Photo: CBS Television / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
What strikes me most about Loretta Swit is how she refused to let Margaret Houlihan remain a punchline. The character began as broad caricature, and over eleven seasons Swit quietly argued her into full personhood, ambitious and lonely and principled, until the writers had no choice but to follow. Two Emmys feel almost like an undercount for that kind of sustained authorship inside someone else's show. I also admire that she never seemed bitter about being tied to one role; she carried it with grace and a long stage career. Her passing in 2025 closed a chapter of television history I genuinely treasure.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Loretta Swit
- Name (Japanese)
- ロレッタ・スウィット
- Reading
- ろれった・すうぃっと
- Born
- November 4, 1937 (age 88)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Scorpio / Ox
- Origin
- Passaic, New Jersey, United States
- Occupation
- actor / television actor / stage actor / film actor
2. Background
Awards & achievements
- 1980 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
- 1982 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
- star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Loretta Swit born?
Born November 4, 1937 (age 88).
Where is Loretta Swit from?
Loretta Swit is from Passaic, New Jersey, United States.
What does Loretta Swit do?
Loretta Swit works as actor, television actor, stage actor, film actor.
Actor — see all → · Television actor — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-11
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.