.” Another added, “Good to see you Mr. Burghoff. I’m donating not just because of the need, but because I feel I owe you something. As a kid I watched M\A\S\H and loved your work. Now my wife and I are enjoying it all over again on Netflix. You made me laugh, feel, and think, and I appreciated all of that. Jordan, thanks for posting this.”
We’re fortunate to have people like Gary Burghoff in this world. Share your memories of M\A\S\H*—and what are your thoughts on him leaving his role as Radar to try to save his marriage?
