Written by: Alex Green

William Christopher, the actor who played Father Mulcahy on M*A*S*H has died.

Christopher was 84.

The Evanston, Illinois-born actor who was a descendent of Paul Revere, died at his home in Pasadena of small cell carcinoma.

A graduate of Wesleyan University, Christopher was a Broadway veteran who decided as a young actor to try and make it in Hollywood. Along with his portryal of the beloved Father Mulcahy, he also played Private Lester Hummel on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.

Christopher never stopped working–he appeared on everything from Murder, She Wrote to Mad About You and he even reunited with fellow M*A*S*H* co-star Jamie Farr in a touring production of Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple.

Christopher was active in the autism community, working with the National Autistic Society doing PSA’s to help bring awareness to the neurodevelopmental disorder. His son Ned has autism and in 1985 the actor and his wife Barbara penned the book Mixed Blessings, which addressed what it was like to raise Ned.

Christopher’s other son John reported the actor’s death in a statement to the press.