He was only a part of three seasons but in those three seasons he became a household name. For many fans of classic television there would be no Hawkeye Pierce with Trapper John McIntyre. Wayne Rogers was the actor behind the character Trapper John McIntyre. He died Thursday in Los Angeles from complications of pneumonia.

The duo of Hawkeye and Trapper John were duly noted to be one televisions most loved duos. The characters were Army surgeons whose job was to stitch up wounded soldiers and send them quickly out of harms way at a M*A*S*H unit. The show often featured comedy dialogue being delivered during the height of intense surgery scenes.  The TV show was set in wartime Korea and used humor to make stark commentary on the horror of war.

Rogers starred in the show from 1972 to 1975. He was one of several original actors that chose to leave the show which continued until 1983. He reportedly left over a contract disputer.  Rogers never really  found the same kind of TV success that he had encountered on M*A*S*H. His closest claim to fame came in the forma a recurring role on the TV detective drama Murder, She Wrote.

 

Rogers eventually left the world of scripted television and moved into the world of high finance. He was a regular panelist on the Fox News investment show Cashin' In. Rogers is survived by his wife Amy and two children Bill and Laura as well as four grandchildren.

 

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